Delhi High Court Directs Social Media Platforms to Act Within 7 Days After Sunil Gavaskar Seeks Protection of Personality Rights

Delhi High Court Orders Swift Action After Sunil Gavaskar Moves Court to Protect Personality Rights

The Delhi High Court on Friday issued key directions to digital intermediaries after legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar approached the court seeking protection of his personality and publicity rights. The court asked platforms to treat Gavaskar’s lawsuit as a formal complaint and begin the takedown process for content alleged to be infringing his identity.

During the hearing, Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora reiterated that plaintiffs must first exhaust the grievance-redressal mechanisms available with intermediaries before seeking judicial intervention. The court observed that such systems are designed to resolve most issues efficiently, allowing courts to step in only when disputes remain unresolved.

Recording submissions from the intermediaries, the High Court noted that they agreed to share Basic Subscriber Information (BSI) and IP details of the alleged infringers. It directed the concerned platforms to decide on the complaint within one week. Gavaskar has been asked to provide specific URLs of the disputed content within 48 hours, following which the intermediaries must communicate their decision within a week. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on December 22.

Appearing for Gavaskar, Senior Advocate Gopal Jain told the court that the former India captain is seeking protection against the unauthorized use of his name, image, voice, and reputation. The petition highlights fake and fabricated statements circulating online, including false remarks attributed to Gavaskar about Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, and other cricketers.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar has become the first Indian cricketer to initiate litigation specifically to safeguard personality rights. His plea signals a significant expansion of such legal battles beyond the film industry and into the sporting world.

In recent years, the Delhi High Court has developed strong jurisprudence on personality and publicity rights, granting protection to prominent public figures amid rising concerns over digital misuse, including deepfakes, voice cloning, and impersonation. The court has consistently emphasized that while dignity and privacy must be protected, legitimate spaces such as news reporting, satire, and artistic expression should remain unaffected.