Gautam Gambhir gets personality rights protection in deepfake case

Former Indian cricketer, Member of Parliament, and current head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team, Gautam Gambhir, has been granted protection of his personality rights by the Delhi High Court.

The High Court has directed the removal of all objectionable posts related to Gautam Gambhir across social media and internet platforms. The Delhi High Court has also ordered Meta, Google, and Amazon to take down objectionable URLs.

On behalf of Gambhir, it was submitted that his name, voice, and photographs are being misused commercially without his consent. It was further argued that technologies such as deepfakes and AI manipulation are being deliberately misused for this purpose.

Gambhir’s petition stated that people are creating deepfake videos and misusing his identity on social media to increase views and likes. AI-generated fake videos claiming that



Gambhir had resigned from the post of Indian cricket team coach were also uploaded on websites and social media platforms. One such video garnered 2.9 million views in a short span of time. However, it was argued that this is a matter of dignity and reputation.

Gambhir had earlier said that he has more than 12 million followers, and several fake, misleading, and objectionable posts and reports about him were being circulated, particularly on X (formerly Twitter). He had stressed that it was essential to stop such content.

“My identity — my name, my face, my voice — has been weaponised by anonymous accounts to spread misinformation and generate revenue at my expense,” Gambhir said.

“This is not a matter of personal hurt; it is a matter of law, dignity, and the protection every public figure deserves in the age of artificial intelligence,” he added.