• Ravneet Kaur will take over as the first full-time woman chairperson of the Competition Commission of India (CCI), a post that has been lying vacant since October 2022.

• Kaur, a 1988 Punjab cadre IAS officer, will be the fifth full-time chairperson of the fair trade regulator, which started functioning in 2009.

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of 59-year-old Kaur.

• There has been no full-time chairperson for the competition regulator since Ashok Kumar Gupta demitted office in October 2022. CCI member Sangeeta Verma has been acting as the chairperson since then.

• Dhanendra Kumar was the first full-time chairperson of the CCI and the three others were Ashok Chawla, D.K. Sikri and Ashok Kumar Gupta. 

• Currently, Kaur is serving as the special chief secretary at the Cooperation Department in the Punjab government. She has also served in various other roles in the state.

• Kaur has worked at the Centre from 2006 to 2012, including as joint secretary in the Department of Financial Services and again during 2015-2019 period.

• She served as the chairman and managing director of the India Tourism Development Corporation from July 2017 to July 2019.

• The appointment of Kaur will be for a period of five years from the date of assuming charge or till the date of attaining the age of 65 years or until further orders, whichever is the earliest.

Competition Commission Of India

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) was established in October 2003 under the Competition Act, 2002 for the administration, implementation, and enforcement of the Act.

• The CCI became functional in March 2009.

• The CCI functions as a market regulator by preventing and regulating anti-competitive practices in the country. It also carries out advisory and advocacy functions.

Objectives of CCI:

i) Eliminate practices having adverse effects on competition.

ii) Promote and sustain competition in markets.

iii) Protect the interests of consumers.

iv) Ensure freedom of trade in the markets of India.

v) Establish a robust competitive environment.

• The CCI consists of a chairperson and a maximum of six members appointed by the central government.

• The Commission is also required to give opinion on competition issues on a reference received from a statutory authority established under any law and to undertake competition advocacy, create public awareness and impart training on competition issues.

What is the process of the CCI inquiry?

The CCI can initiate an inquiry:

i) On its own on the basis of information and knowledge in its possession.

ii) On receipt of an information.

iii) On receipt of a reference from the central government or a state government or a statutory authority.

• Any person, consumer, consumer association or trade association can provide information relating to anti-competitive agreements and abuse of dominant position.

• If the Commission is of the opinion that there is a prima facie case, it shall direct the Director General, appointed under the Act, to investigate the matter and report his findings to the Commission.

• After receipt of the investigation report from the Director General, the Commission may forward it to the concerned parties.

• If the report of the DG does not find any contravention of the Act, the Commission shall seek objections from the concerned parties. After considering the objections received, if any, the Commission may accept the report of the DG, or require further investigation to be made by the DG or make inquiries itself.

• In conclusion of the above broad process, the Commission shall determine whether it is a case of anti-competitive agreement or abuse of dominant position or both and after hearing the concerned parties and pass appropriate orders.

• National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) hears appeals against any direction issued or decision made or order passed by the CCI).

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