Gautam Gambhir Takes Legal Action Against Digital Impersonation: What You Need to Know

Delhi High Court Postpones Hearing on Gambhir's Legal Plea

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has postponed the hearing regarding a petition from former Indian cricketer and current head coach Gautam Gambhir, who is seeking protection of his personality and publicity rights against alleged digital impersonation and unauthorized commercial use of his identity.

Justice Jyoti Singh, presiding over a single-judge bench, rescheduled the hearing for March 23, citing inconsistencies in the legal documents and instructing the plaintiff to submit a revised memo of parties.

Justice Singh remarked, “There is a discrepancy in the body of the plaint and the memo of parties in describing the defendants. Let the amended memo of parties be filed in consonance with the body of the plaint.”

Gambhir's lawsuit, filed in the Commercial Division of the High Court, targets 16 defendants, which include various social media accounts, e-commerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart, and intermediaries such as Meta Platforms Inc., X Corp., and Google LLC (YouTube), along with the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Department of Telecommunications as proforma parties.

In his petition, Gambhir claims there is a “coordinated campaign of digital impersonation” utilizing Artificial Intelligence technologies like face-swapping and voice-cloning to fabricate highly realistic yet false content that misrepresents him.

The lawsuit highlights a “sharp and alarming increase” in such misleading content across social media platforms, including Instagram, X, YouTube, and Facebook.

Gambhir has provided evidence of viral deepfake videos, including a fake “resignation announcement” that received over 2.9 million views, and another video falsely attributing comments to him about senior cricketers’ involvement in the World Cup, which attracted more than 1.7 million views.

He argues that this misleading content not only confuses the public but also poses a serious risk to his reputation and professional standing, especially in light of his current position as head coach of the Indian men's cricket team.

The petition also raises alarms about unauthorized commercial exploitation, claiming that e-commerce platforms are selling merchandise featuring Gambhir’s name and likeness without his permission.

Gambhir asserts that his “identity — name, face, and voice — has been weaponized” by unknown parties to disseminate misinformation and generate profits.

The lawsuit is filed under the Copyright Act, Trade Marks Act, and the Commercial Courts Act, seeking a permanent injunction to prevent all defendants from using, reproducing, or exploiting his name, image, voice, or persona — including through AI and deepfake technologies — without his explicit written consent.

Additionally, the plea demands damages of ₹2.5 crore, an accounting of profits, and orders for the removal of all infringing content. An application for an ex parte ad interim injunction has also been submitted, requesting immediate relief, including the blocking and removal of such content until the final decision is made.

The case is set for further hearing on March 23.

Gambhir's situation adds to a growing trend of high-profile individuals asserting their personality and publicity rights in the Delhi High Court.

Recently, other notable figures such as former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, actors Nagarjuna, Kajol, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Abhishek Bachchan, singer Jubin Nautiyal, filmmaker Karan Johar, and podcaster Raj Shamani have successfully obtained court protection against unauthorized use of their identities, likenesses, or AI-generated replicas.