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India head coach and former Member of Parliament Gautam Gambhir has approached the Delhi High Court seeking urgent relief against the alleged large-scale misuse of his identity through artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and unauthorised commercial exploitation.
The petition has been filed in the High Court, naming multiple social media accounts, intermediaries, and e-commerce platforms as defendants. In his suit, the petitioner has sought a permanent injunction restraining all defendants from using or exploiting his name, image, voice, or persona without explicit consent. He has also prayed for an immediate ex-parte ad-interim injunction directing the takedown of all infringing content and preventing further circulation of such material pending final adjudication. Additionally, Gambhir has sought damages amounting to 2.5 crore along with rendition of accounts. Gambhir has contended that since late 2025, there has been a sharp rise in fabricated digital content using AI tools such as face-swapping and voice cloning to falsely depict him making statements he never made. According to the plea, some of these videos--including a fake resignation announcement and fabricated remarks on senior cricketers--garnered lakhs of views, thereby misleading the public and damaging his reputation. The petitioner has further alleged that his identity has also been commercially exploited through the sale of unauthorised merchandise on e-commerce platforms, without any permission or licensing. The suit has been filed against 16 defendants, including certain social media accounts, intermediaries such as platform operators, and e-commerce entities. Government authorities have also been arrayed as pro forma parties to ensure effective enforcement of any court directions. The petition invokes provisions under the Copyright Act, Trade Marks Act, and Commercial Courts Act, while relying on judicial precedents recognising personality and publicity rights as enforceable legal rights, including in the context of AI-driven misuse. Highlighting the seriousness of the issue, Gambhir has stated that his identity has been "weaponised" by anonymous accounts to spread misinformation and generate revenue, stressing that the matter goes beyond personal harm and raises larger concerns about dignity and legal protection in the age of artificial intelligence. The matter is expected to be taken up by the Delhi High Court in the coming days for consideration of interim relief. (ANI)
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