THE DELHI HIGH COURT has granted interim relief to former India cricketer and current national team head coach Gautam Gambhir, restraining unauthorised use of his identity across digital platforms and reinforcing legal safeguards around personality rights in India.
In its recent order, Justice Jyoti Singh directed multiple individuals and entities to refrain from using Gambhir’s name, image, voice or likeness without his consent. The court specifically barred any direct or indirect exploitation of his persona for commercial or personal gain. The injunction applies broadly to all forms of misuse, including content generated through artificial intelligence, deepfakes, face morphing and other emerging technologies.
Gambhir approached the court alleging a “coordinated campaign” involving digital impersonation and AI-generated deepfake content across platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. The petition highlighted a sharp rise in fabricated and misleading content since 2025, including instances where his identity was used without consent for commercial exploitation or false endorsements. In one cited example, manipulated content reportedly superimposed Gambhir’s face onto unrelated visuals, attracting significant online traction and raising concerns over reputational harm.
As part of the proceedings, the court also directed major technology platforms, including Google, Meta and Amazon, to take down infringing content and assist in curbing further misuse.
The move reflects increasing judicial scrutiny of digital intermediaries in addressing the spread of unauthorised and misleading content online. The judgment reinforces the scope of personality and publicity rights in India, which protect an individual’s name, likeness, voice and other identifiable attributes from unauthorised commercial use.
The court observed that Gambhir’s reputation and goodwill that has been built over years as an international cricketer and public figure cannot be exploited without permission, particularly in ways that generate commercial value.
