Karnataka HC rejects PhonePe plea in cybercrime case; says confidentiality must coexist with accountability

The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a petition from digital payment app PhonePe challenging the authority of the cyber police to seek information of its merchants, holding that the “protection of consumer privacy cannot eclipse the lawful imperative of investigating officers to secure evidence and take the investigation to its logical conclusion.”

“Confidentiality must coexist with accountability,” Justice M Nagaprasanna said in a recent 32-page judgment, the copy of which is available now.

PhonePe’s writ petition was triggered by a notice from…