NCLAT upholds Rs 1,338-cr fine on Google, grants partial relief on four grounds

New Delhi, Mar 29 (PTI) An appellate tribunal on Wednesday handed out a mixed verdict on Google's alleged anti-competitive practices in the android mobile devise case - upholding a fine of Rs 1,338 crore but scrapping conditions like allowing hosting of third-party app stores on its Play Store.

While upholding the fine imposed by the CCI for exploiting its dominant position in Android, the NCLAT struck down anti-trust regulator order that had said Google will not restrict the removal of its pre-installed apps by the users.

Notably, the NCLAT in its 189-page order, upheld CCI's six directions, including one in which Google was asked to allow the users during the initial device setup to choose their default search engine, and another that made it clear that OEMs cannot be forced to pre-install a bouquet of apps.