In a landmark order, a Delhi court directed Google and major media houses to de-index articles linking a man to an ED case after he was fully cleared. The court said continued online presence of such reports harms dignity and serves no public interest.
In a major development supporting a person’s right to live with dignity and move on after being cleared of charges, a Delhi court has passed an important interim order recognising the “right to be forgotten”.
The court directed several media organisations, Google, and legal research platform India Kanoon to remove or de-index online content that links an individual to the alleged Moser Baer money laundering case, even though he has already been discharged and found not guilty.
The order was passed by Principal District and Sessions Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna of the Patiala House Courts, who clearly stated that once a person has been exonerated, there is no justification for news reports and online content to continue associating his name with a criminal case.
The court emphasised that such content directly affects the individual’s dignity, reputation and peaceful life.
While explaining the harm caused by online records, the court observed,
“The permanence of digital information and easily accessible online records are causing potential harm to the plaintiff despite his exoneration from the case. The information serves no purpose other than that it is detrimental to the plaintiff’s reputation. In my opinion, no public interest is served by keeping online information about an individual after criminal proceedings have come to an end and individual has been cleared of guilt,”
Based on this reasoning, the court decided that immediate action was necessary and issued a temporary order to stop access to such content.
As recorded in the order,
“All the defendants are directed to block/ delete the URL Links relating to the plaintiff as detailed in para 15 (i) of the plaint from being accessed by using search engines till the disposal of the main suit,”
The defendants in this case included major media houses and digital platforms such as ANI Media, Indian Express Group, The Times Group, The Print, Hindustan Times Media Limited, NDTV, The Hindu Group, along with Google, India Kanoon and John Doe (unknown parties).
These entities were held responsible for hosting or allowing access to articles and links that continued to show the man as being involved in the Moser Baer money laundering case.
The plaintiff informed the court that although he was arrested earlier by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) during the investigation, he was later discharged and cleared of all allegations.
Despite this, multiple online articles continued to project him as an accused facilitator, which he said caused serious damage to his personal and professional life.
He highlighted how these reports affected his career prospects, social image and mental peace, even after being found innocent.
Some of the defendants argued that the case was barred by limitation and that their reporting was protected under freedom of the press.
However, the court rejected these claims, stating that freedom of the press cannot justify continuous harm to an individual who has already been cleared by the legal system.
The court once again stressed that the digital world’s permanent nature keeps reviving past allegations unnecessarily, noting how the “permanence of digital information” extends the suffering of someone who has no criminal liability left against them.
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In light of these findings, Judge Chandna firmly ruled in favour of the plaintiff and ordered the removal and blocking of the concerned online content, reinforcing the idea that a person who has been acquitted deserves a fair chance to rebuild life without being haunted by outdated and misleading digital records.
This decision marks a strong step towards strengthening the right to be forgotten in India, especially in cases where continued online presence of old accusations serves no public purpose and only damages a citizen’s honour and future.
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