A group of civil society groups and think tanks led by CUTS International, CCAOI and The Dialogue have urged the Corporate Affairs Ministry (MCA) to extend by five more months the deadline for submitting comments on the Draft Digital Competition Bill 2024 and the Report on Digital Competition Law.

The MCA had initially set the deadline for public consultation for April 15, 2024, but later extended it by a month till May 15.

“We submit that the present deadline to submit comments by May 15 is insufficient to make a nuanced and informed submission, considering the technical complexity of the subject matter, cross-cutting impact of the Bill and regulatory overlaps”, said a joint open letter addressed to MCA Secretary Manoj Govil by as many as 47 stakeholders including 25 individuals.

Now, the stakeholders want the consultation to be broad based and increase the consultation timeline till October 15, 2024.