Competition Law

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Gopal Subramanium represented Lafarge arguing on behalf of 10 other cement companies before the Competition Appellate Tribunal (Compat) and succeeding in getting the Rs 6,300 crore ($1.15bn) Competition Commission of India (CCI) penalty overturned.

Around 100 bureaucrats, economists and the six members of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) have applied to become CCI chairman, reported The Indian Express, as incumbent chairman Ashok Chawla is due to retire on 7 January 2016.

The Express reported that “urban development secretary Madhusudan Prasad; Bimal Julka, who retired as I&B secretary in August 2015; Subir Gokarn, former RBI Deputy Governor and Harsha Vardhana Singh, former deputy director general at WTO” are among the applicants, alongside current CCI members SL Bunker, UC Nahta, MS Sahoo, Sudhir Mital, Augustine Peter and GP Mittal.

The CCI post has seen twice the 50 applicants seen for the post of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) chairman, where UK Sinha is set to step down on 17 February 2016.

Former commerce secretary and legal sector liberalisation architect Rajeev Kher assumed office as member at the Competition Appellate Tribunal (COMPAT) yesterday, according to its website, filling one of the two empty member posts which were last occupied at the tribunal in May 2014 and August 2014.

App-based taxi operator Ola’s parent company ANI Technologies has won a favourable majority decision from the Competition Commission of India (CCI), which declined to pass any interim order around the allegation that the company was involved in illegal predatory pricing.

On Monday the Economic Times reported that the director general (DG) of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has submitted a damning report of Google, finding a prima facie case that Google has abused its dominant position.

Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas has won a favourable landmark report from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) director general for its client Bharat Matrinmony and an NGO against internet giant Google, which was represented by AZB & Partners and Economic Laws Practice (ELP).

Chennai-based law firm Surana & Surana has lost in its Competition Commission of India (CCI) complaint against computer maker Dell India, which the law firm alleged had entered “the Indian market of computers and computer hardwares via predatory pricing and it offered its products at ridiculously low prices compared to what was offered by its competitors in India”.

The PTI reported:

In a fresh order against DLF, Competition Commission has found the realty giant guilty of indulging in “unfair and abusive” business practices in sale of apartments in a Gurgaon housing project.

CCI has asked DLF Gurgaon Home Developers Private Limited and its group companies to “cease and desist” from such unfair trade practices, but did not impose any fresh monetary penalty as Rs 630 crore fine has already been slapped on DLF for similar violation during the same period in a separate case.

Ola Cabs is facing a complaint in the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for spending more money on discounts and incentives on customers and drivers compared to the revenue it is earning, reported the Business Standard.

The CCI directed its director general to conduct an investigation on Ola owner ANI Technologies on the complaint of Chennai-based Fast Track Call Cab against it for predatory pricing and unfair trade practices under the Competition Act 2002.

Noting a preliminary finding of abuse of dominant position against ANI the Commission observed that it is “spending around Rs 574 [per trip] while earning an average revenue of Rs 344 leading to a direct loss of Rs 230 per trip”.

Saikrishna & Associates won the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) approval for the Walt Disney movie Avengers: Age of Ultron, securing its release in theatres today after the CCI failed to find anti-competitive behavior by the Hollywood producers.

The Competition Appellate Tribunal (COMPAT) upheld for the owners’ associations of luxury housing projects over the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) Rs 630 crore penalty on real estate giant DLF.