HC refuses to restrain streaming of film based on Sushant Singh Rajput

The Delhi High Court has refused to restrain the continued online streaming of a film based on the life of the late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput (SSR) noting that “the right to privacy, the right to publicity and the personality rights which vested in SSR, are not heritable”.

The Delhi High Court has refused to restrain the continued online streaming of a film based on the life of the late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput (SSR) noting that “the right to privacy, the right to publicity and the personality rights which vested in SSR, are not heritable”.

“They died with the death of SSR. The said rights, therefore, did not survive for espousal by the plaintiff (SSR’s father),” Justice C. Hari Shankar remarked while dismissing a plea by Krishna Kishore Singh, SSR’s father.

Mr. Singh had sought restraining anyone from using SSR’s name, caricature or lifestyle in any projects or films without his prior permission alleging that any such effort would infringe the personality rights of SSR.

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Mr. Singh had claimed the movie ‘Nyay: The Justice’, which is streaming on an online platform, included defamatory statements and news articles, and violated the personality rights associated with his son.

Rajput, 34, was found dead in his Mumbai apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14, 2020.

Justice Shankar said, “The rights ventilated in the plaint – i.e., the right to privacy, the right to publicity and the personality rights which vested in SSR, are not heritable. They died with the death of SSR.