Ravneet Kaur, the newly appointed Chairperson of the Competition Commission of India lists expediting implementation of changes to competition law and winding up pending cases of anti trust and anti profiteering as her key priorities. In an exclusive interaction with CNBC-TV18, the head of India's antitrust regulator said that cases of anti-competitive behaviour by big tech companies, including Apple continue to be under probe. She also said that the regulator is looking into allegations of abuse of dominance, self preferencing and privacy concerns.

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Here are edited excerpts from that conversation:

Q: What are your immediate priorities as the CCI Chairperson?

Kaur: As the CCI is now in full quorum, the priority is to line up pending antitrust and anti-profiteering cases. I have already initiated actions on these points. My priorities include taking effective steps for promoting fair competition in Indian markets. Timely enforcement, including investigation and adjudication shall be a priority area. Blending advocacy and enforcement to maximise the reach and benefits of competition law will be focused upon. The Competition Act has been recently amended which calls for a number of regulations and expediting these will be a top priority. Collaboration with international competition authorities and organizations to promote global competition principles, share best practices, foster co-operation in cross-border competition cases and showcasing the work of Competition Commission of India will be encouraged.

Q:What is the present status of discussions on the Digital Competition Act, could we see a law in place by end of this year.

Kaur: A Committee on digital competition law (CDCL) has been formed by the government and the committee is working on this issue. You will see developments in due course of time.

Q: Does India need a separate law to regulate big tech on the lines of EU or will the current law also suffice?

Kaur: As you may be aware, the introduction of a separate law to regulate big tech companies in India, similar to the approach taken by the European Union (EU) with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA), has been under discussion. Competition Commission of India has been effectively enforcing the current law in digital space as well. Presently, CDCL is seized of the matter so we must wait for developments on this regard.

Q: Give us a sense of your probe into abuse of dominant position against Apple, by when can we see a conclusion?

Kaur: This case is presently under inquiry and no details may be divulged at this stage.

Q: What are the current trends regarding anti-competitive behaviour that you are coming across against big tech?

Kaur: Competition Commission of India closely monitors these trends and investigates allegations of anti-competitive behaviour against erring entities including big tech. In the past we have looked into dominance of big tech and consequent abuses, data practices and privacy concerns, platform policies and self-preferencing, etc. On the merger and acquisition side, we look at rise of market concentration leading to reduced competition. These issues still persist in different forms and manner.

Q: How many cases are you probing against big tech and by when would the investigations conclude?

Kaur: Currently, some cases relating to big tech are pending with Competition Commission of India at different stages. Investigation time depends on the peculiarities and complexities involved in each case.

CNBC-TV18 also asked the CCI chairperson about its probe finalisation against the cement cartels in July 2022 and about Radico Khaitan approaching the regulator alleging cartelisation by liquor companies. However, Kaur refused to share more details on both of these, saying that these cases are matters under inquiry and hence no further details can be shared.