India: Cartels, Monopolies

Cartels remain the most serious form of anti-competitive conduct under competition law. By coordinating prices, restricting output, rigging bids, allocating customers, or dividing territories, cartel participants replace competitive market forces with collusion, causing significant harm to consumers, businesses, and the economy. Such arrangements typically operate in secrecy, making detection one of the most challenging aspects of competition law enforcement worldwide.

The Competition Commission of India examines allegations against the Venkateshwara Hatcheries Group concerning potential abuse of dominant position and anti-competitive practices in India's commercial poultry sector. People for Animals claims the vertically integrated enterprise leverages significant market power across breeding, feed production, and distribution of layer hens and broiler chickens.

In April 2026, India witnessed significant developments in competition law across enforcement, appellate review, and merger control. On the regulatory front, an amendment to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code...

On April 4, 2022, CCI penalised 9 (nine) companies including M/s Toyfort for indulging in a bid rigging cartel in the e-tenders floated by the Department of Agriculture...

In the context of antitrust, the term "trust" refers to a group of businesses that either collaborate or establish a monopoly to determine pricing in a particular market.

In February 2024, the CCI (Lesser Penalty) Regulations, 2009 ("Erstwhile Regulations") have been replaced by the CCI (Lesser Penalty) Regulations, 2024 ("LP Regulations").

The Government of India introduced the Competition Act (the Act) in 2002, with the vision to promote and support market competition, safeguard the interest of consumers, and ensure equality of trade.

The Indian parliament approved the Competition Amendment Act, 2023, on April 11, 2023.

In a significant development, the Indian Parliament has passed the much-awaited Competition Amendment Bill, 2023 ("Bill") on April 3, 2023. The Bill will now be placed before the President of India...