New Delhi, Nov. 4 -- In a partial relief for Meta Platforms and its messaging arm WhatsApp, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Tuesday set aside the Competition Commission of India's (CCI) direction that barred WhatsApp from sharing user data with Meta group companies for advertising purposes for five years, but upheld the imposition of a Rs.213 crore penalty on the company.

The tribunal also struck down the CCI's finding that Meta had abused its dominant position in the messaging market to strengthen its hold in online advertising.

However, it upheld the rest of the competition watchdog's November 2024 order, including the Rs.213 crore penalty imposed on the company.

"Setting aside the findings of the Commission in...