Competition Commission of India (CCI)

Competition Commission of India (CCI) is a statutory body of the Government of India responsible for enforcing the Competition Act, 2002, it was duly constituted in March 2009.The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1969 (MRTP Act) was repealed and replaced by the Competition Act, 2002, on the recommendations of the Raghavan committee.

Composition:

• The Commission consists of one Chairperson and six Members who shall be appointed by the Central Government.
• The commission is a quasi–judicial body which gives opinions to statutory authorities and also deals with other cases. The Chairperson and other Members shall be whole-time Members.

Eligibility criteria of members of CCI:

• The Chairperson and every other Member shall be a person of ability, integrity and standing and who, has been, or is qualified to be a judge of a High Court, or, has special knowledge of, and professional experience of not less than fifteen years in international trade, economics, business, commerce, law, finance, accountancy, management, industry, public affairs, administration or in any other matter which, in the opinion of the Central Government, may be useful to the Commission.

What are the Functions and Role of CCI?

• To eliminate practices having adverse effects on competition, protect the interests of consumers and ensure freedom of trade in the markets of India.
• To give opinion on competition issues on a reference received from a statutory authority.
• To undertake competition advocacy, create public awareness and impart training on competition issues.
• Consumer Welfare: To make the markets work for the benefit and welfare of consumers.
• Ensure fair and healthy competition in economic activities in the country for faster and inclusive growth and development of the economy.
• Implement competition policies with an aim to effectuate the most efficient utilization of economic resources.
• Effectively carry out competition advocacy and spread the information on benefits of competition among all stakeholders to establish and nurture competition culture in the Indian economy.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) stands as a vigilant watchdog against the abuse of dominant positions by MNCs operating within India’s diverse and dynamic marketplace. The 2023 amendment to the Competition Act has further expanded the scope of CCI to check such anti-competitive practices.