Apple asks Indian court to stop antitrust body from seeking its financials

[NEW DELHI] Apple has asked an Indian court to stop the country’s antitrust watchdog from seeking its global financial records as part of an investigation into its app store policies, while it challenges the underlying law’s validity, court papers show.

Apple is locked in a high-stakes legal battle with the Competition Commission of India (CCI), whose investigation accused the company of abusing its position on its app store. Apple denies the allegations.

Apple and the CCI did not respond to requests for comment.

The US tech giant has said it fears it could be fined up to US$38 billion if the watchdog uses its global turnover calculation for penalties. It has challenged the 2024 penalty rules in an Indian court, and the matter is pending.

Still, the CCI pressed ahead and sought financials from Apple in a private order on Dec 31.

Apple has now asked a Delhi High Court judge to direct CCI to hold off action against the company at this stage and put the entire investigation on hold, based on a Jan 15 Apple filing which is not public.

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Apple argues that being forced to comply now would defeat its main legal challenge against India’s penalty rules, which the CCI has defended as necessary to discourage breaches by multinationals.

The Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear the matter on Jan 27. REUTERS