Extension granted for the Competition Commission’s investigation into Google

 The Competition Commission has granted extension to its Director General to complete its investigation into the alleged unfair market prices indulged in by Google. The complaint against Google was that Google was using its dominant position in the market (it accounts for 90% of the Internet search engine market in India) to favour certain platforms under certain categories and was hence acting in a discriminatory manner.  As the Competition Commission was satisfied that there existed a prima facie case against Google, it transferred the case to its investigative arm- the Director General in August, 2012. The investigation is centered on whether the software and the algorithmic search that Google employs to index the search engine is done in a fair and non-discriminatory manner and whether there was any violation of competition rules by Google in its operation.  It must be noted that Section 4 of the Competition Act prohibits the abuse of its dominant position in the market by any enterprise. The Competition Commission of India Chairman Ashok Chawla stated that the extension had been granted to ensure a thorough and complete investigation and that the Commission would take a call after the Director General submits its report.