The Madras High Court has dismissed writ appeals filed by Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited and India Cements Limited against the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) decision to allow the Builders Association of India (BAI) to get impleaded in suo motu proceedings initiated regarding alleged cartelisation by cement manufacturers in the country.
The First Division Bench of Chief Justice S.V. Gangapurwala and Justice P.D. Audikesavalu rejected the appeals on the ground that CCI had already permitted BAI to inspect all documents that were marked as ‘non-confidential’ by the cement manufacturers and hence nothing survived to be adjudicated now by the High Court.
The judges pointed out that the appeals were filed only in August 2023, though the inspection of documents had been permitted in July 2023 itself. The appellants’ prime apprehension was that BAI might get access to sensitive business information by getting impleaded in the proceedings, but such fear has become pointless now, they added.
