The Supreme Court on Monday recorded Meta and WhatsApp’s statement that they would comply with the directions issued by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) by March 16, 2026.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Meta and WhatsApp, informed the Court that although appeals had been filed against the NCLAT order dated December 15, 2025, the company had decided to comply with the directions.
“We filed an appeal for stay of those directions. But we are complying with those directions… By 16th March, we’ll fully comply. So as far as that appeal is concerned, we seek no relief.”
He clarified that the interim applications seeking stay would not be pressed, without prejudice to the main appeal. The Bench of Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant,Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi recorded the statement and dismissed the interim applications as not pressed, noting that compliance would be effected by March 16.
However, the CCI pressed its own appeal, seeking an interim ban on advertisements on WhatsApp for five years, a relief earlier rejected by the NCLAT.
The Bench indicated that an interim order granting the substantive relief sought in the appeal could not be passed without hearing the appeal itself. The Court directed that Meta’s compliance affidavit be examined by the CCI and its response be placed on record.
In a separate development, the Court dismissed an intervention application filed by an individual claiming to be a WhatsApp user, observing: “You have nothing to do with this case… We see no ground to entertain this application.” The applicant was granted liberty to pursue remedies in accordance with the law.
The matter will now be listed after March 16, with the Bench indicating that the main appeals may be heard before mid-April. During the hearing, Meta also informed the Court that it would be complying with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act by March 2027, while CCI submitted that competition law concerns stand on a distinct footing from privacy regulation.