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Synopsis

The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed against the mobile application Truecaller, which provides users with the identity of callers from unknown numbers.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora remarked that services like providing names and emails of phone numbers are a facility, citing the precedent of telephone directories publishing names and phone numbers of individuals.

The court was hearing a plea filed by Ajay Shukla, alleging privacy violations by Truecaller for disclosing information related to third parties without their consent.

Shukla's counsel argued that Truecaller accesses users' phonebooks and discloses addresses, emails, and other details of individuals who haven't consented to its terms and conditions. The counsel also highlighted reputational damage caused by the application, as contact numbers can be marked as 'spam'.

However, the respondent's counsel contended that the PIL was merely a 'publicity interest litigation', noting that a similar plea had been dismissed by the Supreme Court without granting the petitioner the liberty to approach the High Court.

The court examined the Supreme Court's order and observed that the petitioner had not disclosed the earlier proceedings in the writ petition, deeming it a case of re-litigation and abuse of process. Consequently, the court dismissed the PIL against Truecaller.

Case Title: Ajay Shukla v. Union of India & Ors