The Supreme Court of India has recently dismissed a petition filed by a lady doctor who claimed that her access to WhatsApp was a fundamental right, after her account was blocked by the messaging platform. However, the Apex Court ruled that the ruse of a private messaging service does not fall under the purview of constitutionally protected rights. The petitioner approaches the Supreme Court of India seeking restoration of her WhatsApp account. Dr. Raman Kundra argued that the platform was essential for her professional and personal communication. But, the bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, observed that WhatsApp is a private entity and users are not bound by its terms of service. The court also asked the doctor to use other alternative messaging platform such as the Arattai app made by Zoho. “You can use Arattai,” the bench remarked.
Court’s Stand: No fundamental right to private platforms
The Apex Court stressed on the fact that access to private digital platforms such as WhatsApp is not a guaranteed right under the Constitution of India. It noted that while digital communication is important, users much comply to the policies of the platform and that they cannot claim entitlement to services which are operated privately.Along with this, the bench also declined to entertain any further arguments that WhatsApp’s actions amounted to violation of free speech, stating that such claims must be addresses via appropriate regulatory or civil. channels. “Ms. Mahalaxmi Pawni, learned senior counsel appearing for the petitioners, upon instructions, seeks permission to withdraw this petition with liberty to the petitioners to avail such other remedy as may be available under law before appropriate forum.,” reads the court’s order.
Arattai messaging app’s growing influence
Zoho’s homegrown messaging app Arattai recently surged to the top spot in India’s app stores, briefly overtaking WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal, amid a wave of patriotic downloads and growing demand for local digital platforms. Launched in 2021, Arattai—meaning “chat” in Tamil—was initially seen as a niche side project. But in the wake of AI anxieties, spyware scandals, and scrutiny of Big Tech, its pitch as a “spyware-free, made-in-India messenger” has struck a chord with users.The app’s rise was fueled by endorsements from government officials, including Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who urged Indians to adopt indigenous platforms under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat. initiative.Arattai offers familiar features such as:
- One-to-one and group chats with text, voice notes, and media sharing
- Audio and video calls with end-to-end encryption
- Multi-device support, including desktop and Android TV apps
- Stories and channels for broadcasting updates
