Right to Be Forgotten: Supreme Court Grants It in Digital Reputation Case
- ByAdmin --
- 09 Apr 2025 --
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In a case that’s breaking legal ground, the Supreme Court has granted the Right to Be Forgotten to a man acquitted of a criminal charge years ago—but whose Google search results still showed his mugshot.
The Legal Problem
He had moved on. Built a life. But every time someone googled his name, old news articles painted him as a criminal.
Though he had been cleared, the digital world never forgets.
What the Court Said
• The right to privacy includes the right to be digitally forgotten
• Acquitted individuals have the right to not be perpetually punished by old headlines
• Balance must be struck between freedom of press and personal dignity
Legal Foundations
This judgment builds on:
• Puttaswamy vs. Union of India (2017) – Right to Privacy as a fundamental right
• EU GDPR Article 17 (which India is now slowly aligning with)
Implications
• More individuals can approach courts to delist outdated info
• Media houses will face pressure to update/annotate stories
• India inches closer to data dignity laws
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