Delhi High Court Orders Social Media Platforms to Act on Gavaskar's Personality Rights Plea Within 7 Days
The Delhi High Court on Friday directed social media intermediaries to act within seven days on former cricketer and commentator Sunil Gavaskar's plea seeking protection of his personality and publicity rights. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora instructed Mr. Gavaskar's counsel to first approach the platforms with his grievances.
The Court treated the suit as a complaint under the Information and Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and ordered the intermediaries to take necessary steps within the stipulated period. Mr. Gavaskar was directed to provide the URLs he wants removed within 24 hours.
Mr. Gavaskar approached the Court to prevent unauthorised use of his name, images, persona, and likeness by social media platforms and e-commerce websites. In recent months, the Delhi High Court has seen a surge of similar petitions from public figures, including actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Ajay Devgn, filmmaker Karan Johar, singer Kumar Sanu, Telugu star Akkineni Nagarjuna, Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, and podcaster Raj Shamani, all of whom have secured interim relief. Bollywood actors Salman Khan and NTR Rao Junior have also approached the Court seeking similar protection.
