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Indian Court Rejects Asian Paints’ Bid to Halt Antitrust Probe

By  |  September 11, 2025

An Indian court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by Asian Paints seeking to block an ongoing antitrust investigation into the company, according to Reuters. Six people familiar with the proceedings confirmed that the High Court in Mumbai refused to intervene, with a detailed order expected to follow.

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    The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has been examining allegations that Asian Paints, which holds around 52% of the domestic market, abused its dominant position. The inquiry was prompted by a complaint from rival Birla Opus, which accused the country’s largest paints manufacturer of offering discounts and incentives to dealers in a way that restricted competition. Per Reuters, Asian Paints attempted to quash the case in July, arguing that the regulator harmed its reputation by initially publishing – and later removing – references to its chief executive in official documents.

    Read more: India Orders Antitrust Probe Into Asian Paints Following Complaint by Birla’s Paint Venture

    During Thursday’s brief hearing, the High Court ruled there was “no merit” in the company’s challenge, one of the sources said. Neither Asian Paints nor the CCI responded to Reuters’ requests for comment. Birla Opus, the paint division of Aditya Birla Group’s Grasim Industries led by billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla, also declined to comment.

    The dispute comes at a time when India’s paint sector is expanding rapidly, valued at about $9.5 billion, thanks to a surge in infrastructure and real estate activity. Birla Opus entered the market in February 2024 and quickly captured nearly 7% share by March, data from Elara Capital showed. According to Reuters, the CCI’s initial review suggested that Asian Paints had imposed unfair conditions on its network of dealers, conduct the regulator described as exploitative.

    Source: Reuters