Quick Take
- A Bengaluru court passed an interim order against Way2News on September 10, 2026.
- AppsForBharat, the maker of Sri Mandir, is seeking Rs 1 crore in damages.
- The next hearing is listed for October 5, 2026.
A Bengaluru court has restrained Way2News in a case brought by AppsForBharat, the company behind the Sri Mandir app. The order is dated September 10, 2026. Entrackr, which reported it first, says it reviewed a copy.
The relief is an ad-interim ex parte injunction. That means it was granted before Way2News was heard in court. AppsForBharat is also seeking Rs 1 crore in damages and a permanent injunction. The next hearing is listed for October 5, 2026.
The case was heard by the LXXXVII Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge in Bengaluru. Way2News is based in Hyderabad. So the order reaches across two states.
One point matters here. Way2News is not silent. The company told Entrackr it had not received any court order so far. That is a live procedural fact, and it is now three days old.
What is the AppsForBharat vs Way2News case about?
The case is about confidential material that AppsForBharat says moved to a rival. Firstprinciple AppsForBharat Pvt Ltd filed it. The entity name is corroborated on Indian Kanoon.
AppsForBharat runs Sri Mandir, a devotional app. Prashant Sachan is the sole founder. The company is based in HSR Layout, Bengaluru.
Way2News is a hyperlocal news app. Raju Vanapala founded it in 2015, out of Way2SMS. It also runs a devotional site called VedaMandir, at vedamandir.com. That site claims more than 10 lakh devotees and lists a Jubilee Hills address.
According to the two news reports, the dispute centres on a former AppsForBharat employee. His name is Shivam Kumar Singh, a senior operations associate. He resigned on August 3, 2026, with a last working day of August 7.
AppsForBharat alleges he then joined Way2News, breaking a non-compete clause. On August 25, 2026, a request for a Google Drive folder came from his Way2News email address. That folder held user data and video material, the company says.
AppsForBharat also alleges its videos appeared on VedaMandir’s marketing around August 31. It submitted screenshots and comparisons to the court. The year on one upload date, given as March 18, is not stated in either report.
What does Way2News say in response?
Way2News denies the allegations. Its statement to Entrackr gives a different account of the Drive access. The link, it says, was old and tied to Singh’s previous job.
Singh “inadvertently accessed the link,” the company said. He then realised he was still in legacy WhatsApp groups from his old workplace and left them. There was “no intent to obtain, transfer or use” anything, Way2News said.
One detail is worth noting for readers. VedaMandir’s own public pages do not name Way2News, Way2Online or any parent as the operator. The corporate link is asserted by the two news reports, not by the site itself.
Why an ex parte order is not the final word?
An ad-interim ex parte order is what one side gets before the other is heard. It is a first-stage order, not a verdict. Inc42’s own report notes the order does not constitute a final ruling.
Two recent cases in other courts show why this matters. Both had a similar fact pattern. In both, the interim relief did not survive once the defendant spoke.
The first is Mu Sigma Business Solutions vs Sagar Balan and others. The Karnataka High Court decided it on June 14, 2019. A senior ex-employee was accused of carrying analytical tools, client lists and business strategy to a rival.
The court dismissed all three interim injunction applications. It found the allegations “vague and unsubstantiated.” The proprietary interests, it held, were never clearly identified and described.
The second is Tremco CPG India vs Thermax Vebro Polymers. The Madras High Court ruled on April 30, 2026. Interim relief was refused, and an existing injunction was vacated once the defendant was heard.
Both cases sit close to this one. Same kind of claim, same city in the first case, same result twice. That is why October 5 is the date to watch, not September 10.
How big are the two companies?
Both sides are funded. AppsForBharat has raised more money in total. Way2News has larger reach through its news app.
AppsForBharat has raised $65.5 Mn across six rounds. Its last round was a Rs 175 crore Series C on July 1, 2025. Susquehanna Asia VC led it, with Fundamentum, Elevation Capital and Peak XV joining.
Sri Mandir has been live since December 2020. It has about 120,000 paying users and 3.5 million monthly active users. The company takes about 25% on group pujas.
Way2News has raised $30.7 Mn across two rounds. Its Series B was a $14 Mn round on September 17, 2024. WestBridge led it as an existing investor.
The app reports more than 50 million downloads across eight languages. Its parent traces back to Way2SMS. VedaMandir is its newer devotional product.
One revenue figure needs a flag. Inc42 publishes two different FY25 numbers for AppsForBharat. One database entry says Rs 72.6 crore. A separate feature says Rs 82.2 crore.
| Detail | AppsForBharat | Way2News |
|---|---|---|
| Main product | Sri Mandir | Way2News app |
| Founder | Prashant Sachan | Raju Vanapala |
| Base | Bengaluru | Hyderabad |
| Total raised | $65.5 Mn | $30.7 Mn |
| Last round | Rs 175 Cr, Jul 2025 | $14 Mn, Sep 2024 |
Where this fits in faith-tech
This is a fight between two funded players in faith-tech. The category is one of India’s fastest-growing consumer sectors. Few outlets cover it as a standing beat.
The money around it is real. InstaAstro raised a Series A on August 26, 2026, weeks before this order. AstroTalk, a larger rival, reported FY25 revenue of Rs 1,214.5 crore, up 85.2%.
Devotional and astrology apps are pulling in serious capital. This case shows the other side of that growth. When products and people move fast, disputes over data follow.
What this means for you: If you are hiring from a rival, get the paperwork on non-competes and data access right, because an ex parte order can land before you are even heard.
StartupFeed Insight
The headline says “restrained,” but the reporting hangs on one document nobody has published in full. There is no suit number, no named judge, and no eCourts trail yet. That is the real gap. An ad-interim ex parte order is the weakest kind in the process, and two comparable cases, Mu Sigma in 2019 and Tremco in April 2026, both collapsed once the defendant was heard. Way2News also says it was never served, which is a live issue on its own. Watch October 5, 2026. If AppsForBharat cannot pin down what was taken, the injunction may not hold past that date.
— Avinash Mishra, Business Correspondent
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