The Supreme Court has refused to entertain Competition Commission of India’s plea seeking to remove the stay imposed by Karnataka High Court on its probe against e-tailers Amazon and Flipkart.
The apex court has sent the issue back to the Karnataka High Court and directed it to decide on the issue within six weeks, as per CNBC-TV18.
The SC in its statement questioned the delay in filing of the appeal by the CCI.
The Karnataka HC had on February 14 stayed CCI’s probe into Amazon and Flipkart over alleged anti-competitive practices – which the watchdog appealed in the SC via a Special Leave Petition on September 21.
The investigation was launched on January 13 after CCI said there was “prima facie case” based on complaint by the Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh under Section 3 of the Competition Act.
The association alleged that both e-commerce firms were indulging in exclusive arrangements with smartphone makers, preferential treatment to some sellers, and deep discounting.
Meanwhile, Flipkart has also moved the SC against a CCI investigation based on a complaint by the All India Online Vendors Association (AIOVA). In March, the NCLAT asked CCI to investigate Flipkart over allegations of abuse of dominant position.
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