HC judge recuses herself from hearing Facebook, WhatsApp pleas on privacy

A Delhi High Court judge on Thursday recused herself from hearing separate pleas filed by Facebook and WhatsApp to challenge a Competition Commission of India (CCI) order for an investigation into the messaging app’s new privacy policy.

Justice Prathiba M Singh recused herself from hearing the two petitions and directed the registry of the high court to list it before another bench on April12, subject to the orders of the chief justice.

Facebook and WhatsApp have challenged the CCI’s March 24 order directing a probe into the new privacy policy.

The CCI had also directed that the investigation be completed within 60 days.

Both Facebook and WhatsApp, in their separate pleas filed through advocate Tejas Karia, have contended that since the issue of WhatsApp’s privacy policy was before the Supreme Court, the CCI did not need to order the probe.

In January, the CCI decided to look into WhatsApp’s new privacy policy on the basis of news reports regarding the same.