Delhi High Court has taken strict steps to protect the rights of great Indian cricketer and commentator Sunil Gavaskar. The Delhi High Court on Friday, December 12, directed social media platforms and intermediaries to take action within seven days after Sunil Gavaskar filed a petition seeking protection of his personality and publicity rights.
Recently, the former Indian captain approached the Delhi High Court after finding that his name, image, likeness and personality were being used without permission on social media platforms and e-commerce websites.
Sunil Gavaskar moves Delhi High Court over unauthorized use of his name and images
Gavaskar just wanted to ensure that his personality rights were respected and unauthorized use of his identity was prevented. The Delhi High Court recorded that the arbitrator will provide Basic Customer Information (BSI) and IP details of the alleged infringers.
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The court then issued clear instructions: Defendants 7, 10, and 11 (the arbitrators) must treat the plaintiff as a formal complaint and take action on any material that violates his rights within a week. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora emphasized that litigants should approach the mediators directly before approaching the court.
The next hearing of the case is to be held on December 22. The justice has directed Gavaskar, through his lawyer, to submit within 24 hours the specific URLs of the infringing content which he wants removed, and platforms like Google, Meta and X must take action within seven days.
Delhi High Court asks platforms to take immediate action on Sunil Gavaskar’s complaint
The court also made it clear that if the arbitrators have any objection or doubt about the link submitted by Gavaskar, they should immediately inform him.
“Let them process the complaint. I don’t understand why the parties are opposing it or why they are not taking advantage of that mechanism,” Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora said, ANI reported.
The court said that complaint-redressal systems provided by intermediaries should take “substantial account” of the issues raised by plaintiffs. Justice Arora said the court would take steps only to handle those cases which remain unresolved. He explained, “The court is in a better position to adjudicate on this rather than shooting in the dark.”
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Court warns against AI deepfakes and identity misuse in Sunil Gavaskar case
Senior advocate Gopal Jain, representing Sunil Gavaskar, informed the court that the great batsman has approached the court to protect his personality and publicity rights. He said that Gavaskar’s name and identity are being misused online through wrong content.
This includes fake statements falsely attributed to him, where he is shown criticizing Gautam Gambhir and other cricketers, as well as a fabricated comment related to Virat Kohli.
The court also addressed the growing misuse of the technology, including AI deepfakes, voice cloning, fake visuals and the sale of digital goods using someone’s identity without permission. It said such acts harm a person’s publicity rights, dignity and privacy.
The Delhi High Court has also made it clear that genuine satire, creative work, news reporting and commentary should not be restricted.
