Google welcomes NCLAT’s move to reduce antitrust penalty by over 75% in India

NCLAT greatly reduced the ₹936.44 crore-fine that the Competition Commission of India (CCI) hit Google with in 2022 [File]
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Google welcomed the move by India’s National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) to reduce its penalty from ₹936.44 crores to ₹216.69 crores in the matter relating to Google’s abuse of its dominant position through Play Store policies.

While NCLAT greatly reduced the ₹936.44 crore-fine that the Competition Commission of India (CCI) hit Google with in 2022, it still upheld the order passed by CCI.

Even so, Google praised the move and stressed on its commitment to complying with local laws.

“We welcome the NCLAT’s decision to set aside certain directions in the CCI’s order and substantially lower the penalty. Google is committed to supporting the growth of Indian developers and contributing to a thriving app ecosystem for both developers and users in India. We will continue to comply with all applicable laws and regulations as we review the NCLAT’s judgment and evaluate our legal options,” said Google in a statement.

Google is facing legal action in multiple countries over antitrust issues and its dominance in the search engine and app store markets.