Gautam Gambhir moves Delhi High Court against AI deepfake misuse, seeks Rs25 million damages

New Delhi: India head coach Gautam Gambhir filed a petition in the Delhi High Court against the alleged misuse of his identity through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deepfake technology.

According to Indian media reports, in his petition, the former cricketer stated that his name, voice, image, and overall persona are being widely exploited across social media platforms and e-commerce websites without his consent.

The plea, filed against 16 defendants—including social media accounts, intermediaries, and e-commerce platforms—seeks a permanent injunction to restrain them from using or commercialising his identity without authorisation.

Gambhir has also requested immediate ex parte interim relief, urging the court to order the takedown of all infringing content and prevent its further circulation. He is additionally seeking damages of Rs25 million.

According to the petition, there has been a significant surge in fabricated digital content since late 2025, created using AI tools such as face-swapping and voice cloning.

The plea highlights several fake videos that falsely depict him announcing his resignation and making fabricated remarks about senior cricketers. These videos have reportedly garnered millions of views, misleading the public and damaging his reputation.

Gambhir further alleged that his identity has been commercially exploited through the sale of unauthorised merchandise online without any licensing or approval.

He argued that his persona has been “weaponised” by anonymous accounts to spread misinformation and generate revenue, raising serious concerns about dignity and legal protection in the AI era.

The Delhi High Court has previously issued similar orders to safeguard the personality rights of several public figures, including Baba Ramdev, Kajol, Vivek Oberoi, Pawan Kalyan, Sunil Gavaskar, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Jaya Bachchan, Sudhir Chaudhary, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Nagarjuna, Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, and Karan Johar.

The petition also invokes provisions of the Copyright Act, the Trade Marks Act, and the Commercial Courts Act, while relying on judicial precedents recognising personality and publicity rights.