COMPAT Chastises Mechanical Application Of Law By Director-General And CCI

• COMPAT dismisses claims of abuse of dominance and anti-competitive practices by Andhra Pradesh Film Chamber of Commerce.
• Holds that Director-General does not have power to strike down rules of an organization.
• Rejects Commission's mechanical approach of approving findings of Director-General.
• This ruling once again reiterates fundamental principles which both the Commission and Director-General should follow.

Background

The Competition Appellate Tribunal ('COMPAT') allowed the appeal of Andhra Pradesh Film Chamber of Commerce ('APFCC') and held that APFCC was not guilty of anti-competitive practices ('COMPAT Order').¹ APFCC challenged an order of Competition Commission of India ('CCI') which held that the internal rules of APFCC and other parties placed restrictions on dealings with non-members ('CCI Order').² COMPAT held that CCI had mechanically accepted the findings of the Director-General ('DG') and did not satisfactorily apply the law to the