In a court filing, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said that a challenge by Dubai’s DP World of a probe into its alleged anti-competitive practices at a Mumbai port is an effort to halt or delay possible adverse findings against the firm. CCI namely told a Mumbai court that DP World’s local unit had “prematurely” rushed to court to stall or delay the probe.
Last year, the CCI ordered an investigation into suspected antitrust violations by DP World and Denmark’s A.P. Moller-Maersk at the terminals they operate at state-owned Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), according to Reuters.
DP World had urged a court in Mumbai to quash or put on hold CCI’s investigation, saying it “would lead to gross discrimination and grave economic harm.” The court has so far not halted the investigation, Reuters reports.
The CCI probe followed a complaint by Singapore’s PSA International Pte Ltd alleging that Maersk and DP World created barriers to hinder the growth of PSA’s terminal at JNPT by colluding on certain charges they levy at the port.
In its filing, the antitrust authority said DP World’s attempt to quash the antitrust probe should not be allowed as it “would encourage every enterprise against whom investigation is ordered … to approach courts and seek similar relief.”
The CCI has since last year launched several antitrust investigations involving foreign companies.
