The Supreme Court today deferred to February 23 the hearing of pleas by Meta Platforms Inc and WhatsApp against a Competition Commission of India (CCI) order imposing a Rs 213.14 crore penalty over privacy policy issues. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and N V Anjaria adjourned the matter after senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the companies, was unwell. The bench also allowed a litigant represented by senior advocate Arvind Datar to be made a party to the case.

 

On 3rd of February, the top court had criticised Meta and WhatsApp, stating they could not play with the right to privacy of citizens and alleged the companies are creating a monopoly and misusing private information. The bench highlighted concerns over silent customers who are unaware of data-sharing implications and asserted that citizens’ rights must be protected.

 

The appeals follow the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal’s November 2025 ruling, which set aside a part of the CCI order that had barred WhatsApp from sharing user data for advertising but retained the Rs 213 crore penalty. The Supreme Court also directed that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology be made a party and is seized of a cross-appeal by the CCI challenging NCLAT’s decision on data sharing for advertising purposes.