Gautam takes ‘fake Gambhirs’ seriously, files court case over AI deepfake misuse

Indian men’s cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir files case against India delhi high court He is seeking relief against what he says was the misuse of his identity through artificial intelligence (AI) tools, deepfakes and unauthorized commercial uses, news agency ANI reported on Thursday. Gambhir named multiple social media accounts, intermediaries and e-commerce platforms as defendants in his petition. He has sought a permanent injunction banning them from using his name, image, voice or persona without his consent.

The lawsuit targets 16 defendants, including identified social media accounts (JanKey Frames, Bhupendra Paintola, Legends Revolution, gustakhedits, cricket_memer45, GemsOfCrickets, Crickaith, Sunny Upadhyay, @imRavY_), e-commerce platforms (Amazon, Flipkart), platform intermediaries (Meta Platforms Inc., X Corp., Google LLC/ YouTube) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ANI reports that the Ministry of Telecommunications serves as a formal party to assist in the enforcement of any court order.The former BJP MP also sought an immediate ex parte interim injunction to remove all such content and stop further dissemination pending the hearing of the case.The petition also seeks compensation of Rs 25 crore and surrender of accounts.According to the plea, since late 2025 there has been an increase in fabricated digital content created using artificial intelligence tools such as face swapping and voice cloning, which allegedly shows him making statements he never made.Some of the videos – which included false resignation statements and fabricated remarks about senior cricketers – received hundreds of thousands of views and, he said, misled the public and affected his reputation, the documents said.Gambhir also claimed that his identity was used for commercial purposes to sell unauthorized goods on the e-commerce platform without any permission or permission.The lawsuit has been filed against 16 defendants, including social media accounts, intermediaries such as platform operators, and e-commerce entities. Government authorities have been brought on board to ensure implementation of court orders.The petition cited provisions of the Copyright Act, Trademark Act and Commercial Courts Act. It also relies on judicial precedent recognizing the enforceability of personality and publicity rights, including cases involving the misuse of artificial intelligence.Highlighting the issue, Gambhir said his identity had been “weaponized” by anonymous accounts to spread misinformation and generate revenue, adding that the matter raised concerns that went beyond personal harm to include issues of dignity and legal protection in the context of artificial intelligence.The matter is expected to come before the Delhi High Court in the coming days to consider interim relief.