The Delhi High Court has granted a permanent injunction in favour of T.V. Today Network Ltd. and its anchor (Plaintiff No. 2) in a suit against a fraudulent YouTube channel titled “@AnajanaomKashya,” which was found using the anchor’s photographs, doctored news clips, and misleading content to impersonate her and misappropriate her personality rights.
Justice Tejas Karia noted that the channel was created by an unidentified individual (Defendant No. 2), and that the content was crafted to mislead viewers into believing it originated from the plaintiff. The Court held that such fake channels, especially those mimicking established news personalities, risk causing significant reputational harm and spreading misinformation due to lack of editorial oversight.
Earlier, on 20 June 2025, the Court had directed Google LLC (Defendant No. 1) to take down the channel, disclose basic subscriber information (BSI) of the channel owner, and furnish an account of revenues earned by the impersonator. Google complied and provided the BSI linked to Google Account ID belonging to “Dr. Pooja.” Despite service via email and SMS, Defendant No. 2 failed to appear or file a written statement and was proceeded ex parte.
The plaintiffs chose not to press their damages claim and sought only injunctive relief. After reviewing the evidence, the Court decreed the suit in terms of the plaintiffs’ prayers for a permanent injunction against Defendant No. 2, noting that Google had already complied with earlier directions and required no further orders.
The suit and all pending applications were disposed of accordingly.
Appearances:
Plaintiffs: Mr. Hrishikesh Baruah, Mr. Kumar Kshitij, Mr. Utkarsh Dwivedi, Mr. Yashaswy Ghosh, Mr. Anurag Mishra, Ms. Pragya Agarwal and Ms. Nishtha Sachan, Advocates.
Defendants: Ms. Mamta R Jha and Ms. Shruttima Ehersa, Advocates for D1.
