The Supreme Court of India will hear appeals by Meta Platforms Inc and WhatsApp against a ₹213.14 crore penalty imposed by the Competition Commission of India.
The bench earlier said companies cannot “play with the right to privacy of citizens” and raised concerns of monopoly and data misuse.
The case follows a National Company Law Appellate Tribunal ruling that upheld the fine but set aside a five-year data-sharing ban.
On Monday, the Supreme Court will consider arguments from Meta and WhatsApp challenging a Competition Commission of India (CCI) ruling that fined them Rs 213.14 crore for its privacy practices.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi is likely to hear the matter.
The bench had harshly criticised Meta Platforms Inc. and WhatsApp on February 3, stating that they could not "play with the right to privacy of citizens in the name of data sharing" and accusing them of monopolising the market and stealing customers' personal information.
Referring to "silent customers" who were unorganised, reliant on technology, and ignorant of the consequences of data-sharing rules, the bench denounced WhatsApp's privacy policy and declared, "We will not allow the rights of any citizen of this country to be damaged." Meta Platforms Inc. owns WhatsApp.
The top court was considering the two tech giants' arguments against a CCI verdict that fined them Rs 213.14 crore over their privacy policies.
A portion of a CCI order that prohibited WhatsApp from exchanging data with Meta Platforms Inc. for advertising reasons for five years was overturned by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on November 4, 2025, but the Rs 213-crore fine was kept in place.
Later, the NCLAT clarified that its order in the WhatsApp matter on privacy and consent safeguards also applies to user data collection and sharing for non-WhatsApp purposes, including non-advertising and advertising.
In addition to ordering that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology be added as a party to the appeals of the two corporations, the top court stated that it would issue an interim order on February 9.
The CCI filed a cross-appeal against the bench, arguing that the NCLAT verdict permitted WhatsApp and Meta to continue exchanging user data for advertising.
