Page 4 - Cci

Taxpayers barred from claiming deductions on Sebi, CCI settlement costs

The income tax department on Thursday said taxpayers will not be allowed to claim deduction for expenditures incurred to settle proceedings initiated under four laws, including the Sebi and the Competition Act. In a notification issued on April 23, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) notified that any expenditure incurred to settle proceedings initiated in relation to contravention or defaults under the four specified laws shall not be deemed to have been incurred for the purpose of business or profession and no deduction or allowance shall be made in respect of such expenditure. The four laws are the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992; the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956; the Depositories Act, 1996; And the Competition Act, 2002.

CCI approves Kandhari's Rs 2,000-cr deal for Coca-Cola's bottling unit

Fair trade regulator CCI on Tuesday approved Kandhari Global Beverages' proposal to acquire beverage major Coca-Cola's bottling plant for Rs 2,000 crore. Kandhari Global Beverages is an authorised bottler of the Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) and Schweppes Holdings, and is engaged in the business of supplying and distributing non-alcoholic beverage (NAB) products in Rajasthan. "CCI approves the proposed acquisition of the target business by Kandhari Global Beverages Pvt Ltd," the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said in a release. The target business comprises Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd's (HCCBPL) business of preparing, packaging, supplying and distributing NAB products in north Gujarat and Union Territory of Diu. Last month, Coca-Cola said that it is selling its bottling plant in the north Gujarat region to Kandhari Global Beverages. Though the company has not shared financial details, industry insiders have pegged the deal to be around Rs 2,000 crore, where Coca-Cola w

CCI clears 360 One, Bharti Life Ventures stake buy in Bharti AXA Life

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Tuesday cleared a joint proposal of wealth management firm 360 ONE and Bharti Life Ventures to acquire stakes in Bharti Axa Life Insurance Company. Bharti Axa Life Insurance Company is a public unlisted company incorporated in India. It is involved in the business of providing life insurance policies. "Commission approves the acquisition of certain equity shares of Bharti Axa Life Insurance Company Ltd (BALIC) by 360 ONE Private Equity Fund, through its schemes or affiliates (360 Fund)," the regulator said in a release. The regulator has also granted its approval for the subscription of certain equity shares in BALIC by Bharti Life Ventures Pvt Ltd (BLVPL) and 360 Fund, it added. 360 Fund is a Sebi-registered alternative investment fund. It is ultimately owned and controlled by 360 ONE WAM Ltd while BLVPL is the holding company of BALIC, and both of these companies belong to billionaire Sunil Bharti Mittal's Bharti Group. In February,

Google pays Rs 20.24 crore in Android TV case settlement with CCI

Google has settled with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) a case related to alleged unfair business practices in the Android TV segment and paid a settlement amount of Rs 20.24 crore to the regulator. This is the first case to be settled under the amended Competition Act, wherein settlement and commitment provisions were introduced in 2023. After receiving a complaint, CCI had ordered a detailed probe in 2021. Later, Google proposed to settle the case and CCI considered the settlement proposal and observed that under the "New India Agreement", Google will provide a standalone license for the Play Store and Play Services for Android smart TVs in India, thereby, removing the requirement to bundle these services or impose default placement conditions, a release said on Monday. "Additionally, by waiving the need for valid Android Compatibility Commitments (ACC) for devices shipped into India that do not include Google apps, OEMs can now sell and develop incompatible Android ...

Delhivery, Ecom Express seek CCI nod for their Rs 1,400-crore deal

Logistic firm Delhivery Ltd and Ecom Express have sought Competition Commission of India's approval for their Rs 1,400-crore deal. Under the deal announced on April 5, Delhivery will acquire a controlling stake in Ecom Express for a cash consideration of Rs 1,400 crore. While Delhivery is a listed integrated logistics player, Ecom Express provides logistics solutions to the Indian e-commerce industry. According to the notice submitted to the regulator, the relevant products and geographic markets can be left open, given that the proposed deal will not lead to any change in the competitive dynamics, let alone cause any appreciable adverse effect on competition, in any market in India. Against the backdrop of potential business overlaps, the notice has mentioned that with respect to horizontal overlaps, the markets for provision of express parcel delivery services in India, and for provision of warehousing and supply chain services in India can be considered as relevant ones. In ter

Aster DM Healthcare gets CCI go-ahead for merger with Quality Care India

Combined entity to be among top 3 hospital chains in India with more than 10,000 beds across 27 cities

CCI imposes penalties on UFO Moviez, others for anti-competitive practice

This comes after it was alleged that UFO Moviez entered into anti-competitive agreements with CTOs to help and assist the business of Scrabble Digital, as per the CCI order

