The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the pleas by Meta Platforms, the guardian firm of social media platforms Facebook and WhatsApp, difficult the probe ordered by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) into WhatsApp’s up to date privateness coverage of 2021.

A bench of Justices M R Shah and Sudhanshu Dhulia stated CCI is an unbiased authority and the proceedings earlier than it can’t be stopped, and junked the petitions towards the Delhi excessive courtroom judgment upholding the probe ordered by the chief nationwide competitors regulator.

“We’ve heard the counsel. No interference of this court is required to be called for. The CCI is an independent authority to consider any violation of the provisions of the Competition Act of 2002. The CCI cannot be dissuaded from investigation and alleged violation of Competition Act, 2002,” the bench held.

Any statement made by the High Court must be thought of as tentative/prima facie, the bench stated.

The Delhi High Court had on September 28 dismissed a plea by Facebook India difficult the probe ordered by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) into WhatsApp’s up to date privateness coverage of 2021.

Facebook India had approached the only decide bench after a division bench of the excessive courtroom in August dismissed its impleadment utility in a associated matter and granted it liberty to problem the CCI order by the use of a separate writ petition.

The division bench had on August 25 dismissed the appeals of WhatsApp and Facebook towards a single decide’s order rejecting their problem to the probe ordered by the CCI into the moment messaging platform’s up to date privateness coverage.

Facebook India, the Indian subsidiary of US-based Facebook (now generally known as Meta Platforms), had argued that the CCI has clubbed it in its ongoing investigation towards Facebook and WhatsApp regardless that it has not fashioned any prima facie opinion towards it.

In April final 12 months, a single decide of the excessive courtroom had refused to interdict the investigation directed by the CCI on the petitions by WhatsApp and Facebook — now Meta Platforms. In January final 12 months, the CCI had by itself determined to look into WhatsApp’s up to date privateness coverage based mostly on information experiences. The anti-trust regulator had stated its investigation involved WhatsApp’s anti-competitive sharing of consumer knowledge with Facebook.

It additionally defended the initiation of a probe towards Facebook as effectively in reference to WhatsApp’s privateness coverage, saying the previous is the holding firm of the messaging platform and it may doubtlessly exploit the information being shared.