Manas Kumar Chaudhuri, an anti-trust litigator, advises Indian and overseas clients on Competition Law & Policy and related legal/regulatory issues. He has worked as the first Additional Registrar of the Competition Commission of India and was also associated with the drafting of various statutory Regulations under the Competition Act during his stay in the CCI.
Prior to joining the profession as a full-time lawyer, Manas served as a Civil Judge in the West Bengal State Judicial Services. He also worked as the Joint Director (Legal) Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission.
He is the National Chair of Competition Law Council of the ASSOCHAM and Member of the CII Legal Task Force and Regulatory Law Committees and has been appointed as the Vice-Chair of the IPBA Competition Law Council for 2018-2020.
Competition / Antitrust
Successfully defended GAIL before the CCI in cases involving allegations of abuse of dominant position.
Regular advice on competition law issues and successful representation before the COMPAT and the CCI regarding allegations of entering into an anti-competitive agreement.
Filed a leniency application before the CCI as a second applicant and successfully obtained a 30% reduction in penalty.
Successfully represented Lupin before the COMPAT against the allegations that Lupin had entered an anticompetitive agreement with a regional chemist and druggist association. We are currently representing Lupin before the Supreme Court in appeal.
Successfully represented the Informant/India Glycols before the CCI in a case involving rigging of tenders by certain sugar mills floated by the public sector oil marketing companies for procurement of ethanol. The CCI imposed penalty on the sugar mills and their trade associations.
Filed a pre-merger notice and obtained approval of the CCI for acquisition of the industrial Coatings business of BASF by Akzo Nobel N.V.
Secured approval of the CCI for the acquisition of shares of Fortis Healthcare Limited and Fortis Malar Hospitals Limited by IHH Healthcare. The transaction involved complex markets with several overlaps in quaternary and multispecialty tertiary hospital services of the parties. We obtained the clearance without a Phase II investigation.
Secured approval of the CCI for the acquisition of 100% shareholding in Amtek Auto Limited by Liberty House Group pursuant to an Insolvency and Bankruptcy proceeding. The transaction involved novel challenges of interconnected transactions involving separate and independent acquisitions of subsidiaries and controlled companies of Amtek Auto.
Acted as co-counsel to Flipkart in securing an unconditional approval of the CCI for Wal-Mart International Holdings, Inc.’s acquisition of up to 77% shareholding in Flipkart. The transaction drew severe scrutiny from the CCI since this was the largest foreign direct investment into India then and several offline trade associations argued for blocking the deal.
- Leaders League 2023 – Leading
- Asia Law 2022 – Elite Practitioner
- Legal 500 2022 – Leading Individuals
- Chambers and Partners Global 2023 – Band 1
- Who’s Who Legal 2022 – Recommended
- Indian Business Law Journal – leading competition lawyer
- Legal Era 2022 – One of top 10 competition lawyers in India
- Ranked Band 1 Antitrust Lawyer of India 2019-20 by UK Chambers & Partners and Legal 500.
- WWL in 2019 says: Manas Kumar Chaudhuri is commended as a “great and sound competition Lawyer” who impresses with his extensive knowledge of competition regulation.
