Competition Commission of India appoints new interim investigation chief
New Delhi: India’s antitrust body has appointed Sanjay Kumar Pandey as the interim head of its investigation unit, a government order revealed, at a time when the watchdog is investigating big foreign companies.
Pandey has worked at the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for nearly 14 years and is also an advisor in its Advocacy and International Cooperation Division.
An internal order dated November 25 seen by Reuters said he will now take on additional responsibilities as director general of the investigation unit. The CCI is currently investigating several high-profile global companies for alleged antitrust violations, including Amazon, Walmart’s Flipkart, Google and liquor giant Pernod Ricard.
A source with direct knowledge of the matter said that interviews are underway for the appointment of a permanent Director General.
Pandey declined to comment, while the CCI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Pandey is replacing Atul Verma, whose tenure ended on November 25. He previously served as private secretary to senior government minister Arun Jaitley, who died in 2019.
In September, the government appointed three new members to monitor matters in the watchdog, including a former government official from the commerce ministry and a former interim compliance officer of WhatsApp.
