Acquitted persons can redact name from ruling: HC

‘Right of privacy has not been given to an accused person acquitted of charges’

Coming across a case in which a man acquitted of all charges sought to redact his name from the court order to protect his right to privacy, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has observed that there is a prima facie case made out by the petitioner and he is entitled to redacting his name from the judgment. Referring to the landmark Supreme Court judgment in Puttaswamy vs Union of India on the right to privacy, Justice N. Anand Venkatesh observed that if the essence of the judgment was applied to the case at hand, even a person, accused of committing an offence and acquitted of all charges, would be entitled to redacting his name from the court order in order to protect his right of privacy. “Today, the world is literally under the grips of social media. The background of a person is assessed by everyone by entering into Google search... There is no assurance that the information that is secured from Google is authentic. However, it creates the first impression, and depending upon the data that is provided, it will make or mar the character of a person in the eyes of society,” the judge said.