Apple approaches Delhi High Court to prevent CCI from accessing its global earnings data over antitrust case

The ongoing legal battle between Apple Inc. and India's antitrust authority has intensified, as the tech behemoth seeks intervention from the Delhi High Court. Apple aims to prevent the Competition Commission of India (CCI) from accessing its worldwide financial data amid the regulator's investigation into the company's App Store practices, which face allegations of anti-competitive behavior. At the heart of Apple's legal argument is a contentious amendment to India's competition law enacted in 2024. This new provision allows the CCI to determine penalties based on a company's total global revenue, rather than limiting it to earnings generated within India. Apple has criticized this approach as "arbitrary, unconstitutional, and grossly disproportionate," raising concerns that it could face a monumental fine of up to $38 billion (around ₹3.48 lakh crore), calculated on its global sales of products and services. In its recent court filing, Apple contends that penalizing actions confined to the Indian market using global turnover violates fundamental legal principles. The company asserts that any imposed penalties should bear a "rational nexus" to the specific violations alleged within India. Meanwhile, the CCI stands firm, having dismissed Apple's request to delay proceedings until the court can review the legality of the penalty framework. The commission accuses Apple of "undermining procedural discipline" by repeatedly seeking extensions since October 2024. The CCI argues that imposing fines based on global revenues is crucial to provide a "real deterrent value" against wealthy multinational corporations, which might otherwise regard penalties tied solely to Indian operations as just a cost of conducting business. A hearing in the Delhi High Court is set for January 27, as Apple continues to navigate this high-stakes confrontation with the Indian government over its business practices in one of its most rapidly expanding markets.