Delhi High Court is hearing appeals filed by WhatsApp and its parent company Facebook (now Meta) against a single bench order declining to interfere with CCI's investigation.

Matter before bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh.

Sr Adv Harish Salve appears for Whatsapp

Salve: Your lordship had kept this matter back since other privacy matters were pending. But now privacy bill has been tabled in parliament.

Salve mentions that initially, there was a stay on notices issued to the company. The same was extended up to 11 October but subsequently, the matter could not be taken up.

He urges that time to file reply to CCI notices be extended.

ASG Aman Lekhi says Data Protection Bill is irrelevant to this controversy. It rather relates to S. 4 and 19 of Competition Act. He says WhatsApp is obligated to respond not only under Competition Act but also since Court has declined to extend interim order

Salve: There is no question of Court declining stay when the matters were not even taken up.