PremiumBoth the companies had challenged the CCI notices issued on June and June 8, 2021, asking them to reply to its queries pertaining to the inquiry conducted on their new privacy policy.
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The Delhi High Court on Monday granted Facebook and WhatsApp more time to file their replies to two notices issued by the Competition Commission of India (CCI), which had ordered an inquiry into the instant messaging app’s new privacy policy.
Both the companies had challenged the CCI notices issued on June and June 8, 2021, asking them to reply to its queries pertaining to the inquiry conducted by the anti-trust commission.
A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh today noted that since the Data Protection bill is yet to be finalised, the proceedings are being adjourned to March 30. This is the second time that Facebook and WhatsApp have been granted more time to file replies.
“Till then the time to file replies to the June 4 and June 8, last year, notices issued by CCI to the appellants (Facebook and WhatsApp) is extended," the bench said, reported news agency PTI.
Senior advocate Harish Salve, who was representing WhatsApp, told the court that the Data Protection bill was tabled in the Parliament and the court had earlier granted time to file replies to the notices till October 11, 2021, but it could not be extended thereafter as the matter was not taken up.
Additional Solicitor General Aman Lekhi, appearing for CCI, contended that Data Protection bill is “irrelevant" to this controversy and that the case does not deal with ‘privacy’ but with the provisions of Competition Act relating to abuse of dominant position and inquiry into certain agreements and dominant position of an enterprise.
Meanwhile, the counsel for Facebook India submitted he has filed an application seeking to be impleaded as a party to the case. However, the court asked him to file a fresh petition. The case relates to the appeals of Facebook and WhatsApp against a single judge order dismissing their pleas against the probe CCI ordered into the instant messaging app's new privacy policy.
*With PTI inputs
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