Premji Invest, Pai family get CCI nod to acquire stakes in Akasa Air

Fair trade regulator CCI on Tuesday approved proposals of tech tycoon Premji Invest, Manipal Group Chief Ranjan Pai's family office and 360 ONE Asset to acquire stakes in domestic carrier Akasa Air's parent company SNV Aviation. SNV Aviation Pvt Ltd, which operates Akasa Air, is engaged in air passenger and cargo transport services. "The proposed combination involves the acquisition of a certain shareholding in Akasa Air by PIOF, PI Executives, Claypond, and 360 Fund, acting through its investment manager, 360 ONE Alternates Asset Management Ltd," the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said in a release. PIOF is a Sebi-registered alternative investment fund owned and controlled by Premji Invest, while Claypond is an arm of the Pai family group. "Commission approves the acquisition of certain shareholding in SNV Aviation Private Limited (Akasa Air) by PI Opportunities Fund-I Scheme-II (PIOF), certain executives of PIOF, Claypond Capital Partners Private Limited (Claypond), and 36

Reviewing feedback on draft rules for production cost norms: CCI chief

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is reviewing stakeholders' comments on the proposed regulations for the determination of cost of production, according to its chief Ravneet Kaur. As part of efforts to update the framework for assessing predatory pricing, the watchdog came out with the draft rules in February. "On the regulatory and policy front, the Commission initiated public consultation on the draft 'The Competition Commission of India (Determination of Cost of Production) Regulations, 2025'. We have received stakeholder comments and they are currently under review," Kaur said. In her message in the CCI's latest quarterly newsletter for the January-March period, Kaur also said the regulator remained active in scrutinising combinations to ensure they do not impede market competition. Competition law prohibits predatory pricing as an abusive conduct by a dominant enterprise. CCI's review of the existing regulations is aimed to align them with modern economic theories, ..

Explain steps taken to safeguard small retailers: House panel to CCI

Committee also seeks status of the proposed digital competition law

CCI seeks evidence in complaint against quick-commerce companies

The AICPDF had filed a complaint with CCI on behalf of its President, Dhairyashil Patil against Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart last month

CCI chief Ravneet Kaur given additional charge of NFRA chairperson

Kaur will serve as NFRA chairperson till the appointment of a regular incumbent or until further orders whichever is earliest, according to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet

A wake-up call for Indian advertising as CCI cracks down on cartel

The CCI raids are a rap on the knuckles - but how did Indian advertising agencies end up here?

NCLAT upholds CCI ruling against Google, cuts penalty to Rs 216 crore

The penalty imposed on Google was cut down from Rs 936.44 crore to Rs 216 crore

NCLAT reduces penalty on Google to Rs 216 crore in Play Store case

Appellate tribunal NCLAT on Friday upheld the order passed by fair trade regulator CCI against Google for abusing its dominant position with respect to Play Store policies, however, reduced the penalty on the tech giant to Rs 216 crore from Rs 936.44 crore. A two-member bench comprising Chairperson Justice Ashok Bhushan and Technical Member Barun Mitra said Google "has abused its dominant position and has violated Section", however in some sections, violation was "not proved, but penalty was still leviable on proof of violation". "The penalty imposed on the Google is modified as per computation contained in paragraph 105 of this order. Thus, the penalty imposed on the Google for relevant turnover of last three preceding year of Rs 936.44 crores, is modified to the amount of Rs 216.69 crore (USD 2,98,89,312.39)," said the NCLAT order. As Google has already "deposited 10 per cent of the penalty in the present Appeal, rest of the amount of penalty shall be deposited by the Appellant ..

35 cartel cases under CCI radar in the last five years: FM Sitharaman

The CCI is currently investigating allegations of cartelisation in the advertising industry and has raided several firms in the past week to gather evidence

CCI likely to widen the ambit of probe into ad-media firms' cartel issue

Sources said that CCI's team - after going through all the evidence accumulated so far - is expected to widen its investigation

India's ad industry raids followed tip-offs under leniency scheme

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Competition Commission of India raided the local offices of WPP-owned GroupM, Interpublic, Publicis and Dentsu, as well as high-profile Indian broadcasters' body IBDF

Leniency option helps CCI crack down on ad agency cartel, gather evidence

The 'leniency programme' encourages whistleblowers in cartels to provide information on outfits and lessens their penalties in extenuating circumstances

CCI rejects allegations of anti-competitive practices against GMR Airports

Fair trade regulator CCI has dismissed allegations of anti-competitive practices against GMR Airports and Delhi Airport with respect to the awarding of certain contracts. The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital is operated by the GMR Group-led consortium Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL). It was alleged by an NGO that GMR Airports was engaged in monopolistic practices and charging excessive fees for contracts related to parking and lounge services at the IGIA. After reviewing submissions from the involved parties, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said the contracts for parking and lounge services were awarded through a competitive bidding process, as mandated under the Operation, Management, and Development Agreement (OMDA). The complaint was also against the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Ministry of Civil Aviation and Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide. "... the Commission, in relation to the allegation under Section