CCI probe against Amazon, Flipkart: Supreme Court refuses to stay CCI investigation; gives them 4 weeks' time to join the probe

The Supreme Court (SC) refused to interfere with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) investigation against e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart for alleged competition law violations, news agency Asian News International (ANI) reported on Monday.

Fair-trade regulator CCI earlier in January had ordered a probe against Amazon and Flipkart for allegedly promoting select sellers on their e-commerce platforms and using business practices that stifle competition.

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However, both the companies have denied any such wrongdoings and repeatedly tried to mount legal challenges against the investigation.

The recent move towards the apex court was against the Karnataka High Court's order, which also declined to go against the CCI probe.

The regulator ordered the investigation following a complaint filed by Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh, whose members comprise traders deal in smartphones and related accessories.

A three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice N V Ramana, said Amazon and Flipkart should volunteer for such investigations.

It observed, " We expect organisations like Amazon and Flipkart, big organisations, they have to volunteer for inquiry and transparency. We expect that and you don't even want (an) inquiry," Justice Ramana told the court, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile the apex court, however, extends the time by four weeks for the companies — Amazon and Flipkart to join the investigation initiated by CCI, ANI reported.

The top court appeal was the last resort to halt the CCI probe and could be seen as a huge setback on both the e-commerce retail giants.