New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said it will pass orders directing social media intermediaries and e-commerce platforms to take down online content unauthorisedly using the name and images of former India cricketer and current head coach Gautam Gambhir for commercial gains.
A single-judge Bench of Justice Jyoti Singh observed that directions would be issued to tech platforms, including Meta and Google, to remove objectionable links flagged on behalf of Gambhir and to furnish details of the entities responsible for uploading such content.
The Delhi High Court also granted protection to Gambhir’s personality and publicity rights, directing the removal of objectionable posts and content circulating online without his consent. During the hearing, it was contended on behalf of Gambhir that his name, voice and photographs were being exploited for commercial purposes without authorisation, including through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and deepfake technology.
The Delhi High Court directed Meta, Google and e-commerce platforms such as Amazon to take down the offending URLs and online posts misusing Gambhir’s identity. Justice Singh said a detailed order would be passed, including directions to provide Basic Subscriber Information (BSI) of the entities behind such content.
The development comes in a plea filed by Gambhir before the Commercial Division of the Delhi High Court, alleging a “coordinated campaign of digital impersonation” involving AI-enabled face-swapping and voice-cloning tools.
The suit names multiple defendants, including social media platforms, e-commerce websites and intermediaries, accusing them of facilitating the spread of misleading and fabricated content as well as unauthorised sale of merchandise bearing his name and likeness.
Gambhir has argued that there has been a sharp rise in such content across platforms like Instagram, X, YouTube and Facebook, including viral deepfake videos falsely attributed to him, which garnered significant public attention.
He has submitted that such misuse not only misleads the public but also causes serious reputational and professional harm, particularly in light of his current role as head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team.
The plea seeks a permanent injunction restraining all defendants from using his name, image, voice or persona without consent, along with damages of Rs 2.5 crore and directions for removal of infringing content.
The Gambhir case adds to a growing list of high-profile personalities invoking their personality and publicity rights before the Delhi High Court.
In recent months, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, spiritual leader and Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, actors Nagarjuna, Kajol, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Abhishek Bachchan, singer Jubin Nautiyal, film-maker Karan Johar, and podcaster Raj Shamani have secured court protection against the unauthorised use of their identity, likeness, or AI-generated imitations.
(IANS)
