Flipkart appeals to Supreme Court to quash antitrust probe

Flipkart, India's fast-growing e-commerce platform , seems to have encountered some setbacks recently. Flipkart and Amazon have been in the vortex of antitrust investigation by the Competition Commission of India (CCI), and they have been accused of violating competition laws and damaging the interests of other companies.

According to Reuters, on July 27, Walmart's Flipkart appealed to India's Supreme Court, seeking to revoke a local court's ruling allowing the CCI to conduct an antitrust investigation into the e-commerce company and its rival Amazon.

The tug-of-war between Flipkart and CCI over antitrust investigation has lasted for more than a year. As far as the current situation is concerned, CCI is in a dominant position.

As early as January last year, the CCI had ordered an antitrust investigation into Flipkart and Amazon, accusing them of unfair practices including deep discounts to exclude competitors and promoting selected sellers on the website. The investigation was later suspended after the two companies filed a lawsuit in court.

In June, an Indian court allowed the CCI's antitrust investigation to continue. Amazon and Flipkart then appealed the decision again, but it was rejected by an Indian high court last Friday. The court said that if the companies really did not do anything wrong, they should not be timid in facing the CCI's investigation.

Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal also slammed Flipkart and Amazon for their actions, saying : "If they have nothing to hide , then why don't they respond to the CCI investigation ? "

The Supreme Court website shows that Flipkart has filed a lawsuit against the CCI and other parties, but does not provide further details . So far, Amazon has not taken action in response to last week's defeat, but according to people familiar with the matter, Amazon is expected to appeal the high court's ruling as well.

The outcome of Flipkart’s appeal to the Supreme Court of India is still unknown. But it is conceivable that if the Supreme Court also allows the CCI to conduct an antitrust investigation, Flipkart and Amazon will face the prospect of even more stringent e-commerce regulations.

A person with a clear conscience fears no slander. Delaying the CCI's antitrust investigation by appealing to the court will not solve the dilemma they are facing in the long run. Facing up to their own problems and actively solving them may be the best option.

Amazon Platform

Flipkart

Platform Information