The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the Competition Commission of India's (CCI) response to a plea filed by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) challenging the CCI probe for alleged anti-competitive behaviour. .Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav issued notice to the CCI and said that the matter would be heard next on March 10.BFI's interim prayer to stay the proceedings will also be considered on the next hearing date. Senior Advocate Vaibhav Gaggar appeared for the BFI and stated that CCI proceedings have global ramifications. He added that BFI is the regulator of Basketball in India and CCI cannot investigate it for regulatory actions. .The CCI had on November 25, 2025, ordered a detailed antitrust investigation against the BFI for alleged abuse of dominance and anti-competitive conduct in violation of the Competition Act, 2002. The probe was ordered following a complaint lodged by Elite Pro Basketball Private Limited (EPBL) which alleged that BFI repeatedly denied approvals for its proposed professional leagues, including the Elite Pro Basketball League (EPBL) and Elite Pro 3x3 League, and imposed restrictions on players, referees and coaches participating in non-BFI-sanctioned events. CCI found a prima facie case that BFI’s actions restricted market access and constituted a refusal to deal.Therefore, it asked the Director General to investigate the matter further. .The BFI then filed the present plea before the High Court arguing that the CCI's order was contrary to its own decisional practice and judicial precedents that the regulatory actions are beyond its jurisdiction. According to the petition,"Even if certain acts have incidental economic nature while Petitioner-like body is performing its pre- dominant coded regulatory duties, the same does not extinguish the regulatory character of the Petitioner and attract the provisions of the Competition Act, 2002." The BFI stressed that CCI cannot act as a super-regulator over specially appointed statutory recognised bodies. It added that while the complainant, EPBL, initially showed interest in becoming the organising partner of the professional basketball league and even participated in the tender process. But later, it neither provided the requested roadmap nor participated in the tender process. Instead, EPBL approached the CCI, alleging denial of market access and restraint on players. .Along with Senior Advocate Gaggar, advocates Pareksheet Bishnoi, Abhishek Grover and Abhishek Nair appeared for the BFI..Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.
