Full Breakdown
Delhi High Court Requires Amitabh Bachchan’s Personal Appearance if Settlement Fails in Personality-Rights Suit
By Drooid · · How we work
Background and Context
In 2022 veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan filed a civil suit in the Delhi High Court to protect his name, image, voice and other personality attributes from unauthorised commercial exploitation. The complaint alleged that mobile-app developers were running lotteries by falsely linking them to his television quiz show *Kaun Banega Crorepati* (KBC), and that book publishers, T-shirt vendors and other businesses were using his likeness without permission. On November 25, 2022 the court issued an ex parte ad interim injunction restraining “persons at large” from infringing the plaintiff’s personality and publicity rights (as recorded by the court’s order).
Timeline
- November 25, 2022 (scheduled) – Delhi High Court grants ex parte ad interim injunction in favour of Amitabh Bachchan.
- October 9, 2026 (occurred) – Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav directs the court to grant additional time for settlement formalities and sets conditions for personal appearance.
- November 16, 2026 (scheduled) – Deadline for submitting a signed settlement; if settlement remains incomplete, the plaintiff must appear in person at the next hearing.
Official Statements & Responses
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, presiding over the bench, ordered that the plaintiff may continue pursuing any unresolved claims only if he is physically present at the next hearing. The order cited the court’s authority under Order X Rule 2 read with Order V Rule 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, and Section 168 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023.
Amitabh Bachchan’s counsel, Dhruv Anand, explained that a settlement had been reached with several defendants through mediation, but logistical difficulties on the actor’s side prevented the formal signing of the agreement. Accordingly, the court granted time until November 16 2026 to complete the settlement paperwork.
The court’s direction makes clear that, should the settlement not be finalised or be only partially completed, the plaintiff must attend the next hearing in person to enable the court to exercise its procedural powers.
Data & Statistics
- Interim injunction date: November 25, 2022.
- Direction date: October 9, 2026.
- Settlement deadline: November 16, 2026.
No quantitative data on the number of defendants or the monetary value of alleged infringements were disclosed in the sources.
What’s Next
The matter is scheduled for a further hearing on November 16, 2026. If the settlement agreement is not formally filed by that date, Amitabh Bachchan will be required to appear personally before the Delhi High Court to pursue any remaining claims. The court’s order leaves open the possibility of continued litigation on unresolved issues pending the plaintiff’s physical presence.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
All consulted outlets report the same procedural timeline and court directives; no contradictions were identified. However, the sources do not specify which defendants have settled, the exact nature of the “logistical issues” cited by the plaintiff’s counsel, or the total number of claims remaining unresolved. These details remain unreported.