India’s top court deals a blow to Amazon, Walmart-owned Flipkart

The court ruled the two firms must face investigations by India’s competition regulator for certain business practices.

Amazon.com Inc and Walmart’s Flipkart must face antitrust investigations ordered against them in India, the country’s Supreme Court ruled on Monday, in a blow to the leading e-commerce giants which had urged judges to quash the inquiries. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) ordered the investigation against the companies last year for allegedly promoting select sellers on their e-commerce platforms and using business practices that stifle competition. The companies deny any wrongdoing and mounted legal challenges in lower courts and at the Supreme Court against the investigation, saying the CCI did not have enough evidence to pursue the matter.