New Delhi, Feb 9 (IANS) The Competition Commission of India (CCI) registered 54 matters relating to anti-competitive practices/antitrust and received 149 mergers and acquisitions filings in 2025, the Parliament was informed on Monday.
The Commission passed final orders in 38 antitrust cases and disposed of 146 merger notices, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs, Harsh Malhotra, said in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.
Moreover, to improve the efficiency, transparency and timeliness of proceedings before the Commission, the Competition (Amendment) Act, 2023, introduced forward-looking reforms to reduce the time limit for approval of combinations, from 210 days to 150 days, and also introduced a settlement and commitment framework in the interests of faster resolution of competition cases.
According to the minister, to operationalise recent competition law reforms, the government notified various Rules and Regulations under the Competition (Amendment) Act, 2023.
For penalty determination, the Competition (Amendment) Act, 2023, provided for the calculation of penalty based on the global turnover of the person or enterprise, he informed.
Notably, the Green Channel route incorporated under the Act facilitates expedited approval of combinations through deemed approval upon filing of notice with the CCI, thereby enabling faster resolution of competition cases.
The minister further informed that the ‘Market Study on AI and Competition’ was undertaken to understand key AI systems and markets/ecosystems, including stakeholders, essential inputs/resources, value chains, market structures and competition parameters.
It identified key competition concerns, including concentration in the AI value chain due to high upfront costs and access to data and talent; ecosystem lock-in and switching costs, risks of algorithmic collusion through AI-driven pricing algorithms and automated business decisions; self-preferencing across the AI tech stack and AI-enabled price discrimination through the use of consumer data.
The findings include self-audit of AI systems for competition compliance by businesses; improved transparency and reduction of information asymmetry; focused advocacy and capacity building by CCI; continuation of government policy initiatives; and inter-regulatory coordination and international cooperation, said Malhotra.
–IANS
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