The Bombay High Court on Monday reserved its order on interim relief sought by veteran actor and Lok Sabha MP Shatrughan Sinha in a plea seeking protection of his personality rights, including his iconic dialogue “Khamosh”.
A single-judge bench of Justice Sharmila Deshmukh heard the matter and reserved orders on Sinha’s request for an interim injunction against various websites and social media platforms allegedly using his name, image, persona, mannerisms and signature punchline without authorisation.
In his plea, the 79-year-old actor-politician has sought an interim order restraining all such platforms from using his:
- name
- image and likeness
- voice and mannerisms
- signature dialogue “Khamosh”
- overall persona
for any commercial purpose without his consent.
He has also sought a permanent injunction against unauthorised commercial exploitation of these attributes.
Sinha contended that over several decades he has built substantial goodwill and commercial value around his public persona, and that unauthorised use of his identity and catchphrase amounts to a violation of his fundamental rights.
According to the plea, such misuse not only exploits his reputation but also causes grave and irreparable damage to his personality and brand value.
The matter pertains to alleged use of his identity and the dialogue “Khamosh” by certain online platforms without licence or permission.
After hearing submissions, the High Court reserved its order on the question of interim protection.
The plea raises issues relating to personality rights, commercial exploitation of celebrity identity, and protection of distinctive catchphrases associated with public figures.
The court’s decision on interim relief is awaited.
