The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has revised guidance notes to Form I with a view to incorporate the changes made in Green Channel. The revised Form I, under the Green Channel, will be used to file the notice under Section 6(2) of the Competition Act, 2002 (Act) and Regulation 5(2) of the Combination Regulation.

The guidance notes provide the scope of information and documents to be submitted along with the form. It also provides clarification regarding eligibility criterion for Green Channel. The CCI issues guidance notes for parties to facilitate them to make a filing before it.

As part of its ongoing and regular efforts to streamline M&A filings process and make it simpler and faster, in August 2019, the CCI introduced an automatic system of approval for combinations under Green Channel and revised Form I to file the notice under Section 6(2) of the Competition Act, 2002 (Act) and Regulation 5(2) of the Combination Regulation.

In case of any other guidance on the information requirement in the Form I, the parties may request Pre-Filing Consultation (PFC) with the officers of the CCI. The parties are encouraged to seek PFC as per the guidelines available on the CCI’s website.

The revised notes to Form I are available at https://www.cci.gov.in/sites/default/files/page_document/Form1.pdf

Green Channel automatic approval introduced for merger filings, streamlined Form I guidance issued to clarify eligibility and information requirements. Revision of filing guidance clarifies scope and eligibility for the Green Channel automatic approval mechanism and updates the revised Form I to specify the information and documentary scope required when filing a notice; it explains criteria for Green Channel qualification and encourages use of Pre Filing Consultation to resolve information requirement queries.