In a landmark move for digital identity protection, the Delhi High Court announced on Thursday, March 26 that it will pass an interim order directing tech giants Meta, Google, and Amazon to remove objectionable web links targeting India’s men’s cricket team head coach, Gautam Gambhir.
The decision comes just a week after the two-time World Cup winner filed a civil lawsuit seeking protection of his personality and publicity rights. Gambhir’s petition cited a “coordinated campaign” of AI-generated deepfakes and voice-cloned videos, including a viral “resignation” hoax that amassed over 2.9 million views.
What Meta and Google Counsel Submitted
During the hearing before Justice Jyoti Singh, the legal representatives for the social media intermediaries provided updates on their compliance:
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Meta’s Counsel: Submitted that the infringing URLs and content identified in the suit had already been removed and were inaccessible as of Wednesday. The counsel handed over a list of specific URLs to the court to substantiate this. The court noted that one of the links was an entire profile rather than just a single post.
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Google’s Counsel: Confirmed that at least one primary URL mentioned in the complaint had already been taken down. Justice Singh directed the counsel to provide a formal written statement detailing exactly which links had been neutralized, stating, “Please give it in writing which have you taken down… I will pass an order and be done with it.”
Strict Timelines and Data Disclosure
Justice Singh emphasized that the protection must be “dynamic” to address the rapid replication of digital content. The court noted in a statement that if Gambhir comes across any new, identical infringing links, Meta should take action within 36 hours of the notification. Besides that, Delhi HC gave an indication that they would order Google and Meta to give up Basic Subscriber Information (BSI) and Internet Protocol (IP) login details of the uploaders. The intention of this step is to reveal the anonymous persons behind the deepfake campaign.
Gautam Gambhir’s Stand for Digital Dignity
Gambhir, who is seeking ₹2.5 crore in damages, framed the lawsuit as a fight for professional integrity in the AI era.
“My identity—my name, my face, my voice—has been weaponised by anonymous accounts to spread misinformation and generate revenue at my expense,” Gambhir stated. “This is a matter of law, dignity, and the protection every public figure deserves.”
With this order, Gambhir has become the second ex-Indian cricketer after Sunil Gavaskar to have his personality rights legally protected. He is among an exclusive group of celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who have taken legal action against the unauthorized commercial and digital use of their images.
