The Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) antitrust verdict against Google over its Play Store policy was partially supported by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal’s (NCLAT) March ruling, which Google has challenged in the Supreme Court. “We have appealed the NCLAT’s recent ruling regarding the order from the CCI.
“We’re still dedicated to helping the Indian app market expand for developers and users alike,” a Google representative told Moneycontrol. The NCLAT’s March ruling maintained a number of the CCI’s order’s main conclusions, although it lowered Google’s fine from INR 936.44 crore to INR 216.69 crore.
Background: CCI’s Investigation Into Play Store Billing
CCI opened an investigation into Google in November 2020 in response to complaints about the company’s requirement that in-app purchases and paid apps use the Play Store payment system. Developers were compelled by this scheme to pay a commission, typically 15–30%, and use Google’s own payment mechanism. Google was found guilty of abusing its Play Store dominance.
Key Findings of CCI and NCLAT
The watchdog also ordered the company to modify its app payment system and issued a cease-and-desist injunction in addition to the monetary penalty. The NCLAT confirmed CCI’s conclusion in its March 2025 ruling that Google forced app developers to adopt the Google Play Billing System (GPBS) for in-app purchases and paid app sales, thereby imposing unfair and discriminatory conditions on them.
It also concurred with CCI’s finding that Google promoted its own payment app, Google Pay, over other UPI-based digital payment apps by abusing its control over the Android and Play Store ecosystems.
Implications for Developers and Digital Payments
In a March 2025 ruling, the appellate tribunal overturned the watchdog’s rulings limiting innovation and denying market access. It highlighted Google billing services having less than 1% of the UPI market share and the lack of proof of restrictions on technical advancement as justifications for rescinding the specific instruction.
Remarkably, the NCLAT subsequently allegedly reversed a number of “ex-ante” (preventive) directives that the CCI had given Google, claiming that the order went beyond the CCI’s authority under the existing regulatory structure.
Two months later, on May 1, the NCLAT reinstituted two directives that mandate Google to reveal its data rules and refrain from using its billing data to gain an unfair competitive edge. Dissatisfied with the appellate tribunal’s partial relief and the clarification’s subsequent setback, Google has now petitioned the SC to contest the order and wants a favourable ruling.
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