India issues final notice to Apple, signals move to press ahead with antitrust case
New Delhi: India’s competition regulator has issued a final warning to Apple, signalling that it will proceed with an antitrust case against the US technology company after Apple delayed its responses for over a year and attempted to stall the proceedings, according to a confidential order reported by The Hindu.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI), in an order dated December 31, rejected Apple’s request to pause the case while a related dispute concerning penalty rules is pending before the Delhi High Court. The regulator stated that Apple’s conduct had undermined procedural discipline and delayed the conclusion of the investigation.
The antitrust case arises from a probe that found Apple had abused its dominant position in the iOS app store market. Apple has denied the allegations and has separately challenged India’s penalty framework before the High Court, arguing that calculating fines based on its global turnover could expose it to penalties of up to $38 billion. That legal challenge remains pending.
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Despite the ongoing court proceedings, the CCI noted that it had asked Apple in October 2024 to submit objections to the investigation’s findings and provide financial information typically required to determine penalties. The regulator said Apple was granted multiple extensions but failed to comply.
In its order, the CCI said that repeated extensions, despite clear directions, had hindered the timely completion of the case and could not continue indefinitely. It warned that the commission would proceed with the matter on its own if Apple does not submit the required response by next week.
Apple did not respond to queries from Reuters on the matter. A source familiar with the development told Reuters that the company views the CCI’s latest order as an attempt to move ahead of the High Court proceedings and is unlikely to respond before the court hears the case again on January 27.
Since 2022, several Indian startups, along with Match Group, the owner of Tinder, have raised concerns over Apple’s App Store policies. In 2024, investigators concluded that the company had engaged in abusive practices within the iOS app ecosystem.
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Voting begins for Assam's 126 assembly seats
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Guwahati (PTI): Polling for all 126 Assam assembly constituencies began on Thursday to decide the electoral fate of 722 candidates, officials said.
In the high-stakes election, the ruling BJP is aiming for a third consecutive term in office, while the Congress seeks to wrest power after being ousted in 2016.
Polling, being held in a single phase, began at 7 am and will conclude at 5 pm. Long queues of voters were seen outside polling stations from early morning.
An electorate of 2.50 crore, including 1.25 crore women and 318 from the third gender, can exercise their franchise in 31,490 polling stations across the state.
Prominent candidates include Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi, assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, Leader of the opposition Debabrata Saikia, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi, and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) chief Lurinjyoti Gogoi.
Several cabinet ministers, including the AGP’s Atul Bora and Keshav Mahanta, and the BPF’s Charan Boro are also in the fray.
The Congress has the highest of 99 contestants, followed by the BJP (90), AIUDF (30), NDA allies AGP (26) and BPF (11).
Opposition alliance’s Raijor Dal is contesting in 13, AJP in 10, CPI(M) in 3 and APHLC in 2. Outside the two coalitions, the AAP is contesting in 18 seats, UPPL in 18, TMC 22, JMM 16 and there are 258 independents.
The ruling NDA’s main constituents are the BJP, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodo Peoples’ Front (BPF) while the opposition alliance comprises the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), CPI(M), All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC) and CPI(ML).
The counting of votes is scheduled on May 4.
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