Govt shortlists three for post of Competition Commission of India chairman

NEW DELHI: Former Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla figures in the list of three candidates shortlisted by the government for the post of chairman of the anti-monopoly watchdog Competition Commission of India ( CCI).

Besides Chawla, the list of probable candidates include Anurag Goel, a member in the Commission and Vijay Sharma -- former secretary in the environment and forests ministry.

They are among the three names shortlisted from a total of 65 persons for the post, sources close to the matter told PTI.

Present Chairman Dhahnenda Kumar is due to vacate office on June 5, and in case a name is not finalised by that date, CCI member HC Gupta could serve as the interim Chairman, sources said.

Section 10.5 of the Competition Act 2002 provides for an interim arrangement in event of vacancy of the chairman's office.

The CCI chairman post is coveted in the light of the impending powers to be given to this authority

Many high-value merger and acquisition deals are expected to come up before the commission from next month.

The commission was established in 2003 to replace the erstwhile Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission and Kumar was appointed as its first chairman in February, 2009.

Chawla retired as Finance Secretary on January 31 and currently heads a committee on allocation, pricing and utilisation of natural resources.