The Delhi High Court has observed that no public interest can be served by keeping information alive on the Internet after quashing criminal proceedings against a person and asked portals and search engines to mask the name of a man who has been acquitted in a case. The high court said the right to privacy is a fundamental right and forms an intrinsic part of Article 21 of the Constitution and the concept of right to privacy incorporates the right to be forgotten. "In the age of the internet, every piece of information that finds its way to the internet, gains permanence. The need to allow the masking of names of individuals acquitted of any offence or when criminal proceedings against such persons are quashed emanates from the most basic notions of proportionality and fairness," Justice Amit Mahajan said. The high court said while access to information is a fundamental aspect of democracy, the same cannot be divorced from the need to balance the right to information of the public .