The Delhi High Court on Friday directed central social media intermediaries to promptly address a complaint filed by former India cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, who has alleged the unauthorised use of his name, image, and likeness across various online platforms. The court instructed these platforms to act on his grievance within a week, as mandated under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

The direction came from Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, who emphasised that individuals must first rely on the redressal mechanism provided under the 2021 IT Rules before approaching the judiciary. Sunil Gavaskar’s counsel submitted a detailed list of URLs containing infringing content, prompting the court to reiterate the importance of following the structured complaint process for content takedown.

“You know my order, no? Parties must first approach the intermediaries. Let them act on your complaint. I don’t understand why this mechanism is not being used. We can review the matter after 10 days once they’ve examined your complaint. It will largely take care of your grievance,” Justice Arora observed during the hearing.

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The court’s directive stated that social media platforms listed as defendants in the case must treat the plaint as a formal complaint under the IT Rules and decide on it within seven days. Sunil Gavaskar, in turn, has been ordered to share all specific URLs linked to the objectionable content within 48 hours to enable swift action.

Delhi High Court Directs Social Media Platforms to Act on Sunil Gavaskar’s Personality Rights Plea Within 7 Days

Read More: https://t.co/iYK6CfGeVI#DelhiHighCourt #SunilGavaskar #PersonalityRights

— Lokmat Times (@lokmattimeseng) December 12, 2025

This development comes just a day after a similar order in a separate case filed by actor Salman Khan. Khan sought protection against fake news, AI-generated videos, and unauthorised commercial use of his identity. Justice Arora, in that matter too, directed the intermediaries to act within three days and hinted that a protective stay order would soon follow against non-social media violators.

Sunil Gavaskar’s petition adds weight to a growing trend of public figures turning to the Delhi High Court to safeguard their personality and publicity rights.

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In recent months, celebrities such as Jr NTR, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Nagarjuna, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Karan Johar, and content creator Raj Shamani have all secured court protection against misuse of their name, likeness, or AI-generated representations—a development reflecting the rising concerns around digital impersonation and exploitation in the age of artificial intelligence.