Apple accuses India antitrust watchdog of overstepping authority in new court filing

Apple has accused India's Competition Commission of India (CCI) of overstepping its judicial authority in a new court filing tied to an ongoing antitrust investigation. For several years, the CCI has investigated Apple over allegations that it abused a dominant position on the App Store. Apple has denied the accusations. A central point of contention is how any potential penalty would be calculated. Under an updated competition law from 2024, fines can be based on a company's global turnover rather than just local revenue. Apple has said this could lead to a roughly $38 billion levy, which it described as manifestly arbitrary, unconstitutional, grossly disproportionate, and unjust. Apple has repeatedly challenged the penalty framework and asked the Delhi High Court to declare the 2024 law itself illegal. The CCI has grown impatient with Apple's requests for extensions, filing a confidential order that accused Apple of impeding the timely conclusion of proceedings. Earlier this year, the commission threatened to proceed with the case, and more recently it issued an ultimatum demanding that Apple submit its financial information. In an April 24 filing reported by Reuters, Apple said the commission's decision to schedule a final hearing for May 21 represents an escalation in its efforts to usurp the court's authority. Apple asked the court to urgently intervene, to hear the matter on May 15, and to put the proceeding on hold until the court rules on the legality of the penalty framework. Neither Apple nor the CCI responded to Reuters' requests for comment at the time of publication.