SAKET S. GOKHALE Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Rule. Rule made returnable forthwith. Respondents waive service. Taken up for disposal.

(2.) The Petitioner is a former journalist who now takes up social and public causes. On 27 October 2019, the Petitioner had applied under the Right to Information Act , 2005 to the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs, Government of India seeking details regarding a campaign launched by the Government of India. On 27 November 2019, the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs transferred the application of the Petitioner to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

(3.) The Petitioner instituted court proceedings on some sensitive social issues. Petitioner received phone calls and threatening messages on his personal phone. A mob gathered outside his residence chanting slogans. Petitioner noticed that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had uploaded the application filed by the Petitioner on its website with his personal details such as address and telephone number. The website link of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting being accessed by internet search engines, his personal details became available on the internet. The Petitioner filed this petition on 3 August 2020 for a direction that the Petitioner's personal details be removed from the website of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The petitioner also sought damages for the mental agony.