The Delhi High Court will decide Wednesday on PhysicsWallah founder Alakh Pandey's interim personality rights plea, after the judge asked him to categorize infringing content by monetization, vulgarity, and defamation.
The Delhi High Court will pass an interim order Wednesday on PhysicsWallah founder Alakh Pandey's plea to block unauthorized commercial use of his face, voice, and teaching style, after telling him to sort the allegedly infringing content into clear buckets.
Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani said Tuesday he is willing to protect Pandey from illegal monetization and vulgar material. He cautioned against a blanket order that could stifle legitimate satire or free speech.
"I am willing to protect you at this stage in so far as the content which is using [your personality] to monetise. There is some stuff that is vulgar, not all of it. In one you are taking your tongue out, harmless," the judge said.
Senior advocate J. Sai Deepak, appearing for Pandey, said the petition does not target criticism or parody. "We are not ultra-sensitive to criticism. Some red lines people have to follow. I have not signed up for defamation," he argued.
Deepak told the court that the educator's face, expressions, tone and teaching style are closely associated with the PhysicsWallah brand and are being used without permission across online platforms. "My [client's] trademark, expressions, tone, face and way of presentation are very popular. Stickers are being sold for commercial purposes," he said.
He added that Telegram stickers and GIFs featuring Pandey's image are being used to generate vulgar and sexually explicit material that "has the potential of bringing [him] down in the eyes of the students."
The judge questioned how far courts should go in protecting public figures. "Where do we define personality rights?" he asked.
Deepak cited a Delhi High Court precedent that granted interim protection to boAt co-founder Aman Gupta. He argued that well-known figures are increasingly targeted online because their public identities drive significant traffic and commercial value.
The court directed Pandey to identify infringing content under three categories before Wednesday: monetization of his personality, vulgar or sexually explicit content beyond satire or parody, and allegedly libellous or slanderous material that may fall outside the personality-rights regime.
Pandey joins a long list of Indian public figures who have sought such protection. Actors Salman Khan, Kajol, Allu Arjun, NTR Junior and R. Madhavan, singer Jubin Nautiyal, and former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar have filed similar suits. Courts have previously protected politician Shashi Tharoor and cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Abhishek Sharma.
Mint reported earlier that these lawsuits are no longer aimed only at anonymous infringers. Judges are increasingly directing platforms such as X, Meta, Google and YouTube to remove allegedly infringing content. In some cases, courts have also directed platforms to disclose subscriber details and IP addresses of alleged infringers.
The court hears the matter again Wednesday.
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