R. Rajagopal v State of Tamil Nadu (1994) | Auto Shankar Case, Privacy & Press

Case 13 of 30 in Law Easy's Media Law series. R. Rajagopal v. State of Tamil Nadu, Supreme Court of India, decided 1994. FACTS The Tamil weekly Nakkheeran planned to publish the autobiography of a prisoner known as Auto Shankar, which claimed links between him and officials. Prison authorities disputed whether he had written or authorised it and sent the magazine a warning. WHAT THE COURT HELD In a judgment by Justice B. P. Jeevan Reddy, the Supreme Court held that citizens have a right to privacy, and publishing details of a person's private life without consent may be actionable, unless it is based on public records such as court records. A public official cannot claim damages for a publication about official conduct, even if untrue, unless it was made with reckless disregard for the truth. Officials could not impose a prior ban. EXAM POINT Remember the three points: privacy, the public records exception, and the higher burden on public officials. PREVIOUS CASE: Apurva Arora v. Government of NCT of Delhi - https://youtu.be/g7-mMpSpKGc NEXT CASE: Subramanian Swamy v. Union of India - https://youtu.be/zZEujh3FVO0 FULL PLAYLIST (all 30 cases in order): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY-t71WbMh6k COMPLETE LECTURE (all 30 cases, 1 hour 52 minutes): https://youtu.be/8AFvktrLPM4 Made for LL.B. students and for CLAT PG, UGC NET Law and judiciary exam preparation. Subscribe to Law Easy for the full law course. Notes: https://www.thelaweasy.com #MediaLaw #Privacy #LawEasy