Nairobi, June 30 -- A court has halted the auction of a Nairobi businesswoman's property after she argued she was condemned unheard because court papers were served through WhatsApp.

The dispute centres on whether WhatsApp messages' "grey ticks" confirm successful delivery to one's phone, raising broader questions about digital court processes and the right to a fair hearing.

On WhatsApp, a grey tick tells you the status of your message. One grey tick means that your message has successfully left your phone and reached WhatsApp's servers, but it hasn't reached the recipient yet.

Two grey ticks mean that your message has been successfully delivered to the recipient's device, but they haven't opened or read it yet.

The businesswoman, Ja...