Hearing of Flipkart, Amazon case resumes
1 min read 18 Jan 2021, 07:28 PM ISTCCI had moved the Karnataka HC in Dec to vacate a stay issued on a probe into alleged business malpractices
PremiumKarnataka high court on Monday said it will begin daily hearing of the case between the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and India’s two biggest online retailers Flipkart and Amazon on Wednesday, two people aware of the development said.
CCI had approached the high court in December to vacate a stay issued by the court in February 2020 on a probe into alleged anti-competitive practices, predatory pricing, preferential treatment of sellers, and exclusive arrangements for launch of mobile phones among other serious charges against Walmart-owned Flipkart and American online retail giant Amazon.
“The judge said that he will take up the matter on a day-to-day basis and will give time to all advocates on record to argue," said an advocate, requesting not to be named.
“The court will make a final decision on if the order passed by CCI for a probe against Flipkart and Amazon (in January 2020) can be sustained," said a second advocate, requesting anonymity.
CCI had initiated a probe after a complaint by the Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh (DVM), a group representing small- and medium-sized businesses, on alleged business malpractices by Amazon and Flipkart.
Flipkart and Amazon have the biggest share of India’s booming e-commerce market, which is expected to reach $99 billion by 2024, according to a Goldman Sachs review of the sector globally.
Amazon and Flipkart earned a temporary reprieve after the high court passed an interim order staying the probe in February last year.
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