The Delhi High Court has issued notice in a suit filed by Saurav Das, spokesperson for the CJP, against Abhijit Iyer-Mitra, Law Beat, Pamphlet and Jaipur Dialogues, alleging publication of his private information in the public domain.

Senior Advocate Akhil Sibal appeared for Saurav Das. Senior Advocate Abhinav Chandrachud appeared for Defendant No. 1, while Senior Advocate Percival Billimoria appeared for Defendant No. 2.

During the hearing, counsel for the defendants questioned the specific cause of action against some of the defendants, submitting that there were no specific allegations against Defendant No. 4 and that the suit, insofar as it concerned certain defendants, was misconceived.

The Court was also informed that certain posts and links relied upon in the plaint had already been taken down by X (formerly Twitter) under its platform policy and were no longer accessible.

On behalf of the plaintiff, Senior Advocate Akhil Sibal submitted that the suit arose from the publication of material concerning the plaintiff’s residential address and other private information. He submitted that the plaintiff apprehended violence and therefore the issue of disclosure of his residential details raised a distinct privacy and safety concern.

Counsel for the defendants relied upon the jurisprudence on the right to privacy, including the Supreme Court’s decision in R. Rajagopal v. State of Tamil Nadu, as well as relevant Press Council of India norms concerning journalists. It was submitted that information relating to a person’s residence, personal finances, parentage and other private matters cannot ordinarily be treated as matters of public interest merely because the person is a public figure.

The Bench indicated that the issue would have to be examined in light of the existing privacy jurisprudence and the circumstances in which such information had been published.

The Court has issued notice in the suit, with the matter to be considered further on the next date of hearing i.e. September 10.