Competition Commission of India

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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The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1969 (MRTP Act) was repealed and replaced by the Competition Act, 2002, on the recommendations of the Raghavan committee.

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.

The Competition Act, 2002, as amended by the Competition (Amendment) Act, 2007, follows the philosophy of modern competition laws.

The Act prohibits: anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominant position by enterprises, regulates combinations (acquisition, acquiring of control, and M&A) which cause or are likely to cause an appreciable adverse effect on competition within India.

Eligibility: 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.

The Commission must eliminate practices hurting competition, promote and sustain competition, protect the interests of consumers and ensure freedom of trade in the markets of India.