The ICC internal staff memo also said that disciplinary action can be taken for breaches of the rules, adding that it also applies to officers even after they leave the ICC | Image credit: X
India’s antitrust watchdog has warned its staff in an internal memo not to share any information with the media when they are not authorized to do so, citing a 60-year-old rule that prohibits such interactions, a document shows.
“It has been observed that of late certain information related to the cases (under review) is being published/made available in the media… this has been taken very seriously,” the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said in an August 20 memo to all staff, seen by Reuters.
ICC President Ravneet Kaur did not respond to Reuters’ queries about the memo.
The CCI is investigating high-profile companies and reviewing deals involving firms including Amazon, Walmart’s Flipkart, Reliance, Walt Disney and liquor maker Pernod Ricard.
On Tuesday, Reuters reported that the CCI had reached an initial assessment that India’s $8.5 billion merger of Reliance and Disney’s media assets harms competition because of its power over cricket broadcast rights, and had been issued a warning notice.
Earlier this month, the ICC also privately took the unusual step of withdrawing two reports detailing alleged competition law violations by Apple, Reuters reported.
The internal ICC staff memo also said disciplinary action can be taken for failure to comply with the rules, adding that it also applies to officers even after they leave ICC.
The memo cited a 1964 government rule that says “no government official shall, except pursuant to general or special order… communicate, directly or indirectly, any official document or part thereof or information.”
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First published: August 22, 2024 | 7:29 a.m. IS
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