SC dismisses PIL seeking WhatsApp ban over non-compliance with govt rules

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a PIL seeking directions to the Centre to ban the operation and use of WhatsApp if it does not comply with the orders of the authorities in the country.

A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Aravind Kumar said it was not inclined to entertain the plea filed by Kerala resident Omanakuttan KG, a software engineer.

Omanakuttan in his plea contended that the messaging platform had refused to comply with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

The PIL alleged that WhatsApp was violating the fundamental rights of the citizens guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution and posing a potential threat to national interest and national security.

"If the app was not willing to change its technology and did not cooperate with the government, it should not be allowed to operate in the country. The Centre had banned many websites and mobile apps for acting against the interest of the country," the plea said.