Introduction A decade-old FIR that ended in acquittal. A matrimonial dispute settled years ago. A criminal proceeding in which a person’s name appeared only incidentally. For the petitioners before the Delhi High Court, these were not archival records but live injuries, reopened by every name-based search. On 29 May 2026, Justice Sachin Datta’s ruling in Laksh Vir Singh Yadav v Union of India answered them, consolidating over thirty-five writ petitions and recognising the rig