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The CCI, acting on a leniency application filed by Dentsu India in February 2024 under Section 46 of the Act initiated an investigation into alleged cartelisation in India’s advertising and media-buying industry. The investigation concerns allegations that several global advertising networks operating in India including Wire and Plastic Products plc’s GroupM, Publicis (through its Indian operating entity, TLG India Pvt. Ltd. (‘TLG’)), Dentsu, Omnicom and others, colluded to fix advertising rates, commissions, and discounts charged to advertisers, in contravention of Section 3(3) of the Act.

Kedaara Pearl is a category II Alternative Investment Fund (‘AIF’) registered with the International Financial Services Centres Authority and has no investments in India as on the date of the Order. Kedaara Fund IV is a SEBI-registered fund invested in the financial services and logistics sectors, which is why the increment is so small. The investment managers are Nish Capital Investment Advisors LLP and Kedaara Capital Business Services LLP, and the Kedaara group is ultimately controlled by Manish Kejriwal, Sunish Sharma, and Nishant Sharma.

The Delhi High Court has ruled on the boundaries of comparative advertising, examining whether health-related claims about a competitor's products constitute permissible marketing or cross into commercial disparagement. The case centered on advertisements that directly referenced a plaintiff's trademarks while making adverse health insinuations, raising questions about truthfulness and consumer deception in competitive campaigns.