In its first meeting on the anti-competitive practices of Big Tech that was held on April 28, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance discussed the functions of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) while also trying to understand the regulator's responsibilities and India's competition regulatory framework in general. The issue is expected to be examined in greater detail over at least four to five sittings. CCI Chairman Ashok Kumar Gupta and secretaries under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) briefed committee members at the meeting, MediaNama has learnt. Antitrust investigations into major tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Apple have been gathering steam in India over the past few years. Issues raised in the committee meeting Out of the officials that had been summoned, only the CCI chairman gave a presentation while the others made brief remarks. Functions of the CCI and competition law: A briefing on the regulatory frameworks that tackle anti-competitive practices, the Competition Act, and workings of the CCI also touched upon: Indian antitrust regulations and how they compare with similar laws in the US and Europe Competition Amendment Bill pending: The CCI said it was awaiting the passage of the pending amendment bill to the Competition Act, 2002. The bill was listed for 'introduction, consideration, and passing' during the budget session in the Rajya Sabha; however, it was ultimately not taken up. CCI is short-staffed: "It (CCI) was earlier downsized from seven to four members but the position of the fourth member still…
