2025 sees evolution of competition law regime

THE YEAR 2025 marked a significant phase in the evolution of Competition Law regime.

- DHANENDRA KUMAR

With the legislative framework reshaped by the Competition (Amendment) Act, 2023, the focus during the year shifted decisively towards consolidation, issuance of needed regulations for enforcement of new rules, tweaking to align with global trends, making decisions faster and time bound, release of much awaited market study on Artificial Intelligence, guidance for self-regulation and voluntary compliance. The Competition Commission of India (CCI), supported by an increasingly engaged judiciary, worked towards clarity in several areas and refining enforcement with procedural discipline.

A key feature of 2025 was the operationalisation of new regulatory instruments — deal value thresholds for mergers, revised combinations regulations, settlement and commitment mechanisms, and updated penalty guidance. These tools represent a move towards faster, more flexible and efficient outcomes, without diluting deterrence against anti-competitive conduct.

In a significant development, CCI entered into its first settlement case with Google, on April 21, 2025, which had involved allegations of abusing dominance by bundling apps and restricting rivals, leading to a penalty of ₹20.24 crore after a 15% discount and commitments for five years to allow more OS choice for smart TV makers. This opened the way for more voluntary settlements and commitments.