NCLAT allows WhatsApp, Meta to redact confidential data in ₹213 crore penalty judgment
The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) allowed WhatsApp and Meta’s plea on Tuesday. They asked that confidential business information be removed from the court’s Nov. 4 decision. This decision approved the Competition Commission of India (CCI) ₹213 crore penalty for abuse of dominance.
According to a report prepared by Live LawA bench comprising Presiding Justice Ashok Bhushan and Technical Member Arun Baroka ordered removal of certain portions of the judgment marked confidential and highlighted in blue in the parties’ submissions from the public version and certified copies. The board also decided that review of the redacted sections would not be permitted.
WhatsApp and Meta’s request
WhatsApp lawyer, 194-196. He requested the removal of confidential information on the pages. CCI had no objection to this request. The bench ordered removal of the material from NCLAT’s website and certified copies.
Meta made a similar request for pages 200 to 202. They explained that only certain sections highlighted in blue in certain paragraphs should be removed. Once again, as the CCI had no objection, the bench directed that the sections highlighted in blue be removed from the decision, certified copies and review. Live Law.
What was the decision of November 4?
In its judgment delivered on November 4, 2025, the NCLT upheld CCI’s findings that WhatsApp and Meta had abused their dominant position in the OTT messaging services market in India by enforcing unfair data sharing terms. The court accepted that users of the platform were effectively forced to accept WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy, which allows their data to be shared more broadly across Meta platforms.
As previously reported mint, tThe court accepted that WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy forced users to accept extended data sharing terms without real choice, which violated Article 4(2)(a)(i) of the Competition Act, which prohibits dominant firms from imposing unfair terms. He also stated that Meta and WhatsApp operate under common ownership and control, justifying the joint penalty.
“The punishment given ₹Only Rs 213.14 crore (Rupees Two Hundred Thirteen Crores and Fourteen Lakhs only) was approved in Meta,” the decision stated.
