Which recent Act is aimed at protecting digital competition in India?
The recent Act aimed at protecting digital competition in India is the “Digital Competition Bill, 2024.” This proposed legislation focuses on curbing anti-competitive practices in the digital economy by introducing a preventive ex-ante regulatory framework. It targets large digital enterprises, called Systemically Significant Digital Enterprises (SSDEs), to prevent market dominance, self-preferencing, predatory pricing, and other unfair practices before they occur. The bill is currently under consideration by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, with stakeholder feedback reviewed and plans to table it in the Indian Parliament later in 2025. It seeks to create a fair, inclusive, and competitive digital marketplace in India, establishing a Digital Markets Unit within the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to oversee implementation and compliance.
There isn’t yet a new standalone Act fully in place called the “Digital Competition Act,” but a major step in that direction was made with the:
Competition (Amendment) Act, 2023 — this amendment to the existing Competition Act introduces a stronger focus on digital markets.
The government is also proposing a separate Digital Competition Bill / Act to more directly regulate large digital companies
