Delhi High Court Recognises The Right To Be Forgotten

In a significant development for privacy jurisprudence in India, the Delhi High Court has formally recognised the Right to be Forgotten as an integral part of the right to privacy guaranteed under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. In the case of Laksh Vir Singh Yadav v Union of India and Connected Matters, the Court considered multiple petitions bearing a common concern, arising from the advent of the digital era, namely, the permanent online availability of judicial records and the lasting impact such accessibility can have on an individual’s reputation, dignity and ability to move on from past disputes.

The judgment consolidates many petitions filed by individuals with varied backgrounds, including persons who have been acquitted of criminal charges, parties to matrimonial disputes, individuals whose names appeared incidentally in judicial records, amongst others. The Court was called upon to reconcile competing constitutional values with the right to privacy and dignity on