The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has narrowed its probe in the WhatsApp earnings leak case.According to sources, seven companies whose price-sensitive information had leaked on social media before being made public have been cleared. Five companies were being further probed. Reportedly, some are blue-chip ones.Last month, the markets regulator had initiated a probe against a dozen companies (including Dr Reddy's, Cipla, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Tata Steel, Wipro and Bajaj Finance) for alleged leak of sensitive information. The others were Mahindra Holidays and Resorts, Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals, information technology service providers Mindtree and Mastek, and India Glycols, a petrochemicals entity.On November 17, news agency Reuters named these 12 companies whose September quarter earnings were being circulated on various private WhatsApp groups. Under Sebi's Prohibition of Insider Trading rules, disclosing any unpublished price-sensitive information and ...
