New Delhi, March 20 (NationPress) The Delhi High Court has postponed the hearing regarding a petition from former Indian cricketer and current head coach Gautam Gambhir that seeks to safeguard his personality and publicity rights against claims of digital impersonation, deepfake content, and unauthorized commercial use of his identity.

A single-judge Bench led by Justice Jyoti Singh rescheduled the hearing for March 23 after identifying inconsistencies in the legal documents and instructing the plaintiff to submit an amended memo of parties.

“There is a mismatch between the details in the plaint and the memo of parties regarding the defendants. Let an updated memo of parties be filed in alignment with the body of the plaint,” Justice Singh remarked.

The lawsuit has been initiated in the Commercial Division of the High Court against 16 defendants, which include multiple social media accounts, e-commerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart, as well as 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 pro forma parties.

In his submission, Gambhir contends that there is a “coordinated effort of digital impersonation” that employs Artificial Intelligence tools for face-swapping and voice-cloning to fabricate hyper-realistic content that misrepresents him.

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

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

It has been argued that such content not only confuses the public but also poses a significant risk to his reputation and professional standing, especially in light of his current role as head coach of the Indian men's cricket team.

The petition further addresses concerns regarding unauthorized commercial exploitation, claiming that e-commerce platforms are enabling the sale of posters and merchandise featuring Gambhir’s name and likeness without his permission.

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

The lawsuit is filed under the provisions of 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 amounting to Rs 2.5 crore, an accounting of profits, and orders for the removal and takedown of all infringing content. An application for an ex-parte ad-interim injunction under Order XXXIX Rules 1 and 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC) has also been submitted, requesting immediate relief including blocking and removal of such content pending final resolution.

The case will be revisited for further proceedings on March 23.

This situation mirrors a growing trend where high-profile individuals are asserting their personality and publicity rights in the Delhi High Court.

In recent times, notable figures such as former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, spiritual leader and Art of Living founder 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 identity, likeness, or AI-generated imitations.