NCLAT rejects interim relief to Google

New Delhi: In a setback to Google, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Wednesday declined to grant interim relief to the tech giant seeking a stay on competition watchdog CCI's Rs936.44-crore penalty on it for abuse of dominant position with respect to its Play Store policies.

The appellate tribunal has directed Google to deposit 10 per cent of the fine before its registry in the next four weeks. A two-member bench comprising Justice Rakesh Kumar and Alok Srivastava issued notices to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and other respondents and posted the matter for hearing on April 17, 2023. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a plea of Google against a recent order of NCLAT refusing an interim stay on Rs 1,337 crore fine imposed by CCI on the company for anti-competitive practices in relation to Android mobile devices.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha took note of the submissions of senior advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for the US firm, and said that it will list the plea for hearing on Monday. The senior lawyer said that extraordinary directions have been passed by the CCI and the order has to be complied by January 19.