Supreme Court: Borrowers Retain Redemption Rights if Balance is Paid After Auction Deadline  ||  Supreme Court: Non-Confirmation of Seizure under Section 37A Impacts Adjudication Proceedings  ||  SC: Blacklisting After Contract Termination is Not Automatic and Needs Independent Review  ||  Grand Venice Fraud Case: Supreme Court Cancels Bail of Satinder Singh Bhasin  ||  SC: Senior Employee Cannot Claim Same Lesser Penalty As Subordinate; Bank Manager's Dismissal Upheld  ||  Madras HC: Governor Must Follow Cabinet's Advice on Remission Decisions, Regardless of Personal View  ||  Kerala High Court: Entrepreneurs Must Be Protected From Baseless Protests to Boost Industrial Growth  ||  J&K&L High Court: Second FIR Valid if it Reveals a Broader Conspiracy; 'Test of Sameness' is Key  ||  Supreme Court: Expecting a Minor to Respond to a Public Court Notice is ‘Perverse’  ||  SC: Order 23 Rule 1 CPC Applies to S. 11 Arbitration Act, Barring Fresh Arbiration After Abandonment    

CCI imposes penalties on cement companies for bid-rigging- (Press Information Bureau) (19 Jan 2017)

MANU/PIBU/0031/2017

MRTP/ Competition Laws

The Competition Commission of India ('CCI') has imposed penalties on 7 cement companies for bid rigging of a tender floated by the Director, Supplies & Disposals, Haryana, in the year 2012, for procurement of cement to be supplied to Government Departments/ Boards/ Corporations in the State of Haryana.

A final order has been passed by CCI pursuant to a reference filed under Section 19(1)(b) of the Competition Act, 2002 ('the Act') by the Director, Supplies & Disposals, Haryana. CCI has held that the cement companies, through their impugned conduct, have engaged in bid-rigging, in contravention of the provisions of Section 3(3)(d) read with Section 3(1) of the Act, which eliminated and lessened competition and manipulated the bidding process in respect of the impugned tender. The bid-rigging has been established from quoting of unusually higher rates in the impugned tender (than rates quoted in tenders of previous years), determining different basic prices for supply of cement at the same destination through reverse calculation, quoting of quantities in the impugned tender such that the total bid quantity almost equalled the total tendered quantity, quoting of rates for the districts in a manner that all cement companies acquired L1 status at some of the destination(s) etc. The anti-competitive conduct was re-affirmed through SMS exchanged and calls made amongst the officials of the cement companies.

Accordingly, penalty of Rs. 18.44 crore, Rs. 68.30 crore, Rs. 38.02 crore, Rs. 9.26 crore, Rs. 29.84 crore, Rs. 35.32 crore and Rs. 6.55 crore has been imposed upon Shree Cement Limited, UltraTech Cement Limited, Jaiprakash Associates Limited, J.K. Cement Limited, Ambuja Cements Limited, ACC Limited and J.K. Lakshmi Cement Limited. The penalty has been levied @ 0.3% of the average turnover of the cement companies of preceding three years. While imposing penalties, Commission took note of potential delay which would have occurred in the execution of public infrastructure projects due to cancellation of the impugned tender. At the same time, due consideration was given to factors such as peculiarity of the tender process which created uncertainty in procurement, total size of the impugned tender and competition compliance programmes put in place by some companies while determining the quantum of penalty. The cement companies have been directed to cease and desist from indulging in the acts/ conduct which have been held to be in contravention of the provisions of the Act.

Tags : PENALTY   LEVY   CEMENT COMPANIES  

Share :        

Disclaimer | Copyright 2026 - All Rights Reserved