Delhi High Court Orders Blocking of Sci-Hub and Mirror Sites in Landmark Copyright Case

In a major ruling that could reshape access to academic research in India, the Delhi High Court has ordered the immediate blocking of Sci-Hub, Sci-Net, and their mirror websites for violating copyright laws. The decision comes in response to a lawsuit filed by leading academic publishers Elsevier, Wiley, and the American Chemical Society.

For an uninitiated, Sci-Hub is a free online platform that provides access to millions of academic research papers by bypassing paywalls set by publishers. Founded in 2011 by Alexandra Elbakyan, a researcher from Kazakhstan, Sci-Hub was created to challenge the high cost of accessing scholarly literature, especially for students and researchers in developing countries.

Court Ruling and Enforcement

The court directed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to block access to the infringing websites within 72 hours. The blocked domains include:

• Sci-Hub: www.sci-hub.se, www.sci-hub.st
• Sci-Net: www.sci-net.xyz
• Associated Mirrors: Multiple alternate URLs used to bypass restrictions

Justice Prathiba M. Singh held that Sci-Hub founder Alexandra Elbakyan had violated a 2020 undertaking not to distribute copyrighted content from the plaintiffs. The court found her prima facie guilty of contempt, noting that both Sci-Hub and Sci-Net were under her control despite claims to the contrary.

Background of the Case

The lawsuit, initiated in 2020, accused Sci-Hub of enabling large-scale piracy by offering free access to paywalled journals such as The Lancet, Cell, and Journal of the American Chemical Society. Elbakyan had previously agreed not to upload or share content from these publishers, but the court found continued violations through Sci-Net and mirror sites.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for December 1, 2025, where further action on the contempt charge may be considered.

Impact on Academia and Access

While publishers hailed the ruling as a victory for intellectual property rights, the decision has sparked concern among students, researchers, and educators who rely on Sci-Hub for access to expensive scholarly articles.

This ruling reinforces the enforceability of copyright law in India, even against foreign nationals operating digital platforms, said a legal expert familiar with the case.

What’s Next?

The blocking order sets a precedent for how India may handle similar cases involving digital piracy and academic access. It also raises questions about the future of open access initiatives and the affordability of scientific knowledge in developing countries.