The Delhi High Court has directed Apple to fully cooperate with India’s antitrust watchdog in an ongoing investigation into the iPhone creator’s app marketplace practices. The court rejected the U.S. tech giant’s request to pause the probe while it challenges the legal framework governing financial penalties in the country. However, the judicial order offered a partial reprieve by instructing the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to hold off on issuing a final ruling until at least mid-July.(Reuters)
The legal friction intensified after the CCI demanded Apple submit its financial data, a standard prerequisite used by the regulator to calculate potential monetary penalties. Apple resisted the demand and accused the antitrust watchdog of overstepping its authority. The company argued that because it has a separate, pending legal challenge against India’s entire penalty calculation methodology, the CCI should suspend its data demands until that overarching constitutional question is resolved. The CCI has been aggressively pursuing Apple’s financial records since 2024, when an initial regulatory investigation concluded that the company had abused its dominant position in the applications market.
Apple continues to deny any wrongdoing, maintaining that its ecosystem practices are fair and legal. The friction in New Delhi is part of a broader, systemic headache for the company, which faces mounting antitrust lawsuits and regulatory challenges across Europe, the United States, and other major economies over its strict App Store rules and fee structures.
The high-stakes standoff comes at a time when India has transformed into a vital growth engine for the Cupertino-based firm. While Android devices traditionally dominate the Indian smartphone landscape, Apple has rapidly expanded its footprint. According to data from Counterpoint Research, the iPhone’s market share in India has surged to 9%, more than doubling from just 4% two years prior, making the outcome of this regulatory battle crucial for the company’s long-term expansion strategy in the world’s most populous nation.
