CCI Exposes Cartel in Indian Publishing Industry

Competition Commission of India Maintains Complaint by Pranav Gupta Against Cartelisation in the Publishing Industry.

on Jul 02, 2025

CCI Exposes Cartel in Indian Publishing Industry

In a path-breaking ruling that may redefine ethical business behaviour in the Indian publishing sector, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has issued a conclusive order in Case No. 38 of 2021, in favour of Pranav Gupta, Managing Director, Prints Publications Pvt. Ltd., following a long-drawn-out court struggle laying bare cartelisation, price collusion, and restrictive trade practices by the Federation of Publishers and Booksellers Association in India (FPBAI).

The Commission held FPBAI guilty of contraventions under Sections 3(1), 3(3)(a), and 3(3)(b) of the Competition Act, 2002, establishing that the organisation and its sub-committee, the Good Offices Committee (GOC), were involved in:

Collusion in fixing foreign exchange rates for imported books beyond market norms;

Regulation of discounts provided by members to institutional buyers;
Limiting supply and access to the market by manoeuvring library procurement policies to benefit specific members.

The CCI noted that such practices were not only anti-competitive but also created major entry barriers for small and independent companies. The Commission added that "suggestive" policies were applied in manners that engendered de facto compliance expectations of members, which damaged the principles of free markets.

Notably, the order also imposes individual liability under Section 48 of the Act on ex-FPBAI office-bearers S.C. Sethi and Pradeep Arora for perpetuating the anti-competitive behavior.

This is not a victory for me alone — it is a victory for every moral voice in our profession who preferred courage to silence," said Pranav Gupta. "The order establishes that monopolistic inclinations, no matter how deeply ingrained, will not endure the examination of truth and law.

The case was successfully argued by the lawyers of AnantLaw, headed by Mr. Rahul Goel and Ms. Anu Monga, who performed a pivotal role in putting forward evidence and arguments of law which supported the infringement of competition norms.

The CCI has ordered FPBAI to cease and desist and instructed the federation to remove any lingering anti-competitive structures. The ruling also advises creating a clear and competitive climate for the industry in the future.

The full order is available on the CCI’s official website:
🔗 https://www.cci.gov.in/antitrust/orders/details/1192/0