Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar moves Delhi High Court seeking protection of personality rights

The petition, listed for hearing before Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora on December 12, seeks directions restraining several entities from unauthorisedly using his name, image, likeness and other aspects of his persona.

He is the first Indian cricketer to initiate personality rights litigation, marking a notable expansion of such disputes beyond the entertainment industry.

In recent years, the Delhi High Court has played a pivotal role in shaping the jurisprudence of personality rights. It has granted expansive protections to public figures, including Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Nagarjuna, Anil Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan and digital creator Raj Shamani.

These rulings have recognised that individuals have an exclusive right to control the commercial use of their persona, especially in an era where misuse can be widespread and instantaneous.

The Court has also taken cognisance of newer forms of identity misuse arising from technological advancements. Judges have addressed concerns relating to AI-generated impersonations, deepfakes, synthetic voice cloning, manipulated visuals and unauthorised digital merchandise.

They have underscored that such impersonations not only violate publicity rights but also infringe upon an individual's dignity and privacy. At the same time, the Court has cautioned that constitutionally protected spaces, such as satire, artistic expression, news reporting, and commentary, must remain unaffected.

Earlier today, the Delhi High Court issued firm directions to several intermediaries while hearing actor Salman Khan's petition seeking protection of his personality and publicity rights.

The court directed the concerned platforms to treat the plaint as a complaint under the IT Rules, 2021, and to take timely action, signalling the Court's continued effort to ensure intermediary accountability in identity-based infringements. (ANI)