Overview

• Civil Judge Vaibhav Pratap Singh ruled against an Army Major’s petition seeking hotel CCTV footage and records to substantiate claims of his wife’s extramarital affair.
• The court upheld the fundamental right to privacy, extending it to hotel common areas and guest booking details, and emphasized hotels’ duty of confidentiality.
• The ruling criticized outdated patriarchal notions, rejecting the idea of a man ‘stealing’ another’s wife and affirming women’s agency and equality.
• The judge noted that the wife and her alleged paramour were not parties to the suit, raising concerns about their right to defend their privacy before any disclosure.
• The judgment aligns with India’s evolving legal stance on privacy and gender equality, referencing the Supreme Court’s decriminalization of adultery and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’s omission of adultery as a crime.