Supreme Court asks Wikipedia to remove name of victim in RG Kar hospital rape and murder case

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (September 17) ordered Wikipedia to remove the name of the victim in the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder case from its pages.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwal and Manoj Misra adopted the decision taken by the Supreme Court in the suo motu case regarding the crime.

During the hearing, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta informed the judges that Wikipedia still displayed the victim’s name and photo. A lawyer told the judges that when Wikipedia was ordered to remove the name, the company refused, saying it “could not be censored”. The SG said this was not “censorship” because the law required that the identity of a rape victim be kept anonymous.

The court noted that it had earlier issued a directive on August 20 to remove the victim’s name and photos from all social media and electronic media platforms.

The Court ordered Wikipedia to comply with this directive. “In the interest of preserving the dignity and privacy of the deceased, the guiding principle is that the identity of the victim in a case of rape and murder should not be disclosed,” the Court observed.

Regarding the photo, it was explained to the bench that it was not the real photo of the victim but an artistic impression used for representational purposes.

Another lawyer informed the court that the article cited in the footnote of the Wikipedia page contains the photograph of the victim. The Chief Justice said that while reviewing the order, the court will deal with this issue.

Live updates from today’s hearing can be read here.

Further reports from today’s hearing can be read here:

Supreme Court rejects West Bengal’s plea to stop live streaming of RG Kar case, saying it will protect lawyers from online threats