India’s Competition Commission (CCI) has ramped up its enforcement activity, opening more than twice as many probes in the first half of the current fiscal year as it did a year earlier, while broadening its reach across a diverse range of sectors.
CCI ordered its Director General (DG) to investigate 10 new cases between April and September in 2025, up from four in the same period last year. The surge marks the most active half-years in the last three years and reflects a renewed appetite for intervention under Section 26(1) of the Competition Act.
The authority’s docket illustrates how the enforcement is spread across sectors from media, manufacturing, to agrochemicals. In July, CCI opened an abuse of dominance probe against Asian Paints, later it expanded its Google inquiry to cover AdTech intermediation and display advertising, and launched an investigation into Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF) after a farmers’ organisation alleged tying of urea sales.
A probe into PVR Inox, India’s largest multiplex chain, was announced in September while Jindal SAW and Maharashtra Seamless separately confirmed in stock exchange filings that their offices were raided over bid-rigging allegations in connection with supply of steel pipes.
Noting that a complaint by public sector undertaking ONGC triggered the recent raids, Anisha Chand of Khaitan & Co. told Competition Today, the CCI has “repeatedly conducted extensive advocacy and training for public sector undertakings (PSUs) to help them identify red flags and report potential collusion” and it appears to be paying off.
In the earlier period, between the full fiscal year (FY) 2021/22 and 2024/25, the agency initiated more investigations into digital markets than any other sector, launching a total of 15 out of 27 investigations during this four-year period, according to official data.
The authority did not disclose the sector under investigation in 13 cases.
The authority also broke new ground in H1 of this fiscal year, issuing the first-ever settlement order by accepting Google’s proposal in the Android TV case with a ₹20.24 crore (approximately $2.3 million) settlement.
Pace Outstrips Historical Norms
Enforcement pace in H1 of the current fiscal year was the most active in three years. The previous comparable spike came in 2022/23, when 10 cases were opened in H1. In fact, the authority has opened more investigations in the first half of 2025/26 than compared to the previous two fiscal years.
“Whilst it is not usual for the CCI to issue probes in such quick succession, the CCI has in the past launched enforcement investigations across different sectors in close proximity”, Gauri Chhabra of Trilegal told Competition Today. She noted that the DG had conducted simultaneous raids in the steel and cement sectors in December 2022.
While new cases have surged, dismissals have plunged to a five-year low. The CCI rejected only 10 complaints in H1 of the current fiscal year — less than half the 22 recorded a year earlier — signalling a possible tougher screening standard and a sharper focus on priority, higher-impact cases. The authority does not disclose the total number of copmaints.
Fines and Trends
In almost half of the 33 infringement cases* decided since 2021, the CCI found violations but imposed no fines — a clear signal that the authority prioritizes remedies over sanctions.
In contrast, the authority has taken a firmer stance in high-profile digital market cases. In 2022, it imposed two fines totaling ₹20.7 billion ($233.5 million) on Google for abuse of dominance in the Android mobile ecosystem and over Play Store policies, while penalizing MMT-Go and Oyo ₹4 billion ($45.1 million) for collusion in the online hotel booking sector.
These, taken together with last year’s ₹2.1 billion ($24 million) fine on Meta, account for nearly 70% of the total ₹38 billion ($429.5 million) in sanctions imposed.
“The digital sector has lately been the cynosure of attention, owing to its wide-ranging impact across different markets”, Trilegal’s Chhabra remarked.
A recent AI report published by CCI indicates further enforcement appetite in the digital sector. The report, published on October 6, warned of risks such as market concentration, algorithmic collusion, and entry barriers from rapid AI adoption. The CCI proposed capacity building, inter-regulatory coordination, advocacy, and policy initiatives to ensure fair and competitive AI-driven markets.
Six sectors outside the digital market also saw repeated infringements during the period. Transportation accounted for the highest number — eight cases in total — with most involving tender-rigging across Indian Railways divisions.
Timelines
The procedural timelines remain lengthy, however. On average, the CCI takes around three years—roughly 1,093 days—from initiating a probe to issuing a final decision. The lengthiest investigation extended beyond seven years, involving a global ro-ro shipping cartel. The quickest one came in 236 days, where six firms were found to have rigged a public tender for polythene bags.
Public sector undertakings (PSUs) have played a key role in enforcement, accounting for roughly one-fourth of infringement findings, reflecting their significant scale in procurement.
What Lies Ahead
The H1 marks a shift in how the CCI deploys its powers — faster case initiations, fewer dismissals, and wider sectoral coverage all point to a regulator more willing to act.
CCI declined to comment.
*In India, the fiscal year starts from April 1 and ends on March 31
*Instances where CCI directs the Director General to investigate a matter under Section 26(1) of the Act based on Prima Facie evidence.
*Decisions issued under Section 27 of the Act
