"We expect big organizations like Amazon, Flipkart to voluntarily go for enquiry:" Supreme Court gives 4 weeks to join CCI probe

The Supreme Court today declined to intefere with the Karnataka High Court's order which had refused to stall the investigation initiated by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) against Amazon and Flipkart for alleged anti-competitive practices in smartphone sales. .The Court, however, extended the time to join the CCI probe by four weeks on a request by senior advocate Dr AM Singhvi, who appeared for Flipkart. ."We see no ground to interfere. However we grant four weeks for the expiry to submit to enquiry", the Court said. .Declining to set aside the Karnataka High Court's ruling in the matter, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana remarked today:."We expect big organizations like Amazon and Flipkart to voluntarily go for enquiry and you don't want even that? You have to submit and enquiry has to be permitted.".Senior advocates Gopal Subramanium and Sajan Poovayya appeared for Amazon. .Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and ASG Madhavi Divan appeared for the CCI, briefed by a team from Samvad Partners. led by Partners Arjun Krishnan and Harish Narasappa, Senior Associates Ankur Singh and Suhaas Shenoy and Associate Shourya Bari..The Bench of CJI Ramana and Justice Surya Kant was hearing an appeal by e-commerce giants Flipkart and Amazon against against the July 23 order of the Karnataka High Court that refused to set aside a probe ordered by the CCI into the two firms..Amazon and Flipkart have been accused of competition law violations in smartphone sales on the two websites..The matter was earlier before a High Court Division Bench of Justices Satish Chandra Sharma and Natraj Rangaswamy, before whom June 11 order of a Single Judge was challenged..BREAKING: Karnataka High Court junks appeals by Amazon, Flipkart against Single Judge's dismissal of challenge to CCI probe into smartphone sales.While dismissing the plea, the Division Bench had held,"By no stretch of imagination can inquiry be quashed at this stage...Appellants should not be afraid of investigation of CCI...In the considered opinion of the Court, appeals filed by appellants are devoid of merit and deserved to be dismissed...".Amazon had approached the Karnataka High Court against a CCI order which had called for a Director General (DG) investigation into allegations of anti-competitive conduct in the online sale of smartphones on its platform.The informant before the CCI, Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh (DVM), had levelled allegations of predatory pricing, deep discounting, preferential seller listing, and exclusive partnerships, among others, against Amazon and Flipkart..DVM is an organisation whose members comprise traders from many micro, small and medium enterprises, and rely on trade of smartphones and related accessories..(Read Order)