Karnataka High Court grants interim relief to Amazon, Flipkart; stays CCI probe

The Karnataka High court on Friday granted relief to retail giant Amazon by an interim stay to the anti-trust investigation directed against Amazon and Flipkart by the Competition Commission of India. A lawyer representing the company told DH that that court has given two months for both parties to respond.

In January, the CCI had ordered a probe into alleged malpractices and violations by online retailers Amazon and Flipkart including on practices such as deep discounting, choosing preferred sellers and exclusive partnerships with smartphone brands.

On Monday, the online retailer had filed a writ petition in the High Court seeking a stay on the probe.
In its petition, Amazon had said that the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) order was passed “without application of mind" and would cause irreparable loss to the reputation of the company if an investigation is allowed.

This was the main thrust of the argument by the online retailer on Friday as it said that the investigation against Amazon was without application of mind, perverse and unreasonable.

Meanwhile, the CAIT on Thursday said it has sought an audience with US President Donald Trump to express concern over business practices being followed by Amazon and Walmart-held Flipkart in India.