High Court
High Court adjourns Shah bail plea hearing
The Bombay High Court on Monday adjourned Bollywood financier and co-promoter of B4U Bharat Shah’s bail plea till Tuesday as the defence arguments remained incomplete. However, the court gave permission for the release of his film “Chori Chori Chupke Chupke” on the condition that the rights of the film would remain with the government, Chalo Mumbai reported.
Shah had filed his bail plea in the High Court after his bail was rejected in the special court. The case was brought before Justice SS Parkar and Advocate Ashok Desai appeared on Shah’s behalf. Shah was arrested on 8 January under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for his alleged links with underworld don Chhota Shakeel.
Meanwhile, “Chori Chori” producer Nasim Rizvi and Shah have both made counter claims on the seized negatives of the movie while the prosecution has urged the the appointment of a court receiver to release the film and deposit the proceeds in the treasury, according to Press Trust of India.
Public prosecutor Rohini Salian, speaking on the plea made by Shah for the release of the film’s negatives, informed a special court that the film producer and accused Rizvi had claimed during interrogation his right over the release of the controversial movie.
Both Shah and Rizvi are being tried under MCOCA for their alleged nexus with the underworld. In the circumstances, it would not be proper to release the film’s negatives to either of them, Salian said.
The prosecutor has suggested that in the interest of justice, the court may give its ruling on the rights of the film after the conclusion of the trial so that no prejudice is caused to any of the accused. Till then, she said the film’s negatives should not be released to anyone.
Shah’s counsel urged for time till January 17 to file his submissions on the prosecution’s prayer for appointment of court receiver. Accordingly, designated judge AP Bhangale has adjourned the matter until then.
High Court
Bombay High Court questions AI celebrity deepfakes in Shilpa Shetty case
Justice questions legality of unconsented AI personas, platforms directed to respond.
MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court just put AI on the witness stand because when a chatbot starts chatting as Shilpa Shetty without asking, even the bench wants to know who gave permission. The Bombay High Court on Wednesday expressed serious concerns over the legality of artificial intelligence tools that simulate celebrity personalities without consent, during a personality rights suit filed by actor Shilpa Shetty.
Justice Sharmila Deshmukh, hearing the matter, questioned platforms that allow users to interact with AI-generated versions of actors without authorisation. The court noted that one accused AI chatbot website continued using Shetty’s personality without permission, prompting the judge to ask about the legal basis for such operations.
When the lawyer for the AI company argued that the system relied on algorithms and did not require celebrity consent, Justice Deshmukh challenged the platform’s right to recreate and make public a person’s identity in this manner. She observed that while users uploading photographs raised one set of issues, AI systems generating content based on recognised personalities posed distinct legal and ethical questions especially when the platform itself acknowledged the content was not real.
The court directed the platform to file a detailed response explaining its position.
The case involves Shetty seeking restrictions on more than 30 platforms including e-commerce websites and AI services accused of hosting or enabling misuse of her image and circulation of deepfake content.
The Bench also raised concerns about Youtube commentary videos discussing the ongoing proceedings involving Shetty and her husband, questioning whether unverified discussions could malign parties without journalistic checks.
Counsel for Google, Tenor and the AI entity informed the court that flagged infringing URLs had been removed. Shetty’s team disputed this, leading the court to allow her to file an application alleging non-compliance if links remained active.
Tenor objected to the broad injunction sought, arguing it functions as an intermediary GIF platform without capacity for proactive monitoring. The court directed Tenor to file an affidavit opposing the order.
E-commerce platforms including Amazon stated they had removed unauthorised listings using Shetty’s name and image, and would continue to act on specific notifications.
The court reiterated that directions for intermediaries would operate on a “take-down on notice” basis, requiring removal of infringing content once flagged.
As deepfakes blur the line between real and rendered, the Bombay High Court isn’t just hearing a case, it’s asking the bigger question: in the age of AI avatars, who really owns your face?
