WhatsApp summons bar on cops: Stick to established norm of notice on paper, Supreme Court says

Police cannot summon accused, suspects or witnesses through WhatsApp or other kinds of electronic messages but must stick to the established practice of issuing formal notices on paper and securing acknowledgment receipts, the Supreme Court has said.

The bench of Justice M.M. Sundresh and Justice Rajesh Bindal passed a slew of directions to the states and Union Territories (UTs) after senior advocate and amicus curiae Siddharth Luthra provided details about the police’s new tendency to issue notices via WhatsApp.