Madhya Pradesh High Court has held that forwarding messages by employees in the private WhatsApp groups do not reflect their personal opinion and does not attract any action by the government.

The Justice Vivek Rusia held that forwarding a message in the WhatsApp group does not come within the purview of Rule 3(1)(i) and (iii) of Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, while granting relief to a state government, suspended for forwarding political messages in a WhatsApp group.

The judgement came in response to a petition filed by a government employee in Alirajpur in Madhya Pradesh who was suspended after being charge-sheeted for forwarding a political message to a WhatsApp group.

The petitioner submitted that his six-year-old daughter ‘inadvertently’ forwarded the message while playing with his mobile phone. He also submitted his apology. What are your views on this judgment?