Taxmann Competition Laws Manual with Case Laws Digest Edition June 2025

Taxmann Competition Laws Manual Edition 2025

Taxmann Competition Laws Manual Edition 2025

Competition Laws Manual with Case Laws Digest is an authoritative and up-to-date reference that focuses on India’s competition (antitrust) regime. This Edition incorporates all amendments and notifications, including the most recent changes made by the Competition (Amendment) Act 2023. The Manual explains the legal, economic, and procedural aspects of anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominant position, and the regulation of mergers and acquisitions (combinations). It also provides extensive guidance on the workings of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), supplemented with a comprehensive digest of case laws. By weaving together statutory provisions, rules, regulations, notifications, and insightful commentary, the book serves as a comprehensive one-stop resource for readers. It highlights the day-to-day implications of competition law in India, offers analyses of leading judicial precedents, and includes practical checklists and procedural guides for compliance.

This book is intended for the following audience:

• Practitioners & Lawyers – Ideal for advocates and law firms specialising in corporate, commercial, and competition litigation, offering quick references and detailed expositions on Competition Act provisions
• In-house Legal Teams & Compliance Officers – Detailed coverage of notification requirements, merger regulations, and settlement/commitment provisions helps corporate counsel and compliance professionals
• Chartered Accountants, Company Secretaries & Cost Accountants – Aids professionals involved in regulatory compliance, filings, and advisory work for competition law aspects of M&A, joint ventures, or business agreements
• Academics & Students – An excellent academic resource for coursework and research with detailed commentary, legislative history, and case digests
• Policy-makers & Regulators – Reference material for authorities needing to align policies with competition principles and track legal developments in competition jurisprudence

The Present Publication is the 14^th Edition | 2025, amended upto 2^nd June 2025. This book is authored/edited by Taxmann’s Editorial Board with the following noteworthy features:

• [Incorporates the Latest Amendments] Covers the Competition (Amendment) Act 2023 in detail, explaining each amendment and its practical impact
• [Comprehensive Commentary & Analysis]
  • Detailed discussions on anti-competitive agreements (including cartels), abuse of dominant position, and combination regulations
  • Insightful interpretations of new concepts like ‘material influence,’ expanded powers of the Director General, settlement and commitment provisions, and ‘global turnover’ for penalty computation
• [Structured Presentation]
  • Clear demarcation of statutory provisions, rules, regulations, notifications, and circulars
  • Systematic arrangement of chapters reflecting the actual flow of the Competition Act, along with paraphrased commentary, relevant highlights, and tabular summaries
• [Extensive Case Laws Digest]
  • The book ends with a robust digest of landmark judgments by the Supreme Court, NCLAT, and the CCI
  • Digest includes nuanced rulings on cartels, dominance, mergers, penalties, and jurisdictional aspects
• [Procedural Guidance & Practical Tools]
  • Step-by-step procedures for filing information, references, merger notifications, and appeals
  • Templates and references for forms (e.g., Form I, Form II, and Form III) under Combination Regulations
  • Explains the interplay between the Competition Commission, the Director General, and the Appellate Tribunal
• [Competition Advocacy Insights] Special coverage on competition advocacy, highlighting advisory and awareness-building functions of the CCI

The coverage of the book is as follows:

• Legislative Material
• Full, updated text of the Competition Act     2002, amended by the Competition (Amendment) Act 2023
• Notifications, rules, and regulations (e.g., Combination Regulations, Lesser Penalty Regulations, Settlement & Commitment Regulations) systematically compiled
• Section-by-section Commentary
• Guidance under each section of the Competition Act, including interpretation notes and relevant case law references
• Procedural & Enforcement Framework
• Roles, powers, and functions of the Competition Commission of India
• Detailed coverage on the Director General’s enhanced investigative powers under the 2023 amendments
• Procedures for inquiry, interim orders, penalty imposition, and appeals
• Penalties & Enforcement
• Explanation of penalty provisions, including the newly introduced ‘global turnover’ concept and lesser penalty for cartels
• Detailed guides on penalty computation, show cause notices, and hearing processes
• Settlements & Commitments
• Newly inserted legal provisions on the settlement after the Director General’s report and commitment before the conclusion of the investigation
• Step-by-step procedures, potential benefits, and restrictions on these mechanisms
• Combination Regulations & Mergers
• Mandatory notification requirements; analysis of the 150-day’ cooling period’
• Definition of ‘control’ amended to ‘material influence’ and coverage of the ‘value of transaction’ threshold (₹2,000 crores)
• Exemptions (e.g., for open offers, certain financial institutions), penalty for non-notification, and scope of CCI’s remedial powers
• Special Topics
• Overriding effect of the Act, interplay with other laws, and special provisions covering consumer protection, IP rights, and public interest
• Discussion of cross-border mergers and extraterritorial jurisdiction of CCI
• Case Laws Digest
• Exhaustive discussion of key judgments shaping Indian competition jurisprudence: from classic cartel decisions to modern digital markets (e.g., matters concerning Google, telecom disputes, etc.)
• Summaries arranged by topic for quick reference

The structure of the book is as follows:

• Preliminary Chapters – Introduction to competition law, MRTP Act’s repeal, and the shift in policy orientation towards the Competition Act
• Act/Rules/Notifications – The main text of the Competition Act 2002 (with Amendments) followed by comprehensive rules, regulations, and clarifications
• Thematic Commentary – Commentaries split across sections covering Anti-competitive Agreements (section 3), Abuse of Dominant Position (section 4), and Combinations (sections 5–6)
• Procedural Framework & Powers – Detailed chapters on inquiry, investigation, powers of the Commission and Director General, penalties, appeals, and compensation
• Tribunal Reforms – Updated portion on the NCLAT as the appellate forum, replacing the erstwhile Competition Appellate Tribunal (CAT)
• Case Laws Digest – A curated digest, cross-referenced with chapters, covering Supreme Court, NCLAT, and CCI decisions
• Subject Index – A robust index for easy navigation of topics, legislation, and case references

About the author

Taxmann Publications has a dedicated in-house Research & Editorial Team. This team consists of a team of Chartered Accountants, Company Secretaries and Lawyers. This team works under the guidance and supervision of Editor-In-Chief Mr Rakesh Bhargava.

The Research and Editorial Team is responsible for developing reliable and accurate content for the readers. The team follows the six-sigma approach to achieve the benchmark of zero error in publications and research platforms. The team ensures that the following publication guidelines are thoroughly followed while developing the content: