New Delhi– The Competition Commission of India on Monday imposed penalties totaling Rs 142.37 crore on HP India Sales Private Limited and 21 resellers for cartelization and bid rigging in government procurement through the Government e-Marketplace.
In one case, the antitrust regulator fined HP India Rs 126.87 crore and imposed combined penalties of about Rs 1.22 crore on five resellers over anti-competitive practices involving the sale and supply of computers and related products.
In a separate order concerning printer supplies, the CCI imposed a penalty of Rs 11.98 crore on HP India and about Rs 2.30 crore on 16 resellers. The products included toner cartridges and other consumables used with printing hardware.
The commission directed HP India and the resellers to cease anti-competitive conduct after finding that they violated provisions of the Competition Act, 2002.
Both investigations arose from lesser-penalty applications filed by HP India, through which the company disclosed arrangements involving itself and its resellers.
According to the regulator, the resellers coordinated by seeking and submitting support or cover bids in government tenders, undermining competition on the GeM platform.
The CCI said HP India played a central role in facilitating the arrangements in both cases. It also held company officials and representatives of the reseller firms liable and imposed separate penalties on them. (Source: IANS)
