Delhi High Court Backs Name-Based Searches on Legal Databases
· India · Indian Express, Hindustan Times
The Delhi High Court stated that searching for court judgments by a person’s name is essential and serves the public interest. A division bench of Justices C Hari Shankar and Vinod Kumar made the observation while hearing an appeal by the legal database Indian Kanoon. The website is challenging a single-judge order from May that directed it to restrict name-based searches to uphold the right to be forgotten for individuals previously accused in criminal cases. Indian Kanoon reported that it has already removed over 80 judgments to comply with the initial ruling. The court remarked that forcing users to search by specific writ petition numbers or dates would render legal databases practically inaccessible.
Why it matters
The ruling impacts the accessibility of public legal records for citizens, journalists, and lawyers who rely on name-based searches to track judicial precedents and case histories.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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