Gautam Gambhir moves Delhi HC to shield personality rights from deepfake abuse

The Delhi High Court will hear a lawsuit on March 23 filed by Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir seeking to prevent the unauthorized use of his image, voice, and other personal attributes for digital manipulation and commercial gain.

The case centers on personality rights , legal protections that allow individuals to control how their name, likeness, voice, or persona is used . These rights prevent others from creating misleading content or profiting from someone’s identity without consent. Gambhir has approached the court after AI-generated videos falsely depicted him resigning as head coach or assaulting a teammate, and unauthorized merchandise featuring his image appeared on e-commerce platforms.

Gambhir’s counsel, appearing before Justice Jyoti Singh , stressed that the issue goes beyond legal claims to personal dignity . Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai noted the serious impact of such content, especially given Gambhir’s 23 years of service to Indian cricket and his endorsements from major brands . “Imagine the head coach of the Indian team having false words attributed to him. These deepfake videos have real consequences,” he said.

The lawyer also informed the court that one popular video, which garnered 29 lakh views , was removed and apologized for after the lawsuit was filed. Dehadrai requested an interim order to restrain unnamed entities from further misuse of Gambhir’s personality rights.

The court deferred the hearing to allow corrections in the lawsuit, while Gambhir’s petition seeks protection from digital impersonation, AI-generated deepfakes, and unauthorized commercial exploitation across social media. The case could set a landmark precedent in India for protecting public figures from AI-driven misuse of their identity.