A question of quorum

Understrength CCI undermines business climate

Although the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking has been scrapped for irregularities in the process, the government had reiterated it would maintain a relentless focus on this dimension to activate the investment environment in India. At odds with this stated intention is the recent move by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to invoke the “doctrine of necessity” to clear six deals involving mergers & acquisitions (M&A) and investment proposals, though it lacked the requisite three-member quorum after Chairperson Ashok Kumar Gupta retired on October 25, 2022. The Competition Act stipulates there should be at least three members