In India, personality rights serve as a legal shield for an individual's identity—including name, image, and voice—against unauthorized commercial use. Although no specific statute exists, these rights derive from Article 21 (Right to Privacy) and intellectual property laws such as the Copyright Act and Trade Marks Act.
Indian courts recognize two key aspects: the Right of Publicity, which gives individuals control over the commercial use of their identity, and the Right to Privacy, which protects against intrusion. Recent landmark rulings for celebrities like Anil Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan have expanded these protections to combat AI-generated deepfakes and voice cloning.
However, these rights are not absolute. They must be balanced against Freedom of Speech, allowing for fair use in news reporting, satire, and parody. This evolving legal framework underscores the tension between personality protection and free expression in the digital age.