Former Attorney General of India (AG) Mukul Rohatgi has refused to represent the Chinese video-sharing platform TikTok and challenge the ban imposed by the Centre on 59 mobile applications linked to China in the aftermath of the Galwan Valley face-off in Ladakh.
Rohatgi had said that he will not represent a Chinese company and challenge the ban imposed on it by the Government of India amid ongoing ‘tense times’.
Also Read: India bans TikTok, UC browser amongst 57 other Chinese Apps
“It doesn’t feel right to appear for a Chinese company in view of the current tension.”
Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayyar has also refused to represent one of the banned Chinese companies.
The press note was issued on Monday regarding the ban of Chinese apps and stated,
“The Ministry of Information Technology has received many complaints from various sources including several reports about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India. The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measure.”
India had on June 29 banned the apps with Chinese links, including hugely popular TikTok and UC Browser, saying that they were “engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order”.
The list of apps that have been banned also includes Helo, Likee, Cam Scanner, SHAREit, WeChat, Vigo Video, Mi Video Call – Xiaomi, Clash of Kings as well as e-commerce platforms Club Factory and Shein.
