A WhatsApp status does not count as circulation in an objectionable statement case: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court has held that posting an objectionable statement on WhatsApp status does not constitute publication or circulation under Section 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which criminalises statements that promote enmity between communities. The court observed that a WhatsApp status was neither a post on a social media platform nor on a public forum , noting that it is normally accessible only to people on the user’s contact list .