Kerala HC Seeks Centre Stand on BitChat Blocking
The Kerala High Court directed the Centre, Apple, and Google India to respond to a plea challenging the blocking of the Bluetooth-based messaging app BitChat.
The Kerala High Court directed the Centre to file an affidavit on a petition challenging the government's order blocking the messaging app BitChat. The court issued similar directions to Apple India and Google India.
BitChat is an open-source application that works over Bluetooth and requires no internet connection. It became popular during the internet shutdowns in Delhi in July 2026.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued an order in October under the Information Technology Act directing the blocking of the app and its website. After the directive, Apple removed the app from its India App Store and Google removed it from its Play Store.
The petition was filed by the Ernakulam-based Appropriate Technology Promotion Society. A bench led by Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V M directed the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to respond. The Ministry of Information Technology received a similar direction. The court kept open the question of the maintainability of the petition, raised by the central government.
The court listed the matter for further hearing on November 11.
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