NCLAT to hear Google's appeal against Rs 936 crore penalty from Nov 28

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Monday said it will start hearing from 28 November Google's appeal against the Competition Commission of India (CCI) order imposing a penalty of Rs 936.44 crore on the tech giant for abusing its dominant position through its Play Store policies.

The appellate tribunal has asked the parties in the case to submit their responses within four weeks.

Google had approached the NCLAT seeking a stay on the CCI's 25 October order that imposed a fine of Rs 936.44 crore on it and asked Google to cease and desist from abusive practices in the Play Store.

The case pertains to a Google Play Store policy that requires all app developers to only use Google Play's billing system (GPBS) to charge customers. GPBS was not only used for receiving payments from apps but also for in-app purchases.

After Google started charging a 30 per cent commission in 2020 for Play Store transactions, some app developers filed a complaint with the CCI, prompting the action.

The appellate tribunal on 11 January did not grant relief to Google and posted the matter for April. Google had then approached the Supreme Court against the NCLAT order but later withdrew its case.

The chairperson's court of NCLAT will now hear the case.