Another setback for Google as company fined Rs 936.44 crore for unfair Play Store policies

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) said it has also directed Google to modify its conduct within a defined timeline.

Google Fine: This is the second major CCI ruling against Google in less than a week.

Search engine giant Google has been fined again and this time it faced the Competition Commission of India's wrath for allegedly abusing its dominant position with respect to Play Store policies. The CCI today slapped a penalty of Rs 936.44 crore on Google and directed the company to cease and desist from unfair business practices. This comes as another setback for the tech giant in India. 

In a release, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said it has also directed to modify its conduct within a defined timeline. 

This is the second major CCI ruling against Google in less than a week. On October 20, the watchdog imposed a penalty of Rs 1,337.76 crore on the company for abusing its dominant position in multiple markets in relation to Android mobile devices and ordered the internet major to cease and desist from various unfair business practices.

Google had termed the fine a setback for Indian consumers. "The CCI’s decision is a major setback for Indian consumers and businesses, opening serious security risks for Indians who trust Android’s security features, and raising the cost of mobile devices for Indians," said Google. It added that the company will review the decision to evaluate the next steps

Earlier in September this year, a top EU court largely rejected Google's appeal of a record European Union antitrust fine imposed for throttling competition and reducing consumer choice through the dominance of its mobile Android operating system. The European Court of Justice's General Court mostly confirmed a 2018 decision by the EU's executive Commission to slap Google with a fine of more than 4 billion euros (USD 3.99 billion).

(With PTI inputs)