Ban on WhatsApp in India: This is what Kerala High Court has to say – Times of India

The Kerala High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) that called upon the central government to ban WhatsApp in India. The writ petition has been filed by software engineer Omanakuttan KG. The bench of Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly dismissed the writ petition on all prayers.
What the court says
It is premature for the court to ban the messaging service. It should be the job of the investigating agencies and courts to decide whether messages from WhatsApp are being manipulated by users to not be used as evidence. “We are not inclined to entertain any of the prayers sought for, we are dismissing the writ petition,” the court said rejecting the plea.
Why the petitioner wants WhatsApp banned in India
The petition filed by Omanakuttan alleges that there is a wide scope of manipulation at the user end and for not being able to trace the origin of messages circulated using its service.
The petition further asked why WhatsApp could not comply with Indian laws when it is compliant with the European Union‘s GDPR policy. It also asked the court to issue directions to investigating agencies and courts to not rely on content from WhatsApp for their investigation or trials.
Delhi High Court refused to stay CCI notice to WhatsApp
In a setback to WhatsApp, the Delhi High Court recently refused to stay the notice dated June 4, 2021, to WhatsApp by the Director-General of Competition Commission of India (CCI). The CCI has sought certain information on WhatsApp’s new privacy policy. WhatsApp urged the Court to issue direction to authorities concerned to not take any coercive action till the next date of hearing.