Delhi HC gives Whatsapp, FB more time to respond to CCI probe on new privacy policy
New Delhi, March 30: The Delhi High Court has granted more time to Whatsapp and Facebook to file their response over notices issued to them by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
On Wednesday, the Division Bench was hearing the petitions of Whatsapp and Facebook challenging the single bench, which had earlier dismissed their pleas challenging a CCI order for an investigation into the messaging app's new privacy policy.
ASG Balbir Singh appeared for CCI and urged High Court to not defer the hearing further due to the pendency of the Data Protection Bill.
After noting that the respondents have yet to finalise the Data Protection Bill, a bench of Justice Rajiv Shakdher and Justice Poonam A. Bamba adjourned the case to July 21, 2022. After taking notes on the appellant's submission, the court has given Whatsapp and Facebook time to respond to the notice issued by CCI, which sought certain details from them. The court also extends the interim order issued to the appellant previously.
Earlier, Senior Advocate Harish Salve, representing Whatsapp LLC, told the Court that despite the matter being pending in the courts and under judicial scrutiny, we are insisting on filing a response to the CCI notices.
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CCI sent a notice to Whatsapp on June 4, 2021, and to Facebook on June 8, 2021, seeking various information and responses to certain queries.
The Delhi High Court had previously urged the DG, CCI to bear in mind that the investigation against the appellant (WhatsApp and Facebook) is under judicial consideration before a Division Bench of this court. The bench further says 'In our view, there is no doubt that the issuance of impugned notice by the DG is a step in furtherance of the investigation commenced in the suo-motu case, in which investigation is the subject matter of the challenge in the present LPA.'
Facebook and Whastapp have challenged a single-judge court ruling dismissing their appeals against the CCI decision in the Division bench.
On April 22, 2021, a single bench of the Delhi High Court dismissed Facebook and WhatsApp's appeals against a CCI order to investigate the messaging app's revised privacy policy. The petitioners were challenging CCI's March 24 order demanding an investigation into the revised privacy policy, with the investigation to be concluded within 60 days.
Since the matter of WhatsApp's privacy policy is being heard by the Supreme Court and the High Court, Facebook and WhatsApp stated that the CCI was not required to order the probe.
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-PTC News
