Corporate Affairs Ministry (MCA) has extended the timeline for submitting applications for the post of Chairperson of Competition Commission of India (CCI) to March 27.
Last month, the MCA had come up with a fresh order inviting applications for the post of Chairperson of CCI, the country’s competition regulator and had specified March 9 as the last date for submitting applications.
Its move in February to scrap the earlier shortlist of candidates and invite applications afresh came nearly four months after the erstwhile CCI Chairperson Ashok Kumar Gupta demitted office on October 25 last year.
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The CCI, established under the Competition Act, 2002, is a key regulatory body responsible for promoting fair market competition and preventing anti-competitive practices in India. The Chairperson’s role is pivotal in overseeing the organization’s operations, setting strategic direction, and ensuring its alignment with the government’s vision for a competitive business environment.
The delay in having a full time Chairperson at CCI has created several problems, including the lack of quorum that has come in the way of the Competition Commission taking a call on complaints such as those made made against tech giant Google for alleged breach of the CCI’s ruling in the Android matter.
Meanwhile, the MCA has also in its latest order once again stipulated that the candidates who had applied earlier in response to the previous advertisement/vacancy circular dated July 26, 2022 need not apply.
Currently, CCI has only two members with one of them doubling up as Acting Chairperson.
It maybe recalled that MCA had in end January this year extended the tenure of CCI Acting Chairperson Sangeeta Verma until the date on which a new Chairperson is appointed or till any further orders.
Verma, who is from the 1981 batch of the Indian Economic Service (IES), joined CCI as a Member on December 24, 2018.
Earlier, Verma was appointed as Acting Chairperson on October 25 last year for a period of three months or till the appointment of a regular Chairperson or till any further orders, whichever is the earliest.