India Court Orders Watchdog To Rule On Amazon-Future Suit In Two Weeks

An Indian court ruled that the country’s antitrust body has two weeks to decide whether Amazon misled authorities while seeking approval for a 2019 deal with India’s Future, reported WTVB.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said in a statement it had filed the case to the Delhi High Court on Monday and the ruling was made on Tuesday.

Amazon and Future, India’s second-largest retailer, have been locked in a legal battle since last year. The e-commerce giant successfully blocked Future’s bid to sell its retail assets to rival Reliance for $3.4 billion, accusing its partner of breaching some pre-existing agreements.

Related: India’s Future Files New Antitrust Case Against Amazon

Future, which denies any wrongdoing and fears liquidation if it fails to sell assets, has been arguing before the Competition Commission of India (CCI) that approval for the 2019 Amazon deal should be revoked as the U.S. firm had made misleading representations while seeking approval. Amazon has said it is confident of addressing such regulatory concerns.

On Tuesday, the CAIT said the antitrust body should not delay deciding on the matter, which has ramifications for the public interest and could hit their businesses if the Future-Reliance deal fails.

A two-judge panel said the CCI must decide on the dispute between Amazon and Future within two weeks, the retailer group said in its statement, adding that “traders should not be made a scapegoat or suffer any financial loss.”

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