New Delhi [India], December 27 (ANI): A Delhi Commercial Court at Tis Hazari has granted an ex parte ad interim injunction in favour of financial educator Sehdev Sehgal and his associated entities, restraining unknown impersonators and directing major online platforms to act against large-scale digital impersonation and alleged online fraud carried out in the name of 'Baadshah Broking'.

The order was passed by District Judge (Commercial) Harish Kumar while deciding an interim application filed in a commercial suit against YouTube LLC and other intermediaries, along with unidentified 'John Doe' defendants.

The court noted that Sehdev Sehgal has, since 2020, built a substantial digital presence as a financial markets educator, with nearly 12 million subscribers on YouTube and a large following across other social media platforms.

Advocates Mudit Jain and Tarun Singla appeared for the plaintiffs. According to the plaintiffs, the name 'Baadshah Broking', along with Sehgal's face, voice, presentation style and educational persona, had acquired strong goodwill and a distinct secondary meaning among the public.

It was alleged that unknown individuals began an organised and industrial-scale impersonation exercise by downloading the plaintiffs' original videos, altering or overlaying fabricated voice-overs, and re-uploading them using identical thumbnails, titles and branding.

In several instances, artificially generated or manipulated versions of Sehgal's face and voice were allegedly used to create near-identical digital clones, falsely representing themselves as official Baadshah Broking channels.

The court further recorded that these fake channels and profiles were allegedly used to lure unsuspecting users into fraudulent Telegram and WhatsApp groups, cloned websites and deceptive advertisements claiming endorsement by the plaintiffs.

Members of the public were allegedly induced to transfer money to fraudulent schemes, and when losses occurred, they were directed to the plaintiffs' genuine contact details, resulting in harassment, accusations and serious reputational damage.

The court observed that media reports suggesting 'scams in the name of Baadshah Broking' had caused lasting harm to the plaintiffs' goodwill.

After examining the material on record, including screenshots, URLs and takedown requests, the court held that the plaintiffs had established a strong prima facie case of copyright infringement, passing off and violation of personality rights.

It found that the balance of convenience lay in favour of the plaintiffs and that irreparable injury would be caused if immediate relief was not granted.

Emphasising the responsibility of online intermediaries, the court observed that once platforms acquire actual knowledge of unlawful or infringing content, they are legally bound to remove or disable access to such material expeditiously.

The continued availability of impersonating content despite repeated complaints, the court noted, prima facie reflected a failure to exercise due diligence under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Intermediary Guidelines Rules, 2021.

Accordingly, the court restrained all unknown persons from impersonating the plaintiffs or misusing their name, likeness, voice, videos or digital identity in any manner. It directed the concerned platforms to take down and block identified infringing URLs and channels within stipulated timelines and to furnish basic subscriber information, including contact details and IP logs, in sealed cover. The order was passed ex parte, with liberty to the defendants to seek modification upon filing their replies. (ANI)