CCI adjourns hearings till March 31, amid COVID-19 scare

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has decided to adjourn matters listed for hearing, amid the coronavirus scare.

The hearings have been adjourned till March 31.

However, urgent matters have been exempted from adjournment, according to a circular issued by the regulator on Tuesday.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, that has affected more than one lakh people worldwide, many entities have taken various measures, including opting for meetings through video-conference.

The Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT), on Monday, said it would hear only urgent matters and restricted courtroom access till March 27.

"In order to prevent spread of COVID-19, as a precautionary measure, it has been decided by the competent authority to adjourn matters listed for hearing (excluding urgent matters, if any) till March 31,2020.

"Rescheduled dates will be communicated in due course," the circular said.

As part of precautionary measures, the regulator said non-essential visits are discouraged and that visitors "would be required to give a self-declaration in prescribed format".

To curb spreading of the virus, various travel advisories have been issued and many events postponed.