Delhi HC Restrains Circulation of Deepfake Videos of Ankur Warikoo
The Delhi High Court, on Monday, passed a John Doe order restraining the circulation of deepfake videos of Ankur Warikoo. The plaintiff, Ankur Warikoo, a well-known personal finance educator, entrepreneur, author, and public speaker, filed a civil suit seeking a permanent injunction to prevent the misuse of his personality and publicity rights. The suit also included claims of passing off and requested ancillary relief.
The bench of Justice Amit Bansal held, “The defendant no.1/ John Doe(s), their associates, partners, directors, principal officers, family members, servants, agents, or anyone acting for and on their behalf, during the pendency of the suit, are restrained from directly or indirectly misusing, misappropriating or exploiting the name, likeness, image, photos, videos, voice or any other aspects of the plaintiff no.1's persona”.
Plaintiff No. 2, M/s Zaan WebVeda Private Limited, was founded by Warikoo in 2020. The company operated under the brand ‘WebVeda by Ankur Warikoo’ and offered practical courses on personal and professional development. It held valid trademark registrations for the word “Warikoo” in classes 35 and 41 since March 2022. The company relied heavily on Warikoo’s personal brand, contributing to a combined revenue exceeding ₹29 crore across financial years 2023–24 and 2024–25.
The suit alleged that unidentifiable individuals (Defendant No. 1/John Does) created and circulated deepfake videos featuring Warikoo, falsely portraying him as giving stock investment tips and directing viewers to join WhatsApp groups. Defendant No. 2 was Meta Platforms, which owned Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, platforms where the deepfakes were being circulated. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) were arrayed as Defendants No. 3 and 4, respectively, for the limited purpose of ensuring compliance with takedown orders.
The plaintiffs claimed that the deepfakes first surfaced around August-September 2024. Warikoo promptly reported the content through Meta’s Brand Rights Protection (BRP) tool, but the removal process was often delayed or incomplete. He also filed complaints with Meta’s Grievance Officer and later escalated the matter to the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC). However, his appeal was dismissed on technical grounds, and the infringing content continued to remain accessible.
The deepfake videos misused Warikoo’s name, face, voice, and likeness to lure unsuspecting users into fraudulent investment schemes. In several cases, victims deposited funds into unregulated accounts only to find their access blocked, leading to financial losses. Warikoo denied ever endorsing such WhatsApp groups or recording any promotional videos for stock tips. His core content focused on long-term financial planning, not speculative investment advice.
The plaintiffs submitted that the continued publication of such misleading content seriously harmed their reputation and misled the public. The plaintiffs also received messages from victims who claimed to have suffered monetary loss, believing the videos to be genuine.
Considering the evidence and submissions, the court held “a prima facie case is made out in favour of the plaintiffs and against the defendant no.1. Balance of convenience is also in favour of the plaintiffs and against the defendant no.1. Irreparable loss, harm and injury would be caused to the plaintiffs in the defendant no.1 are allowed to continue publishing/ circulating the aforesaid deep fake contents”. The bench, thus, issued notice to all defendants and allowed them four weeks to file their replies. The matter is to be heard further on October 8, 2025.
For Plaintiff: Senior Advocate Swathi Sukumar with Advocates Rishabh Sharma, Abhishek Shivpuri, Rajdeep, Ritik, Rishabh and Mayank Bhargava
Case Title: Ankur Warikoo v John Doe (CS(COMM) 514/2025)