The Delhi High Court issued an interim order safeguarding the personality and publicity rights of former Indian cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar. Social media platforms and e-commerce sites have been directed to remove unauthorized content and products misusing Gavaskar’s name, image, and likeness within 72 hours. Failure to comply will result in disabling access to such content.
Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora emphasized that social media intermediaries like Meta and X Corp must promptly eliminate URLs containing false statements attributed to Gavaskar. E-commerce platforms were also instructed to take down unauthorized listings of products sold under Gavaskar’s name. If sellers do not remove infringing items within the stipulated time, the platforms will delist them.
Gavaskar initiated legal action to protect his personality rights from exploitation on social media and online marketplaces. Allegations included fake quotes being attributed to him on various social media pages and the sale of counterfeit autographed items falsely associated with him. The court had previously directed Gavaskar to provide offending URLs to Google, Meta, and X for necessary action under the Information Technology Rules.
The case involving Gavaskar is part of a trend where prominent figures like actors Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (Jr NTR), spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and others have sought court intervention to prevent unauthorized use of their identity or likeness. The Delhi High Court has scheduled the next hearing for Gavaskar’s case on May 22, 2026.
