NCLAT refuses interim relief to Google on ₹936-cr penalty imposed by CCI 

National Company Law Appellate Tribunal has directed Google to deposit 10% of the fine before its registry in the next four weeks

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on January 11 declined to grant interim relief to Google seeking a stay on competition watchdog CCI’s penalty of ₹936.44 crore on the tech giant for abusing its dominant position with respect to Play Store policies.

The appellate tribunal has directed Google to deposit 10% of the fine before its registry in the next four weeks.

A two-member Bench comprising Justice Rakesh Kumar and Alok Srivastava issued notices to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and other respondents and posted the matter for hearing on April 17, 2023.

Last week, the NCLAT also declined to stay another CCI order, in which it had slapped a penalty of ₹1,337.76 crore on Google for anti-competitive practices in relation to Android mobile devices.

Google was fined over ₹2,200 crore in two CCI rulings less than a week apart in October, marking a setback for the tech titan in one of the most promising digital markets globally.

On October 25, CCI had slapped a penalty of ₹936.44 crore on Google for abusing its dominant position with respect to its Play Store policies.

The regulator has also directed the company to cease and desist from unfair business practices as well as carry out various measures to address the anti-competitive issues within a defined timeline.