Bombay High Court Rejects Meta Plea in Blink Digital Case
Justice Sandeep V Marne dismissed Meta's request to return Blink Digital's suit for filing in a US court.
Key Takeaways
- Justice Sandeep V Marne dismissed Meta's Order VII Rule 10 application.
- Meta had cited a California jurisdiction clause in its terms.
- Blink Digital seeks more than Rs 1,000 crore and restoration of disabled accounts.
- Four Business Manager accounts and about 9,000 ad accounts were disabled in August 2026.
- The temporary injunction application is listed for 2 November at 4 pm.
The Bombay High Court has rejected Meta Platforms Inc's plea to send Blink Digital's suit back so it could be filed in a US court. Justice Sandeep V Marne dismissed the application, which Meta had made under Order VII Rule 10 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
Blink Digital (India) Private Limited sued over the disabling of four Business Manager accounts and about 9,000 linked advertising accounts. It seeks more than Rs 1,000 crore in damages. The court listed Blink Digital's request for a temporary injunction for 2 November 2026 at 4 pm.
Blink Digital's suit against Meta at a glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Court | Bombay High Court |
| Judge | Justice Sandeep V Marne |
| Plaintiff | Blink Digital (India) Private Limited |
| Defendants | Meta Platforms Inc and Facebook India Online Services Private Limited |
| Meta's plea | Return of the plaint under Order VII Rule 10 so the case could be filed in California |
| Outcome | Application dismissed |
| Accounts disabled | Four Business Manager accounts and about 9,000 advertising accounts, in August 2026 |
| Damages sought | More than Rs 1,000 crore |
| Next hearing | 2 November 2026, 4 pm (temporary injunction application) |
Why Meta wanted the suit heard in California
Meta argued that the parties had agreed to resolve commercial disputes in California courts under Californian law, so the Bombay court lacked territorial jurisdiction. Meta said its Terms of Service and Commercial Terms require such disputes to be resolved exclusively in California courts.
Blink Digital said the dispute also involves Indian statutory obligations and that the suit could not be split to leave Meta out of the Bombay High Court. It says the disabling of its accounts violated the law, and it relies on the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | Four Business Manager accounts and about 9,000 advertising accounts were disabled |
| 27 October 2026 | The Bombay High Court dismissed Meta's application |
| 2 November 2026 | Hearing on Blink Digital's temporary injunction application, 4 pm |
What the court said about jurisdiction and the Indian IT rules
The court said Meta had failed to show that it totally lacks territorial jurisdiction. The court said courts in California could not decide the issues raised under the Indian IT law and the Intermediary Rules.
The court also noted that Facebook India, the first defendant, had not objected to jurisdiction and had not filed the application itself. The court said the plaint could not be returned in part, because the claims against the two defendants could not be separated.
Where Blink Digital's suit stands after the ruling
The suit stays in the Bombay High Court, where Blink Digital's request for a temporary injunction is listed for 2 November 2026 at 4 pm. Blink Digital is asking the court to restore its disabled accounts and to award more than Rs 1,000 crore in damages from Meta Platforms Inc and Facebook India Online Services Private Limited.
More news
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Blink Digital's case against Meta about?
What did Meta ask the Bombay High Court to do in the Blink Digital case?
How did the Bombay High Court rule on Meta's plea?
Who is the judge in the Blink Digital case?
How much does Blink Digital want from Meta?
Why did Meta say the Bombay High Court could not hear the Blink Digital suit?
What did the court say about Meta's California argument in the Blink Digital case?
How many accounts did Meta disable for Blink Digital?
Who are the defendants in the Blink Digital suit?
Which laws does Blink Digital rely on in its suit against Meta?
What did Blink Digital say about splitting its suit?
How soon is the next hearing in the Blink Digital case?
More in Tech
Airtel Holds 61.16% of India's M2M Connections in September
TRAI data shows Airtel has 88.58 million of India's 144.85 million M2M connections.
PhonePe Renames Indus Appstore as PhonePe Appstore
PhonePe has renamed Indus Appstore as PhonePe Appstore and is moving into gift cards and top-ups.
Paytm Expects UPI MDR to Lift Its Payments Margin
Paytm estimates the proposed UPI MDR would add about 2.5 basis points to its payments margin.