The Delhi High Court on Wednesday questioned the impact of restricting name-based searches on Indian Kanoon, highlighting concerns over access to legal judgments for lawyers unable to afford paid databases. The bench of Justices C Hari Shankar and Vinod Kumar heard appeals filed by Indian Kanoon against a June 1 order that mandated de-indexing in 34 of 38 petitions, affecting search engines and Indian Kanoon's name-based search functionality.
Indian Kanoon has filed eight appeals against the de-indexing directions, with five currently before the bench and three scheduled for October 6. The case involves a respondent who was prosecuted and later discharged, with Senior Advocate Akhil Sibal defending the restrictions to limit ongoing access to those records. The court is set to continue hearing the matter on September 21.
Justice Shankar emphasized that the restrictions would disproportionately affect lawyers practicing in regional towns, who rely heavily on free legal databases like Indian Kanoon. He noted that many such lawyers cannot afford subscriptions to paid services such as SCC Online or Manupatra, making free access essential for their work in lower courts and smaller cases.
The next hearing is scheduled for September 21, when the Delhi High Court will further examine the appeals filed by Indian Kanoon against the de-indexing orders that limit name-based searches on its platform.