WP NO. 15781/2024 IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU [SMT. XXXX XXXX AND ANOTHER VS. THE UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS] 11.06.2025 (VIDEO CONFERENCING / PHYSICAL HEARING) CORAM: HON'BLE MR JUSTICE M.NAGAPRASANNA ORAL ORDER ON ‘BEING SPOKEN TO’ This Court heard the subject petition and disposed on 04.04.2025. Learned counsel for respondent No.3 has moved a memo for ‘being spoken to’ requesting this Court to issue direction to respondent Nos.4 to 8, who are web-masters to mask the names and personal details of the petitioner and her family members, as they are only a search engine. Learned counsel for petitioner files a memo indicating that few other cases filed, by and against the petitioner were not divulged to this Court on the date of disposal of the subject petition and seeks a direction to the concerned websites to mask the names and personal details of the petitioner and her family members in those cases as well, as the ones seen in the URLs’. Another memo along with a list of URLs’ is also filed, wherein, the names and personal details of the petitioner and her family members are shown and seeks a direction to mask their names in those URLs’. The memo dated 06.06.2025, reads as follows: - 2 - WP NO. 15781/2024 “1. Owing to an inadvertent error on the part of the Petitioner, some of the disposed cases where the Petitioner and her family members are parties and need to be masked were omitted from Annexure A of the Writ Petition. 2. The Petitioner informed the advocate about the same during the court vacations in May 2025 through email. Since this was a case allotted to the advocate through the High Court Legal Services Committee, the Committee and the Hon'ble Registrar have also been copied on the email. 3. A copy of the said email has been attached herein, for the kind perusal of this Hon'ble Court. 4. This Hon'ble Court may be pleased to take this memo on record and order the masking of the parties' names also in the following cases: i. CCC 1480/2018 ii. CCC 1822/2017 iii. CCC 446/2018 iv. CCC 739/2017 v. CCC 1083/2019 vi. CCC 610/2021 vii. CCC 491/2020 ix. WP 53115/2018 x. RP 29/2019 C/W RP 31/2019 xi. WP 4039/2020 xii. CA 419/2018 xiii. CP 4887/2018 xiv. WP 7417/2021 5. In the event that the names of the Petitioner and her family members are not masked in the above-mentioned cases as well, it is bound to cause irreparable injury and hardship to her. It is also bound to subvert the positive impact of the judgment passed in her favour by this Hon'ble Court.” The memo dated 09.06.2025 reads as follows: - 3 - WP NO. 15781/2024 - 4 - WP NO. 15781/2024 - 5 - WP NO. 15781/2024 - 6 - WP NO. 15781/2024 Learned counsel for the petitioner again on the direction of this Court, before the order could be signed, files a memo before the Registry indicating as follows: “The advocate for the Petitioner most respectfully submits that, as directed by this Hon'ble Court on the last date of hearing i.e. on 17-06-2025, the list of cases pertaining to the Petitioner and her family members in which their names are necessary to be masked is as below: 1. W.P. No. 48962/2016 2. W.P. No. 15406/2017 3. W.P. No. 20884/2017 4. W.P. No. 8656/2017 5. W.A. No. 1600/2018 6. W.A. No. 4123/2017 7. W.P. No. 7414/2021 8. CRL.R.P. No. 863/2021 9. W.P. No. 54568/2018 10. CCC NO. 1480/2018 11. CCC NO. 1822/2017 - 7 - WP NO. 15781/2024 12. CCC NO. 446/2018 (Infructuous - memo for withdrawal filed because cases have been transferred to the Gurugram courts) 13. CCC NO. 739/2017 14. CCC NO. 1083/2019 15. CCC NO. 610/2020 16. CCC NO. 491/2020 17. WP NO. 53115/2018 18. WP NO. 1070/2019 19. RP NO. 29/2019 C/W RP 31/2019 20. WP NO. 4039/2020 (Education matter) 21. WP NO. 7414/2021 22. Crl. P. 4887/2018 23. CRL.A. NO. 419/2018 (In the Court of CCH60 LIX ADDL. CITY CIVIL AND SESSIONS JUDGE) Hence this memo.” In view of the judgment rendered by this Court in the case of xxxx Vs. REGISTRAR GENERAL, HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA reported in 2024 SCC OnLine KAR 18 previously quoted in the final order dated 04.04.2025, this court has recognized that the petitioner is entitled to masking of the names of the Petitioner and her family members in the cases provided by her. Accordingly, the Respondent No. 2 - Registrar General of this Court is directed to mask the name and all other identifiers of the petitioner and her family members from the public records and search results for the following cases - • W.P.No.48962/2016 • W.P.No.15406/2017 • W.P.No.20884/2017 • W.P.No.8656/2017 • W.A.No.1600/2018 • W.P.No.7414/2021 - 8 - WP NO. 15781/2024 • C.R.P.No.863/2021 • W.P.No.54568/2018 • CCC 1480/2018 • CCC 1822/2017 • CCC 446/2018 • CCC 739/2017 • CCC 1083/2019 • CCC 610/2021 • CCC 491/2020 • WP 53115/2018 • WP 1070/2019 • RP 29/2019 C/W RP 31/2019 • WP 4039/2020 • Crl.A 419/2018 • Crl.P. 4887/2018 • WP 7414/2021 The petitioner is permitted to approach all concerned portals and online search engines seeking them to mask the names and all other identifiers of the petitioner and her family members from the judgments or orders passed in the abovementioned cases and only indicate the masked names of the petitioners and her family members in those cases. The petitioner is also permitted to communicate this order to all concerned portals and online search engines in order to ensure that the judgments or orders or any excerpts/search results thereof, pertaining to the abovementioned cases are not republished in any manner whatsoever. The petitioner is also permitted to approach the Grievance Officers of the concerned electronic platforms and online search engines to ensure immediate compliance of this order. - 9 - WP NO. 15781/2024 Whenever the petitioner would apply or approach any of the electronic platforms or online search engines, it is expected that they would respect and follow the principles of ‘right to privacy’ and ‘right to be forgotten’ of the Petitioner and her family members, which are inherent aspects of Article 21 of the Constitution of India, as envisaged by this Court in the case of XXXX v. Registrar General (supra) and remove any other material which may be on the record pertaining to the abovementioned cases, wherein the name or identifiers of the petitioner or her family members are reflected. Sd/- (M.NAGAPRASANNA) JUDGE NVJ List No.: 1 Sl No.: 1