Aaradhya Bachchan, daughter of Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, succeeded today (April 20) in getting an injunction order from the Delhi high court against false videos uploaded about her and also an order upholding her right to privacy. She had filed the suit in the court through her father and natural guardian, Abhishek Bachchan. The actor had also filed the suit in his individual capacity as a celebrity actor. The suit sought injunction against several channels and uploaders on YouTube, restraining them from posting fake news about her health, life, death and critical illness.
The suit asserted three torts: (1) breach of privacy, (2) defamation, and (3) infringement of personality rights.
Dayan Krishnan, Ameet Naik and Pravin Anand appeared for Aaradhya and Abhishek. The Delhi high court granted an order of injunction against the infringers and uploaders from uploading the infringing videos and any such content which infringes the privacy and gives false news of Aaradhya Bachchan. The court also directed Google/YouTube to give details of the infringers, such as contact number, email id etc.
Speaking on the same, Ameet Naik of law firm Anand and Naik stated, “It is a landmark judgement on three counts — injunction which upholds privacy of a child, against disseminating false and fake news about a child, which is harmful to a child, and against defamation. The court said that children must be treated with parity — whether they are children of a celebrity or otherwise. It also said that the intermediaries should have a zero tolerance policy on such fake news which is harmful to a child. The court compared the harmful effects of fake news about children to child pornography.
Dayan argued that in the face of it, these videos are false, fake, defamatory, and uploaded with the end and intent of gaining eyeballs and added viewership and subscription to the channel.
This is the first of its kind order protecting the rights of a celebrity child who is a minor.