Kerala High Court Directs Removal Of Female Litigant's Name, Details From Court Website, Says It Affected Her Reputation And Dignity

Justice Devan Ramachandran directed:

“Since the issue is delicate and affecting the reputation and dignity of the petitioner, I direct R5 to take steps to anonymise the judgment with respect to her name and address and upload it as per the usual terms. Action in this regard shall be intimated to this Court in due course.”

The petitioner, a well-known dentist in the Middle East, had approached the court for removal of her name and details from the court's website as well as from Indian Kanoon. The disputes between the parties were amicably settled in the matrimonial appeal based on a mediation agreement wherein they agreed for dissolution of marriage based on mutual consent.

She contended that online availability of the judgment, wherein name and details of her and her minor daughter were mentioned, affected their dignity and reputation in society. It was underscored that if the petitioner's name was searched on Google or Yahoo, details of the judgment would appear in the search result, thus affecting her image.

Pleading that a female should not be subjected to indignity by the publication of her name and details online, the petitioner relied on the decision in Vyskh K.G. v Union of India (2023), where masking of parties' names in family, matrimonial, child custody and adoption cases was allowed based on "right to be forgotten".

Recently, another plea was moved before the court for masking names in judgment published on the High Court website and Indian Kanoon, where disputes were settled between the parties and subsequently criminal proceedings were also quashed.

The petitioner was represented by Advocate Boby M Sekhar

Case number: WP(C) 28153/2023