According to the report, the regulator opened the investigation last June following allegations that Google engages in anti-competitive practices by creating barriers for OEMs and developers wanting to use or develop modified versions of Android for smart TVs. The case was filed by two antitrust lawyers, Kshitiz Arya and Purushottam Anand, both of whom have since confirmed the filing. While neither of them could speak on record about CCI’s investigation, one of the sources quoted by Reuters claimed that the regulator had asked Google to submit its written responses to the allegations, but the company has sought more time. A Google spokesman declined to comment on the report. The news comes a few months after the CCI opened an antitrust investigation into Google about whether the company is abusing its dominant market position in the country to unfairly promote its UPI payments app, Google Pay. This would be the fourth major antitrust investigation against the US tech giant in India.
