On Wednesday, the Competition Appellate Tribunal (COMPAT) ordered Google to pay a penalty of Rs 1,337 crore within 30 days for abusing its dominant position in the online search market in India.
The order was passed by a two-member bench of the tribunal, comprising of Justice V.S. Sirpurkar and Justice B.S.V. Murthy. The penalty was imposed on Google for abusing its dominant position in the online search market in India.
The penalty was imposed after the Competition Commission of India (CCI) found Google guilty of abusing its dominant position in the online search market in India. The CCI had imposed a fine of Rs 1,494 crore on Google in February 2018.
Google had challenged the CCI’s order in the COMPAT. The tribunal, however, upheld the CCI’s order and asked Google to pay the penalty within 30 days.
The CCI had found Google guilty of indulging in anti-competitive practices such as manipulating search results to favour its own services, and preventing competitors from entering the market.
The CCI had also found Google guilty of using its dominant position to impose unfair conditions on its partners.
The penalty imposed on Google is the highest ever imposed by the CCI. It is also the first time that the CCI has imposed a penalty on a company for abusing its dominant position in the online search market.
The penalty is a warning to all companies that they must not abuse their dominant position in the market. It is also a reminder to companies that they must adhere to the competition laws of the country.
Google has not yet commented on the penalty imposed by the tribunal. It is expected that Google will appeal the order in the Supreme Court.