Cartel Regulation in India- Enforcement Mechanisms in the Era of Digital Platform Markets
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69974/glslawjournal.v8i2.217Keywords:
Cartel Regulation, Digital Platforms, Competition Law, Enforcement Mechanisms, CCI, IndiaAbstract
Cartelization has established a practice which companies use to form secret deals that enable them to control prices, limit production and manipulate bidding processes thus creating unfair market conditions which effects market competition as well as the interest of consumers. Digital platform markets have developed through recent years to create new ways for cartels to operate which have made it harder for authorities to detect and prosecute these illegal activities. The authorities who enforce global competition laws face difficulties because of algorithmic pricing, large data sharing, network effects and multi-sided market structures. The paper investigates how India controls cartel activity through its digital platform market enforcement system. The research examines the statutory framework relating to market competition in India along with the CCI and DG investigative and adjudicatory powers and the developing legal principles for cartel detection and prosecution. The research investigates the effectiveness of traditional enforcement methods which include circumstantial evidence, dawn raids and the leniency program within digital and platform-based markets.
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