Competition Act, 2002

• The Competition Act, 2002, as amended by the Competition (Amendment) Act, 2007, prohibits anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominant position by enterprises and regulates combinations (acquisition, acquiring of control and Mergers and acquisitions), which causes or likely to cause an appreciable adverse effect on competition within India.
• The objectives of the Act are sought to be achieved through the Competition Commission of India, which has been established by the Central Government in 2003.

About CCI

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is a statutory body established under the Competition Act, 2002 for the administration, implementation and enforcement of the Act.
• CCI consists of a Chairperson and 6 Members appointed by the Central Government.
• The following are the objectives of the Commission.
  • To prevent practices having adverse effects on competition
  • To promote and sustain competition in markets
  • To protect the interests of consumers and
  • To ensure freedom of trade.
• The Commission is also required to give opinion on competition issues on a reference received from a statutory authority established under any law and to undertake competition advocacy, create public awareness and impart training on competition issues.

Why in News?

• The Competition Commission has imposed more than nine hundred 36 crore rupees penalty on Google in yet another antitrust probe for anti-competitive practices in relation to its Play Store policies. The Commission also directed Google to modify its conduct within a defined timeline.
• The CCI has found the US tech giant guilty of abusing its market position to promote its payments app and in-app payment system. It said, Google forced app developers to use its in-app payment system.
• It further said Google should not restrict app developers from using any third-party billing or payment processing services, either for in-app purchases or for purchasing apps.
• The Competition Commission of India had imposed a penalty of over one thousand 337 crore rupees on Google for abusing its dominant position in multiple markets on 20th of this month.

Reference:

1. https://newsonair.gov.in/News?title=CCI-imposes-Rs-936-Crore-penalty-for-abuse-of-dominant-position&id=449870