AI-generated image of Abhishek Sharma and manager as a…

Cricketer Abhishek Sharma has initiated legal proceedings in the Delhi High Court to protect his personality rights following the circulation of unauthorized, defamatory AI-generated content on social media. The legal action seeks to prevent the misuse of his name, image, voice, and likeness, specifically targeting content that portrays the athlete in a negative light.

What happened

The case centers on allegations that AI-generated imagery has been used to create false narratives, including a post that incorrectly identified the cricketer’s manager as his girlfriend. During an initial hearing on July 7, 2026, Justice Jyoti Singh postponed the proceedings to July 9, citing systematic discrepancies in the evidence provided. The court noted that screenshots submitted in the case did not match the URLs listed in the plaintiff's table, leading the judge to request an additional affidavit to rectify the inconsistencies.

Counsel for Meta, Varun Pathak, highlighted technical challenges during the hearing, noting that two of the eight submitted URLs were inaccessible. Pathak further argued that one of the images in question appeared to be a paparazzi photograph, suggesting that such content should be addressed under defamation or privacy laws rather than personality rights. The defense also raised concerns regarding the burden on intermediaries, noting the difficulty in distinguishing between fair criticism and malicious fake content.

This incident highlights a growing legal trend where public figures are increasingly turning to the courts to defend their likenesses against synthetic media. Sharma’s legal team emphasized that the lawsuit is necessary to address the specific harms posed by deepfake technology, which blurs the lines between protected speech and unauthorized digital manipulation. The Delhi High Court has previously granted personality rights protections to various high-profile individuals, including actors and political figures, acknowledging the complexities introduced by the rise of generative AI.