Delhi HC protects Gautam Gambhir’s personality rights, bars AI deepfakes

The Delhi High Court has stepped in to protect the personality rights of Indian men’s cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir , restraining several social media users from publishing or circulating unauthorised AI-generated content using his name, image, voice or other attributes of his identity.

Justice Jyoti Singh passed the interim order on March 25 while hearing a lawsuit filed by Gambhir. The court observed that the former cricketer, regarded as one of the country’s most decorated players, has the right to safeguard his name and likeness, adding that no third party can use these attributes without his consent .

Gambhir approached the court alleging that several social media accounts were running a coordinated campaign of digital impersonation and deepfake videos across online platforms.

According to the plea, some accounts used artificial intelligence tools such as face swapping and voice cloning to create realistic videos falsely portraying Gambhir in misleading situations. In some cases, fabricated clips showed him supposedly resigning as India’s head coach after poor performances or engaging in misconduct with fellow players.

The court restrained the defendants from using or exploiting Gambhir’s name, including “Gautam Gambhir”, “Gauti” and “GG” , along with his image, voice or likeness for any personal or commercial gain through technologies such as AI, generative AI, machine learning, deepfakes and face morphing .

It also directed them to stop creating, publishing or sharing AI-generated photos, audio or video material that digitally alters or replicates Gambhir’s persona through techniques like face swapping or morphing.

During the hearing, Gambhir’s counsel Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai argued that the circulation of such fabricated content could have serious consequences for the cricketer’s reputation. He noted that Gambhir has served Indian cricket for over two decades , first as a player and now as the national team’s head coach.

The court also took note of an instance where a social media account superimposed Gambhir’s face on Mahatma Gandhi’s image , a post that reportedly attracted lakhs of views and raised concerns over unauthorised digital impersonation.

In its directions, the High Court ordered major online platforms including Amazon, Flipkart, Google and Meta to remove the identified offending content within 36 hours .

The case will now be heard again on May 19 , as the court continues to examine the growing challenge of AI-driven deepfakes and misuse of public figures’ identities online.