MUMBAI: The investigation into alleged ad pricing collusion between select ad agencies is just one of the proactive initiatives that the competition watch dog the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has been undertaking. Finance and corporate affairs minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Lok Sabha today that 35 cartel cases across various sectors over the past five financial years, up to 13 March 2025, have been under the CCI’s magnifying glass. And this is just a start: with a sharper legal framework and global collaborations, the watchdog is stepping up its efforts to keep markets fair.
She informed the house that the watchdog has inked bilateral and multilateral agreements with competition authorities in Egypt, Mauritius, Japan, Brazil, Canada, Australia, the European Commission, Brics nations and the US Department of Justice. These pacts enable enforcement cooperation, subject to each country's legal framework and resources.
The Competition (Amendment) Act, 2023, introduced the 'lesser penalty plus' (LPP) framework under Section 46, offering incentives for cartel members to turn whistleblowers. The CCI (Lesser Penalty) Regulations, 2024, which replaced the 2009 rules, reward existing applicants who spill the beans on previously unknown cartels.
To widen its net, CCI has also brought in the 'hub-and-spoke' mechanism under Section 3(3) of the Competition Act, 2002, ensuring that enterprises or individuals indirectly facilitating cartels are also held accountable.
India has signed 14 free trade agreements (FTAs), some of which contain specific competition clauses to curb anti-competitive practices. CCI also has a dedicated division for market analysis and research, aimed at detecting unfair practices before they spiral.
Enforcement is only part of the game. Over the last five years, CCI has held 1,446 advocacy programmes to educate businesses and policymakers on competition rules. By ramping up market studies and training initiatives, the regulator is working to sustain a fair and thriving business environment.
With cartels under increased scrutiny and tougher penalties in place, competition in India’s markets is only set to heat up.
