India dismisses antitrust complaint against WhatsApp

The Competition Commission of India has dismissed a case against Facebook's WhatsApp, alleging that it had abused its dominant position by forcing its payments to feature on the country's existing users.

In a 41-page official order, India's antitrust watchdog said it did not find any contravention of antitrust laws, adding that WhatsApp has not fully launched the service yet.

The number of users in India being served under the beta version is limited to less than one percent.

WhatsApp is seen close to a full launch of its payments service in India after months of struggling to get required clearances.

The Supreme Court is separately hearing WhatsApp cases challenging the expansion of its payment service.

According to WhatsApp, it did not require users to register for or use its payment feature in order to avail of the messaging service.