Inform On Further Steps Taken To Stop 'Illegal Use' Of Banned Proton Mail: Karnataka High Court To Centre

Justice R Devdas said “ASG (Additional Solicitor General) who is present in the court is requested to go through all this information and secure instruction as to whether any further steps have been taken at the hands of the Union Government, pursuant to the steps already taken.” Proton Mail is a Swiss email service that offers end to end encrypted messaging for users.

The direction was issued while hearing a petition filed by M Moser Design Associated India Pvt Ltd, seeking a direction to the Union Government to take such steps as are necessary to ban the use of Proton Mail, in India. Further, direct them to provide complete and upto-date information as to the regulations in place regarding use and access of Proton Mail, within India.

The company, referring to an order passed by the Delhi High Court and news reports pointing and press release issued by the Press Information Bureau about banning Apps, said “Despite such steps being taken by the Union Government. However, such filthy emails have been received by employees of the petitioner company at Bengaluru.”

The company has filed a complaint with police in relation to the criminal and illegal usage of Proton Mail, by which its senior female employees have been repeatedly targeted through the issuance of e-mails containing obscene, abusive and vulgar language and sexually coloured and derogatory remarks along with Al generated deepfake images and other sexually explicit content.

It is claimed in the plea that the emails containing this content were issued to a large number of its staff, associates, vendors and competitors, resulting in irreparable reputational and psychological harm to the concerned employees.

Further it is contended that despite registration of the FIR on 09.11.2024, no effective steps are taken by the police to identify the accused person(s), compelling the company to move the Jurisdictional Magistrate with an application to monitor police investigation. On being directed by the court the police filed a status report indicating that no concrete or effective steps were taken and use of Mutual Legal assistance arrangement between India and Switzerland, was not done.

The plea seeks for issuance of a direction to police to collect all necessary information and documents pertaining to the sender of the offending email, through the mutual legal assistance arrangements between India and Switzerland in a time bound manner.

The police be directed to forthwith seek issuance of Letters Rogatory/legal request through the jurisdictional magistrate, to the Federal Office of Justice, Switzerland for supply of all relevant information and documentation pertaining to the sender of the offending email.

Case Title: M MOSER DESIGN ASSOCIATES INDIA PVT LTD AND State of Karnataka & Others

Case No: WP 2358/2025