Formal complaints to CCI need a fee of Rs 50,000

NEW DELHI: India���s competition regulator will charge a hefty fee from those filing complaints alleging predatory behaviour as it seeks to ensure that its enforcement machinery is not abused by those who want to get even with their business rivals.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI), which originally came to existence through an Act of Parliament in January 2003, was bestowed with investigative authority on May 20, 2009, to check anti-competitive behaviour such as predatory pricing, rigging of bids, and cartelization.

Every complainant will now have to pay a non-refundable fee of Rs 50,000 to the regulator to officially act on the petitions. This norm is notified as part of the general regulations, said a CCI official, who asked not to be named.
However, a free window exists for those who just want to share information on corporate malfeasance. CCI may initiate official probes in such cases, if it is convinced that the matter indeed warrants a thorough investigation, like any case involving public interest, the official said.

In such cases, the informant cannot make follow up enquiries on his complaint. The regulator will go solely by the merits of the complaint. The CCI fee may look steep compared to what the government charges citizens seeking public information under the Right to Information Act. That Rs 10 fee stacks up against CCI���s Rs 50,000.

The CCI official said the regulator debated the issue threadbare, and concluded that there should be a bar to distinguish between serious and frivolous complaints. The norm would be reviewed later in the light of experience.