The Delhi High Court has ordered that offensive and fake content about former Indian cricket player Gautam Gambhir be taken down from social media sites.
To prevent his voice, image, and other personality traits from being abused and exploited for deepfake material and financial advantage, Gambhir filed a lawsuit. The current head coach of the Indian men's cricket team, Gambhir, has demanded Rs 2.5 crore in damages.
Reports state that the Delhi High Court would issue orders compelling Meta, Google, and Amazon to remove the links that Gambhir pointed out.
A single-judge bench led by Justice Jyoti Singh observed that the court would issue directions to take down flagged links and posts, while also asking platforms to provide details of the entities responsible for uploading such content.
Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, who appeared on Gambhir's behalf, claimed that the infringing information had "material consequence," citing fake video clips that allegedly showed him assaulting a teammate or leaving as head coach following a subpar performance.
“Some things have material consequences. Imagine the head coach of the Indian team and words are being put in his mouth through deepfake to say he is resigning from the team. It has created a lot of issues. His commercial value is proven. He has endorsements from large brands,” Gambhir's lawyer Dehadrai said.
Several videos purportedly showed him saying things he never spoke, according to the lawsuit.
More than 2.9 million people watched one video that purported to be a resignation statement, while more than 1.7 million people saw another that seemed to show him making a joke against senior cricket players competing in the World Cup.
According to Gambhir's legal team, the problem goes beyond social media. According to the lawsuit, posters and products with his name and face have been sold on internet markets without his consent.
E-commerce sites like Amazon and Flipkart, as well as software firms like Meta, X Corp., and Google, which controls YouTube, are among the sixteen defendants who have been identified.
“My identity—my name, my face, my voice—has been weaponized by anonymous accounts to spread misinformation and generate revenue at my expense. 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,” Gambhir had said.
Gautam Gambhir is currently in the off-season after India’s T20 World Cup 2026 win, because IPL 2026 will begin on March 28 and end on May 31. India’s next international assignment will be the home series against Afghanistan.
(IANS inputs)
