Zukerberg’s Meta can’t move Blink Digital’s Rs 1,000 crore suit to US, Bombay HC rejects plea

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday denied Meta Platforms Inc.'s request to transfer a Rs 1,000-crore lawsuit filed by digital advertising agency Blink Digital (India) Private Limited to a California court. A single-judge bench, led by Justice Sandeep V Marne, ruled that Indian courts have the authority to handle the dispute governed by local laws and rejected Meta's argument that California courts should be the sole decision-makers in the commercial dispute under California law.

The court's order followed Meta's interim application, represented by senior advocate Janak Dwarkadas, questioning the High Court's authority over Blink Digital's suit seeking account restoration and a compensation of Rs 1,000 crore. The litigation emerged after Meta disabled four of Blink Digital's business manager accounts on August 4, 2026, resulting in the shutdown of approximately 9,000 advertising accounts, client pages, and corporate profiles due to alleged policy violations.

Blink Digital had filed the suit, alleging that Meta's actions were arbitrary, lacked prior hearing, and violated the Information Technology Act and the 2021 Intermediary Guidelines. Justice Marne pointed out that a private contract between the parties, concerning exclusive jurisdiction of courts and the applicability of foreign law, cannot supersede Indian statutory provisions and public policy.

He emphasized that Meta, despite being a global player, is still bound by Indian laws as a significant social media intermediary operating within the country. The judge further noted that the IT Act and intermediary rules were enacted to prevent situations where a major social media intermediary benefits from its operations in India while evading its obligations under Indian laws.

Consequently, the California courts lack the jurisdiction to determine the violations of Indian laws. The bench also observed that another defendant, Facebook India Online Services Private Limited, the Indian subsidiary of Meta, did not challenge the High Court's jurisdiction. The High Court will hear Blink Digital's plea for interim relief on November 2.