The CCI probe is set to resume at a time when the government is considering changes to the e-commerce regulations in response to repeated complaints against Amazon and Flipkart. The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed pleas by Amazon and Flipkart to stop the investigation by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) into the alleged anti-competitive practices of the two e-commerce companies. Why it matters? CCI initiated a probe into the multiple allegations against Amazon and Flipkart in January 2020, but the investigation was immediately put on hold due to legal challenges by the two platforms. On July 23, 2021, the investigation was all set to resume after the Karnataka High Court dismissed the appeals filed by Amazon and Flipkart challenging an earlier ruling that had allowed the probe by the CCI to resume, but the two companies once again challenged this decision in the Supreme Court. This latest ruling by the Supreme Court clears the path for the CCI once and for all. What did the Supreme Court say? "We expect big organisations like Amazon and Flipkart to voluntarily go for inquiry and you don’t even want that?" a three-judge Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana asked, Bar and Bench reported. "You have to submit and enquiry has to be permitted," Ramana added. Both Flipkart and Amazon had appealed to the Supreme Court to halt the investigation saying that CCI does not have enough evidence to pursue the matter. Neither an anti-competitive agreement nor an adverse effect on competition, the…
