How lower penalty helps Competition Commission of India fight cartels

Looking beyond the lesser penalty regime, in its 10th year of existence, the CCI needs more branches, according to experts

As of July this year, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) decided four cases of cartelisation based on its lesser penalty provisions, commonly known as leniency petitions.

The Competition Act, 2002, authorises the CCI to impose fewer penalties on firms that provide “full and true disclosure” of any cartel they are part of. This disclosure about the activities of a possible cartel also has to be vital.

What started as one order in an Indian Railways case in early 2017 for cartelisation in the brushless DC fans sector soon extended to other areas within the next year and a half.