The Interface Between the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the Competition Act, 2002

Abstract

The Competition Act, 2002 was enacted to promote and sustain competition amongst business entities yielding enhanced products and services for the consumers while regulating practices that would have an adverse effect on the competition. In comparison, the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 protects the interests of the consumers and provides for the settlement of consumers' disputes against exploitative practices of the traders. It is thus evident that both the laws are directed towards protection of interest of consumers either directly or indirectly. Exploring and examining the interface of the two legislations becomes necessary in order to identify the respective approaches towards such a mandate. The present work aims to explore the interface between the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 (CPA) and the Competition Act, 2002 (CA) particularly in the backdrop of the recent amendments to the Acts and ever-evolving nature of markets. The article, hence, will cover objectives of both the laws, draw parallels between them along with the discussion on recent developments important in this regard.