Delhi HC issues notice on Google's appeal against order directing CCI to decide ADIF's pleas

New Delhi, April 26 The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a notice on Google's appeal against a single-judge order directing the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to take up the applications moved by the Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) challenging Google's new in-app user choice billing policy and dispose of them by April 26.

Google had filed an appeal on Tuesday and the single-judge had passed an order on Monday.

A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad has now listed the case for further consideration on July 19.

Pronouncing the order on Monday, a single-judge bench of Justice Tushar Rao Gedela had asked the CCI to decide on or before April 26 on the plea also seeking direction on the tech giant to keep the same in abeyance till the issue is adjudicated by CCI.

The applications seeking interim relief are filed under Section 42 of the Competition Act, 2002 which gives power to the Commission to pass an order against a party for contravening its orders.

The policy is going to come into force from April 26 and according to the petitioner alliance, Google's new billing policy is cloaked as another version of Google Play Billing System, which projects the hoax of giving liberty to app developers to opt for third party payment processors.

It stated that despite the user using third-party payment processors, Google will be charging "service fee" at a 4 per cent reduced rate from the developer for transactions which happen via non GPBS under the garb of new pricing policy.

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