This article by Anirudh Singh, Managing Associate, C&S Partners, analyses the Competition Commission of India’s assessment of alleged predatory pricing by Ola in the landmark Meru v. Ola dispute, a case that tested the boundaries of dominance and below‑cost pricing in India’s app‑based taxi market. Through a close reading of the CCI’s and COMPAT’s findings, the piece highlights how market definition, funding‑driven expansion, and consumer‑side incentives shaped the inquiry into whether Ola’s pricing strategy constituted an abuse of dominance under Section 4 of the Competition Act. The analysis underscores the evidentiary burden required to establish dominance in dynamic, technology‑driven markets and clarifies why aggressive pricing alone does not automatically amount to predation. By situating the tussle within broader competition law principles, the article offers valuable insights into how Indian regulators approach platform‑economy disputes and the evolving jurisprudence on predatory pricing in multi‑sided markets.
The original article can be accessed here.