CCI Retracts Flipkart Investigation Report Over Xiaomi’s Complaint

India's Competition Commission (CCI) has withdrawn its investigative report on alleged competition law violations by Flipkart, following a complaint from smartphone maker Xiaomi, according to media reports. This marks the second instance in recent months where the CCI has pulled back a report due to concerns over the disclosure of sensitive commercial information.

Xiaomi reportedly raised concerns that the original report which implicated Flipkart and some sellers in competition law breaches, included proprietary data that should have been redacted. The document, part of a broader investigation into ecommerce practices, allegedly disclosed Xiaomi's confidential sales data including model-specific figures, which the company argued were commercially sensitive.

An internal CCI document dated 1 October instructed recipients of the original report to destroy it and provide an undertaking confirming its destruction to prevent further distribution. The CCI also issued a revised report, though specific changes were not disclosed.

The CCI's investigation which began in 2020, targets Flipkart and Amazon with findings that both companies provided preferential treatment to select sellers, manipulated product listings and entered exclusive agreements with smartphone brands including Xiaomi, Samsung and Vivo. However, progress has been delayed as some entities involved such as Vivo and certain online sellers have contested their inclusion, securing court injunctions.

In August, the CCI similarly withdrew a report on Apple after the company raised concerns about the exposure of commercially sensitive information to other parties in the investigation.

Neither Xiaomi nor Flipkart has publicly commented on the latest developments and the CCI has declined to respond. The incident highlights ongoing tensions over handling sensitive business information in high-profile antitrust investigations within India's fast-growing ecommerce sector.