With reference to Apar Gupta's piece, "Legislative intervention needed in defamation" (May 18), criminal defamation alone is not a threat to freedom of expression; the right to be forgotten online is another.
The European Court of Justice has delivered a ruling on this subject that is applicable in Europe. India needs clear guidelines on this right. Lawyers need case studies that are available on search engines and in law journals.
What if tomorrow wilful defaulters, criminals and others were to approach a court of law to exercise this right, citing the ruling of the European court? This complicated issue needs to be discussed threadbare. Keep in mind that a Chinese court has ruled that its citizens do not have the right to be forgotten.
Deendayal M Lulla, Mumbai
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