Supreme Court dismisses JioStar plea against CCI probe into dominance abuse in Kerala cable market

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea filed by broadcaster JioStar seeking to halt an investigation ordered by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) into allegations of abuse of dominant position in the Kerala cable television market [JioStar Vs Competition Commission of India]..A Bench of Justices Pardiwala and Sandeep Mehta refused to interfere with the investigation after noting that it is in the preliminary stage. .The case arose from a complaint filed by Asianet Digital Network Private Limited (ADNPL) alleging that JioStar, which holds exclusive rights to major sporting events and operates dominant television channels in Kerala, abused its market position in violation of Section 4 of the Competition Act, 2002.ADNPL alleged that JioStar engaged in discriminatory pricing and conduct, resulting in the denial of market access to other players. A key grievance was that JioStar allegedly offered excessive discounts—reportedly exceeding 50 per cent—to a rival multi-system operator, Kerala Communicators Cable Limited (KCCL), through what were described as “sham marketing agreements." According to the complaint, these arrangements were used to circumvent regulatory limits on cumulative discounts.Acting on the complaint, the CCI on February 28, 2022, formed a prima facie view that anti-competition laws were contravened and directed the Director General to conduct an investigation under Section 26(1) of the Competition Act..JioStar challenged the CCI’s order before the Kerala High Court, contending that the dispute was essentially regulatory in nature and that sector-specific issues relating to pricing and discounts could not be examined by the competition watchdog.A single judge of the High Court dismissed the challenge in May 2025. The Division Bench of the High Court too later upheld the CCI’s jurisdiction in the matter, holding that allegations of abuse of dominance fall squarely within the remit of competition law.JioStar then approached the Supreme Court for relief. .Before the top court, JioStar reiterated that the conduct complained of was governed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and questioned whether the CCI could investigate issues covered by that regime. The Court, however, was not persuaded to intervene, emphasising that the matter was at a preliminary stage and that all issues could be examined after the investigation..JioStar was represented by Senior Advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Maninder Singh.The CCI was represented by Additional Solicitor General N Venkataraman..Asianet was represented by Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal with Advocate Samar Bansal and a team from Chandhiok and Mahajan comprising Karan Singh Chandhiok, Tarun Donadi, Uday Bali, Naman Golechha, Lalitha Durvasula, Vanshika Arora, Rishabh Parik, Anshika Saxena and Avinash B Amarnath.[Read Judgment].Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.