K’taka HC stays CCI probe order against Amazon, Flipkart
The respondents in the case, which are the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) and Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh, have decided to file an appeal against the order of the High Court with the consultation of their lawyers.
by Himanshi Lohchab
NEW DELHI: The Karnataka High Court has stayed the probe order against Amazon and Flipkart on the grounds that the Competition Commission of India (CCI) did not hear the parties before passing the order.
The HC on Friday also said that since the two companies are already being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for alleged violation of foreign direct investment (FDI) norms, CCI will have to wait for ED’s report before proceeding with its order.
Taking the reference of CCI versus Bharti Airtel’s case, HC said that two simultaneous investigations cannot take place at a time. Since ED is the adjucating authority for FDI violations under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), CCI will have to wait for its report.
The respondents in the case, which are the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) and Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh, have decided to file an appeal against the order of the High Court with the consultation of their lawyers.
“Meanwhile, the CAIT will push with the Union Government to speed up the ED investigation. In this context a CAIT delegation will soon meet Commerce Minister Shri Piyush Goyal and Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman,” said CAIT General Secretary, Praveen Khandewal.