Delhi High Court orders removal of online news reports about man booked for trying to extort money from friend using obscene video

The Delhi High Court on Monday ordered at least half a dozen news publishers (including Bar & Bench) to remove/disable links of news reports relating to a man booked by the Delhi Police for allegedly trying to extort ₹10 lakh from his friend by threatening to leak an obscene video..Justice Prathiba M Singh passed the order after noting that the First Information Report (FIR) registered in the matter has been quashed and the incident was an 'immature prank'. The petitioner had approached the court stating that though the FIR was quashed on the orders of the court, his employer came across the news reports and suspended him from the employment stating that he won't be taken back until those articles are removed.After considering the case, the bench ordered the publishers to remove the links within 48 hours. The Court also directed Google to block access to those links. "In the opinion of the Court, the fact that the entire career of the Petitioner, who is a young executive, is likely to be jeopardized due to the continued presence of the impugned articles on the internet would weigh in favour of directing the removal of these publications," Justice Singh said. She added that the court has to draw a balance between the right to access information, in general on the one hand and the Petitioner’s well-being, mental health, career prospects and prospects in life and family on the other hand. "The fulcrum of any society following the Rule of law would be to reform a person and not condemn a person permanently. While bearing these factors in mind and considering the order extracted above, it is deemed appropriate to direct all the publishers i.e., Respondent No.3 to 10 to remove the articles which have been collectively attached to the petition as Annexure P-1," the bench ordered. .The man was arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2021 for allegedly demanding ₹10 lakh from his friend and threatening to leak his obscene video. The FIR was quashed based on a settlement earlier this year. It was stated that the accused and complainant were friends and had known each other for a long time. It was also stated this was a prank gone wrong. .Advocates Prashant Katara and Soin Khan appeared for the petitioner.Central Government Standing Counsel Rakesh Kumar along with advocates Sunil and Abhishek Khanna appeared for the Central government. Advocate Mamta Jha, Rohan Ahuja, Shruttima Ehersa, Amishi Sodani, Vatsalya Vishal appeared for Google. Advocate Sahil appeared for Respondent No. 3. .[Read Order]