Flipkart moves Supreme Court to seek relief from CCI's investigation

Flipkart was waiting for the copy to be uploaded before reaching out to the Supreme Court.

"As highlighted earlier, we have a very robust compliance and governance process and remain in full compliance with Indian laws. We will do everything to be always compliant," said a Flipkart Group Spokesperson.

Amazon is also expected to file its appeal soon.

This was the second time that the high court had gone against India's biggest e-commerce players. The two had earlier challenged a single-judge bench order allowing the antitrust body to continue its investigation against the two marketplaces under Section 3 of the Competition Act that deals with anti-competitive agreements.

The issue dates back to October 2019 when the Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh (DVM), a group representing small and medium business owners in the national capital, submitted a plea with CCI against the country's two companies, accusing them of anti-competitive practices, predatory pricing and preferential treatment of sellers among others.

DVM filed the complaints under Sections 3 and 4 of the Competition Act. The CCI in January 2020 directing the director-general to conduct a probe.

This order was challenged by Amazon through a writ petition in the Karnataka High Court in February 2020. The high court put the CCI’s investigation on hold the same month.

After months of hearing, Justice PS Dinesh Kumar dismissed the writ petition on June 11, 2021.