Plea in Kerala High Court seeks ban on WhatsApp
Kochi, Jun 23: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Kerala High Court seeking a ban on WhatsApp, alleging it was not cooperating with the country's law-enforcement agencies.
In his plea, Omanakuttan K G from Idukki district alleged the instant messaging platform has a separate privacy policy for the European region which is in tune with the laws prevailing there.
"If the APP is amenable to laws of European region and can change its functionality in accordance with the laws of European region; why is it hesitant to abide by the laws of our country?" the petitioner asked.
The petitioner said the app has approached the Delhi High Court claiming it is not amenable to the newly introduced IT rules because it cannot trace the origin of the messages due to its end-to-end encryption policy.
The app also claims that the newly introduced IT rules are against the right to privacy as held in the Justice Puttaswamy case, the petitioner said.
Contending that WhatsApp is not free from manipulations and lacks security, the petitioner submitted the app is also used by anti-national and anti-social elements for their activities.
He said he filed the petition in national and public interest.
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Kohli's U-19 teammate Amanpreet Singh Gill dies at 36
New Delhi (PTI): Former India U-19 and Punjab medium pacer Amanpreet Singh Gill died at the age of 36 in Chandigarh on Wednesday, leaving the cricket fraternity in mourning.
The cause of death is not yet known.
Gill, who was Virat Kohli's U-19 teammate, featured in six first-class matches for Punjab, picking up 11 wickets.
He was also part of the Punjab franchise (Kings XI Punjab) in the inaugural Indian Premier League season, and later served as a member of Punjab's senior selection committee.
"Punjab Cricket Association deeply mourns the sad demise of Amanpreet Singh Gill, former Punjab cricketer and Member, Senior Selection Committee Punjab,” the Punjab Cricket Association announced on X.
"Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and loved ones. May Waheguru grant eternal peace to the departed soul and strength to the family in this difficult time."
Two-time World Cup-winning India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh also paid tribute to Gill.
"Deeply saddened to hear about Amanpreet Singh Gill’s passing. Shared the dressing room in our early days, he was a quiet, hardworking cricketer who loved the game. My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. Rest in peace Om Shanti,” Singh posted on X.
Gill played five Youth ODIs and one Youth Test for India in 2007.
In the longer format, he claimed the wicket of former Sri Lanka all-rounder Thisara Perera.
However, he did not make the Virat Kohli-led India U-19 side that went on to win the 2008 World Cup.
“Deeply saddened by the passing of Amanpreet Singh Shergill, who proudly represented Punjab and was a part of the Punjab Kings family. Our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and the entire cricketing fraternity,” Punjab Kings posted on their official Instagram account.
