Delhi High Court sets digital privacy relief for cleared defendants
The Delhi High Court has set new guidelines for the "right to be forgotten," meaning, if you've been acquitted, discharged, or your case was quashed, you can now ask search engines to stop showing your name in results.
Justice Sachin Datta highlighted that digital privacy matters too, saying people deserve a chance to move on from old news and protect their dignity online.
De-indexing and masking subject to framework
The court introduced two fixes: de-indexing (removing links from name searches) and masking (hiding names in public judgments).
But these options depend on the framework for de-indexing: the case outcome, a person's public role, and how relevant the information is over time.
Cases involving convictions for offenses against women and children, or matters involving breach of public trust, aren't covered.
The public interest in access to information outweighs privacy concerns.
Court rules convictions will remain public
The court made it clear: criminal convictions won't just disappear or get edited out: transparency still comes first.