British barrister sues Google in High Court to delist alleged ‘tax avoidance’ search results

High Court Reporter

A British barrister is suing Google in the High Court in a bid to delist search engine results allegedly linked to UK Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publications naming him as a “promoter of tax-avoidance arrangements”.

Setu Kamal denies HMRC’s assertion, claims it is false, and says that its publication of the claim fails to “clarify or contextualise” flaws in the assertion.

Kamal, a British national with an address in Limassol, Cyprus, is suing Google under EU privacy rules, asserting his so-called “right to be forgotten”. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation allows for persons to compel data controllers – such as Google – to erase their personal data.

Kamal wants Google to remove search results allegedly linking to the HMRC publication.

According to his court papers, Kamal claims HMRC has unjustly targeted him because, in legal proceedings in the UK, he acted for certain clients who had availed of a scheme described by the authority as “tax avoidance”.

He says that the legal basis for HMRC’s assertions that he is a “promoter of tax-avoidances arrangements” is in breach of EU law, and his human rights.

This week, barrister Aillil O’Reilly, appearing for Kamal, and instructed by Graham Kenny solicitors, moved an application seeking permission to file sworn documents prepared by Kamal electronically.

O’Reilly told Judge Brian Cregan that Kamal is currently in Dubai, and due to the ongoing war in Iran and the wider Middle East region, has been unable to arrange transfer of the physical documents to Ireland. The judge granted permission for the electronic filing.

Kamal’s action against Google comes in the same week as a separate €9.3 million (£8 million) libel claim he brought against Dan Neidle, a journalist and tax expert, was thrown out by the High Court in London.

The court held that Kamal’s lawsuit met the statutory definition of being strategic litigation against public participation, or a Slapp case.

In his High Court action against Google, Kamal is seeking various reliefs, including an order compelling Google to delist various search engine results, including URLs allegedly linking to the HMRC’s webpage naming him as “a promoter of tax avoidance”.

Kamal submits that he has written to Google seeking the removal or rectification of the search engine results, under the GDPR rules.

In a sworn statement, Kamal says that in 2023, he brought judicial review proceedings on behalf of four corporate entities, who sought to challenge HMRC’s publication of their names as being suspected of promoting tax avoidance. The High Court in London refused to grant permission for these cases.

In September 2025, Kamal says his name was published on HMRC’s website, describing him as a “promoter of tax avoidance”, and “linking” him to the four companies whom he acted for in judicial review proceedings.

Kamal claims that he was never engaged to provide taxation advice for the four companies. He cites the “cab rank rule” in claiming that he does not “pick and choose” clients to represent.

“I believe that I have been described as a ‘promoter of tax avoidance’ because of my work as a barrister in court, acting for the [companies],” he says.

Further to this, Kamal claims the law relied upon by HMRC in publishing his name is incompatible with EU law.

HMRC’s publication of his name has been “widely indexed” in Google search results, Kamal says. He says that these results do not state that he denies advising the companies on tax matters, and that he believes he is being targeted for his work as a barrister.

Kamal claims he has suffered significant harm from the publications listed on Google search results.

“I would submit that my entire career – the fruits of four degrees read, a place at the Bar and at chambers earned, 20 years of goodwill garnered and as many years fighting for human rights and EU law – may have come to be irreversibly destroyed if the publication continues,” he submits.

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