India: Antitrust/Competition Law

As the world evolves, every economy is now making progress towards becoming a technology-driven economy and there is an ongoing debate to bring specific changes to the competition law for a technology-driven economy. The prevailing view, however, is that the existing Competition Act, 2002 (Competition Act) already reaches several technology-based claims, and major jurisdictions have stretched their competition statutes to cover platform conduct rather than wait for bespoke digital-market legislation.

Competition law shapes nearly every significant merger and acquisition. Regulators in the United States, European Union, United Kingdom and other jurisdictions review deals that could substantially lessen competition, raise prices, reduce innovation or harm workers and consumers. In 2025 and 2026 the enforcement landscape has shifted.

The Competition Commission of India has issued significant rulings on anti-competitive practices in agricultural input distribution and tire procurement, while also approving major acquisitions in sports franchising and education technology. These decisions demonstrate the CCI's active enforcement against bid-rigging and boycott campaigns, alongside its assessment of market consolidation in emerging sectors.

The Competition Commission of India has issued significant rulings on anti-competitive practices in agricultural input distribution and tire procurement, while also approving major acquisitions in sports franchising and education technology. These decisions demonstrate the CCI's active enforcement against bid-rigging and boycott campaigns, alongside its assessment of market consolidation in emerging sectors.

India's Competition Commission imposed penalties totaling approximately INR 138.98 crore on HP India Sales Private Limited for bid-rigging in Government e-Marketplace tenders. The landmark rulings clarify when original equipment manufacturers and their resellers become horizontal competitors, and establish that first-in leniency applications do not automatically guarantee full immunity from penalties.

An analysis of India’s competition-law whistleblower and lesser-penalty regime, examining the CCI’s treatment of self-reporting, the 2026 HP India orders, leniency conditions, corporate compliance and lessons from international cartel cases.

India's Directorate General of Trade Remedies has launched an anti-dumping investigation into Cold Rolled Grain Oriented Electrical Steel and Amorphous Metal imports from Japan, China, Korea, and Russia. This investigation carries significant implications for Japanese steel producers and exporters, particularly given Japan's leadership in manufacturing premium grain-oriented electrical steel and India's growing demand for transformer-grade materials. The notification raises critical questions about product

India's proposed Digital Competition Bill mirrors Europe's Digital Markets Act in seeking to regulate large digital platforms through ex-ante rules. But would such a framework actually work in India's context...

The European Union's 2026 Steel import Regulation marks a fundamental shift from temporary trade safeguards to permanent industrial policy, dramatically reducing tariff-free quotas by 47%, doubling out-of-quota duties to 50%, and introducing stringent 'melt and pour' traceability requirements. This transformation raises critical questions about whether traditional distinctions between trade remedies and industrial policy are disappearing, with significant implications for major steel exporters like India.