Real estate firm DLF Ltd is once again under Competition Commission of India’s scanner.
The regulator has ordered a probe against DLF for abusing its dominant position and imposing unfair conditions on buyers on a complaint by one Ashutosh Bhardwaj, who had booked a flat in New Town Heights, Gurgaon.
The complainant said DLF had entered into a non-negotiable apartment buyer’s agreement with him. He alleged that the practices followed by DLF as a group were abusive of its dominant position as it had imposed highly arbitrary, unfair and unreasonable conditions on the allottee. He also said that the agreement was heavily loaded in favour of DLF. CCI said clauses of the agreement referred to in the current matter were identical to the ones entered into by DLF in other abuse of dominance cases that were already being probed. The earlier cases are at different stages of investigation by CCI’s Director General. The panel said, “considering the facts of the case, the relevant market in the present case, prima facie, appears to be same as determined in earlier three cases.”
CCI said, “as such, the Commission is prima facie of the view that the present case requires to be investigated into by the DG. Resultantly, the Commission orders under Section 26(1) of the Act to the DG to cause a detailed investigation in the matter”.