Jharkhand HC directs CBI to Implead WhatsApp chief
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Ranchi: The CBI was directed by the Jharkhand High Court on Friday to implead the head of WhatsApp, the instant messaging app, in connection with the murder of an additional district judge, PTI reported.
The bench of Chief Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad directed the central probe agency to add the WhatsApp chief a party in the case. The court then issued a notice to WhatsApp's parent company, Meta.
The bench was hearing public interest litigation (PIL) initiated suo moto by the high court after the death of the judge last year. Additional District Judge Uttam Anand got run over by an autorickshaw during his morning jog on July 28, 2021.
The CBI had informed the court that it had sought WhatsApp chat details of the two accused, who have been arrested in the case. But the app has not yet provided it, citing security and privacy policies. After this, the HC bench ordered to add the company as a respondent in the case so that it would appear before the court. The case will be heard again after a week.