Google’s appeal against the order of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has been rejected by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), according to a report in Bar and Bench. The orders by CCI imposed two fines of Rs 936 crore and Rs 1337.76 crore on the company in 2022 for violating antitrust provisions. The present appeal rejected by the NCLAT is against the order which imposed a fine of Rs 1337.76 crore. The company had already failed to obtain a stay when it appealed on January 3, 2023. The investigation conducted by CCI into Google did not violate the “principles of natural justice” according to a bench of NCLAT Chairperson Justice Ashok Bhushan and Dr Alok Srivastava, Member (Technical), the report added, clarifying that certain directions issued by the CCI need to be kept aside. Why it matters: The order is significant because it leaves out very few options for Google to obtain relief against the CCI order. The company had earlier approached the NCLAT and the Supreme Court of India to seek relief against the CCI's order but it all came to nought. It does mean that the company will have to cough up a hefty fine and make a raft of changes to Android as stipulated in the order passed by the CCI. No relief from NCLAT or the Supreme Court: Google approached the NCLAT as soon as possible against the CCI but failed to find any favour when it rejected appeals against both the fines…
