分类： bharat

E-commerce giant Amazon has moved to quash an antitrust investigation in India launched at the behest of local merchants, arguing the probe would do irreversible damage to the company and its reputation.
Responding to an investigation opened by India’s Competition Commission (CCI) in January over allegations the company – as well as Walmart-owned Flipkart, one of its main rivals – violated competition laws, Amazon said the probe was “bereft of foundation” and would cause “irreparable” losses in a court filing on Monday.

“(The investigation order) suffers from non-application of mind as it appears to contain no reference to the finding of an appreciable adverse effect on competition,” the filing said, as cited by Reuters.
The antitrust inquiry was kicked off last month over mounting complaints from a group of brick-and-mortar merchants, the Delhi Trade Federation, who say both Amazon and Flipkart have engaged in “predatory” trade practices, namely preferential treatment given to select sellers to the detriment of smaller businesses.

While the Competition Commission said there was a “prima facie case” that required investigation, both companies have denied the allegations, with Flipkart stating it was “fully compliant” with Indian law soon after the probe was ordered. Amazon at the time said it was “confident” it would be cleared of any wrongdoing and would “welcome” a chance to address the accusations.

Sedition accusations in India take a dramatic turn

It took more than a month after Aleem Ansari was killed in the Indian city of Meerut for his family to get the postmortem report. When they finally did, they weren’t surprised by the conclusion: a bullet wound to the 24-year-old’s head.
But what they do dispute is the account by local police that Ansari, a Muslim, was shot by a violent protester on December 20 amid unrest following passage of a controversial citizenship law.
“I don’t have an iota of belief in that,” said his older brother, Mohammad Salahuddin. “They are saying that to cover up what they did.”
Protests against India’s controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) have gripped the country since the law was passed on December 11. Critics of the CAA say it is anti-Muslim because it provides a fast track to citizenship for Hindus, Christians and other religious minorities from India’s neighbouring countries but leaves out Muslims.