New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday allowed an anti-trust probe against Flipkart and Amazon.
Refusing to stay a probe by the Competitive Commission of India (CCI) for alleged predatory practices, the apex court said the e-commerce giants must volunteer for CCI probe.
“We will ensure it is done,” said Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana.
The Supreme Court has given the companies four 4 weeks’ time to prepare for the probe.
The CJI-headed bench, also comprising Justices Vineet Saran and Surya Kant, was hearing an appeal filed by Amazon and Flipkart challenging the Karnataka High Court’s order which allowed CCI to continue its investigation into alleged competition law violations.
CCI had earlier called for an investigation into allegations of anti-competitive conduct in online sale of smartphones on their platforms. Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh (DVM), the informant before CCI, alleged predatory pricing, deep discounting, preferential seller listing and exclusive partnerships against Amazon and Flipkart.
“Big organizations like you (Flipkart and Amazon) should volunteer for inquiry… Inquiry has to be conducted,” the bench said.
