Competition watchdog ready to aid M&A deals

The fair-trade regulator, Competition Commission of India (CCI), plans to provide assistance with "substantive" matters pertaining to mergers and acquisitions (M&A), Chairman Ashok Chawla said on Saturday.

Companies entering combinations have to seek its approval. At present, companies can avail informal consultation. However, such interactions are now restricted to procedural aspects.

Chawla said the opinions expressed during consultations on "substantive matters" would not be binding on the parties.

Such an initiative would be a step in the right direction, he said while speaking at an event organised by industry body Assocham.

Besides, the regulator is looking at the possibility of tweaking guidelines for M&A after having discussions with various stakeholders.

So far, the CCI has approved about 160 combinations.

The CCI is in the process of taking a final decision on easing the regulatory compliance process with regard to M&A deals.

"We are in the process of taking a final decision on this and it will be put out in the public domain shortly," Chawla said.

The regulator is looking to ensure that matters which need to be carried right to the stage of adjudication and enforcement should get completed in a year, "as the sting in the information of complaint to that extent is lost if every routine case takes long."

Chawla said there were issues of manpower, capacity and the process of adequate learning with regard to investigation, critical for enforcement of competition law

"We have got some changes made with the help of the government in terms of staffing," he said.