In what is being seen as a major setback for Google, the Supreme Court in India has refused to stay the fine of Rs 1337 crore that the Competition Commission of India (CCI) had imposed on the Mountain View company earlier. As 9to5Google reported, the apex court also directed Google to pay 10 percent of the fine amount within a week. Things, however, do no settle there as there are a few other demands that the search giant will have to comply with, the prime among which is to provide equal exposure to other third-party app stores on its Android platform. Apart from this, Google should not be averse to users side-loading apps on their devices.
However, for the Indian government, while the initial verdict of the Supreme Court might have gone in its favor, the final battle is still far from over. As a Supreme Court lawyer and cyber law expert, Virag Gupta said to IANS and quoted by Business Insider.in: “The SC order is good wherein Google may have to deposit initial money. But to recover the fine and penalty, the government will have to win before NCLAT and the Supreme Court by demonstrating clear violation of Indian laws by Google operations in the country.”
Google, on its part, justified its stand claiming the fine will stall the growth of the Android platform and will also hurt consumers’ interests as well. The company also alleged that the CCI simply copy-pasted parts of the verdict of the European court but didn’t take into account whether it applies in the Indian scenario. The company also stated they are in the process of examining the Supreme Court order before deciding on its next course of action.
“Android has greatly benefited Indian users, developers, and OEMs and played a key role in India’s digital transformation. We remain committed to our users and partners and will cooperate with the CCI on the way forward, in parallel with our appeal,” a Google spokesperson stated.
The government welcomed the decision of the court claiming this will help create a free and fair internet, something which happens to be one of its policy goals. Several app developers in the country also hailed the move claiming this will lead to the creation of a level playing field for all competitors instead of Android users being forced to consume only those apps that Google has to offer via the Play Store.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
