Chairperson, CCI Smt. Ravneet Kaur highlighted the significance of the Competition Amendment Act, 2023 in promoting fair competition and safeguarding consumer interests

The Competition Commission of India, in association with NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, successfully organized a Regional Workshop on Competition Law at the NALSAR Campus in Hyderabad today. The Workshop aimed to enhance the understanding of recent developments in competition law and its enforcement.

The event began with an Inaugural Session where Smt. Ravneet Kaur, the Chairperson of the CCI delivered the keynote address. The Chairperson highlighted the significance of the Competition Amendment Act, 2023, which introduced important changes to India’s competition law framework. The address underscored the role of these amendments in promoting fair competition, safeguarding consumer interests, and ensuring a level playing field for businesses across sectors, including digital markets. Prof. Srikrishna Deva Rao, Vice Chancellor NALSAR delivered the inaugural address.

Following the inaugural session, two technical sessions were conducted by the Members of CCI viz. Shri Anil Agrawal and Ms. Sweta Kakkar. The first session focused on recent amendments to competition law and their implications for businesses and regulators.

The second session delved into cartel investigation and enforcement, with special emphasis on the hub-and-spoke model, where coordination between competitors is facilitated by a central entity.

The workshop attracted a diverse group of participants, including students, researchers and legal professionals, academics. It provided an opportunity for valuable dialogue on the practical challenges of enforcing competition law in India’s rapidly changing economic environment.

The Chairperson of the CCI remarked that the workshop reflected the CCI’s ongoing efforts to engage with stakeholders and strengthen its enforcement capabilities. The workshop also highlighted the importance of collaboration between regulatory bodies, academia, and industry in addressing the challenges posed by modern markets.

Competition law reform strengthens fair competition and consumer protection, shaping enforcement and cartel investigation approaches. The workshop emphasized the Competition Amendment Act as central to promoting fair competition and consumer protection across sectors including digital markets, and highlighted cartel investigation challenges, focusing on the hub-and-spoke model and the need to strengthen enforcement capacity through regulatory and academic collaboration.