CCI to expedite probe in Amazon, FK case

NEW DELHI: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) plans to expedite a restarted probe into allegations of anti-competitive behaviour at Amazon.com Inc and Walmart Inc’s Flipkart, as it intensifies scrutiny of bigtech firms, two people close to the matter said.

The comments come as major US technology firms are at loggerheads with the government over issues such as data privacy bills and policies some industry executives have.

The CCI initiated a probe in January last year on the basis of a complaint alleging Amazon and Flipkart promoted select sellers on their e-commerce platforms and that deep discounts stifled competition. The firms have denied wrongdoing.

Immediate legal challenges from the pair stalled the probe for over a year until a court last week allowed it to resume.

Though Amazon and Flipkart are likely to appeal, the CCI plans to demand information from them related to the allegations “as quickly as possible”, said one of the people, who declined to be identified.

The investigation “will be expedited”, the person said. Such investigations in India typically take months to complete. Amazon declined to comment. Flipkart and the CCI did not respond to requests for comment. The CCI is speeding up all cases involving big technology firms, including by deploying additional officers for some cases and working to more stringent internal deadlines, said the two people, who are familiar with the matter.