The Supreme Court has refused to restrain Google from taking off the apps that don’t comply with its billing policy from its Play Store.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra heard the digital start-ups and app developers challenging the order of dismissing petitions by Madras High Court assailing Google’s new user choice billing policy.
The CJI refused to stay the High Court order remarked that Google has succeeded before the High Court, and it is not right to put stay on it however, notice was issued on the petitions.
The matter was directed to be listed next on March 19.
App Developers were represented by Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi while Senior Advocate Harish Salve appeared for Google.
This year the High Court had dismissed the appeal by the start-ups against single-judge verdict who agreed to uphold the policy, which imposed a service fee of up to 26 per cent for download of paid apps and in-app purchases on the Google Play Store.
The division bench of the High Court while redirecting the appeals to the Competition Commission of India (CCI), had granted the start-ups three weeks’ interim protection against being delisted from Google Play Store.