By Aditya Kalra
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Walmart’s Flipkart has filed a legal challenge against an Indian court’s decision to allow an antitrust probe to restart, sources with direct knowledge told Reuters on Thursday.
Flipkart urged the court in the southern state of Karnataka to quash the antitrust watchdog’s order of investigation against the company, the sources said.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) initiated a probe in January last year on the basis of a complaint alleging Amazon and Flipkart promoted select sellers on their e-commerce platforms and that deep discounts stifled competition. The companies have denied wrongdoing.
After being on hold for more than a year, the court last week allowed the probe to continue, dismissing the pleas made by the companies.
The antitrust watchdog has plans to expedite a probe into allegations of anti-competitive behaviour at Amazon and Flipkart, as it intensifies scrutiny of big-tech firms, Reuters reported this week.
(Reporting by Aditya Kalra in New Delhi)