NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued a notice on a petition filed by Sushant Singh Rajput’s father seeking a ban on the release of any movie on his life.
Sushant Singh Rajput’s father Krishan Kishore Singh has approached Delhi High Court in light of the recent news articles and publications regarding movies and other ventures depicting his personal life, name/ images/caricature/lifestyle /likeness in form of biopic or story, plea states. Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri on Wednesday sought a response from respondents while slated the matter for getting on May 25th. Senior Advocate Vikas Singh appearing for SSRs father states that any such publication, production, or depiction of the private life of the late actor is a blatant and willful breach of the right to a fair trial guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, personality rights and the common law tort of passing off in misappropriating well-known personality without consent for commercial gains.
The petition states that the plaintiff (SSR’s Father) and his deceased has the right of privacy or a right to be alone under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. They have the right to safeguard their privacy, their families’ privacy and deceased persons in the family. None can publish anything whether truthful or otherwise or whether laudatory or critical about the life of Sushant Singh Rajput without the consent of Plaintiff. It is not possible to depict or portray the life of Sushant Singh Rajput without depicting or portraying the life of his family members including his near relatives and the Plaintiff. It states that the plaintiff (SSR’s father) was apprised that different ventures are making movies, series or forming associations to misappropriate the personality of Plaintiff’s son. These ventures are designed to malign the image of the son of the plaintiff and his family members, further, to derail the present investigation in the CBI case registered against the accused persons is a violation of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
The Defendants are also trying to misappropriate the well know personality right of Sushant Singh and to manipulate the public perception in order to make commercial gains out of it, which shall not be allowed as same will cause grave prejudice and irreparable injury to Plaintiff and his family members. Plea mentions that the plaintiff apprehended that distorted version of his son’s life will be presented to the public, without the consent of plaintiff, which would be defamatory in nature and would be deceptive to the public at large to make them believe that these ventures are backed by plaintiff or his family. The plaintiff also apprehends that his and privacy of his son would be infringed by such public deception.
The petition also seeks order and decree of permanent injunction restraining the Defendants by themselves, their directors, principal officers, successors-in-business, assigns, servants, agents, distributors, advertiser or anyone other than the Defendants from using plaintiff son’s name/caricature/lifestyle or likeness in their forthcoming project/ films in any manner whatsoever amounting to infiltration of personality rights by such unauthorized use.
