People have called the Supreme Court’s decision a turning point in India’s digital transformation.
Google took a big hit on Thursday when the Supreme Court said it would not stop the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) fine of Rs 1337 crore. The company asked the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) to stop the fine, but the SC court refused to hear the case.
Instead, the top court has asked the company to pay Rs 133.7 crore, or 10% of the fine, within a week. The regulating agency gave Google the fine because its policy on Android smartphones made it hard for other companies to get into the Indian market. Many different things happened after the Supreme Court’s decision.
The Indian tech company MapmyIndia, which makes digital maps, said it was happy and grateful that the Supreme Court turned down Google’s appeal. Rohan Verma, the CEO of the company, said that MapmyIndia was the first digital mapping service in India, long before Google Maps came with phones. Verma said that because of the order, he was hopeful that more apps made in India would now reach Indian users.
“Starting today, we really hope, ask, and ask OEMs to try out MapmyIndia’s Maps app, which has much better maps, navigation, and safety features than Google Maps. Google’s actions against competition have kept Indian consumers from knowing about it so far. Today is a very important step towards India breaking free from the digital slavery that Google has forced on Indians for the past 15 years. “It is the right time for all Indians – consumers, media, app developers, OEMs, industry, and government – to come together to create our own indigenous Atma Nirbhar ecosystem that gives India its rightful place at the top of the world, independent of foreign big tech monopolies,” said Verma.
“A turning point in the history of technology in India”
Based on Android, Indus OS is an Indian platform for finding apps and content for smartphones. They have called this a “watershed moment” in the history of India’s digital transformation. Rakesh Deshmukh, the CEO of the company, said that he was happy that millions of users will now be able to choose how to use their app store.
“We are sure that this decision will bring about a major shift in the Indian smartphone ecosystem and make it easier for more people to use digital technology in our country. We’re happy that millions of people in India can now choose to use our app store without any limits. “Deshmukh said that Indus OS has been working on its app store for more than a decade. It has been made to fit the needs of Indian consumers.
At the same time, Naval Chopra, a partner in Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co’s Competition Law Practice, said something similar. Chopra said that the order was a turning
point in the history of competition law in India and around the world. He said that India is a market with a lot of users that haven’t been reached yet, which makes these kinds of decisions more effective. The fact that the Supreme Court upheld the CCI order will help Android stay true to its mission of making free, open-source software that isn’t limited by Google.
Indian players have more room to play.
“The SC has looked at the reasoning of the CCI and decided that there is no reason to change the CCI order at this stage. The CCI’s wide-ranging remedies go beyond Europe and will force Google to change how it does business. It will give Google’s competitors access to markets that they haven’t had for a long time because Google has had such a tight hold on the Android ecosystem. As a market, India has an untapped user base that has never been seen before. This makes these treatments even more effective. These could lead to a new Indian competitor in video hosting, mapping, web browsers, or even search, said Chopra.
Several people also went on their social media accounts to talk about what happened. Raja M, an expert in cybersecurity, posted on his LinkedIn account that Google had been hit hard in one of its most important markets. “India’s highest court turned down Google’s request to stop an antitrust ruling against Android. Google has been hit hard in one of its most important markets abroad,” Raja wrote.
Google had already said that the CCI’s suggestions would make devices more expensive in India before it filed an appeal with the NCLAT. It also talked about how the growing number of apps that aren’t checked may pose a threat to users and to national security. Google also said in its blog that the CCI’s order to let different versions of Android exist could do more harm than good.
Bimal Mardi is a Professional Content Writer. He works in First Santal Broadcast Network TV/ News channel in India. Bimal Maradi writes about Technology, Education and Tech Product Reviews
