AZB & Partners is a tour de force in the antitrust and competition space due to its extensive capabilities, which span cartel mandates, merger control matters, and abuse of dominance cases. The team regularly handles complex, cross-border, high-profile, and high-value matters for an impressive client roster which continues to expand, incorporating businesses from the technology, aviation, and media and entertainment industry sectors, among others. Co-heading the practice are Ram Kumar Poornachandran, Bharat Budholia, and Hemangini Dadwal, all of whom bring a wealth of expertise to the group. Poornachandran’s position as a non-governmental adviser to the CCI makes him an asset to the team, while Budholia stands out for his breadth of practice which covers a slew of competition matters such as cartel enforcement, merger control, and abuse of dominance. Dadwal is adept in both antitrust and competition matters, and has deep experience acting before the CCI, the appellate tribunal, and the Supreme Court. Gaurav Bansal and Sanjeev Kumar Sriram are also key members of the team.

With expertise in enforcement, cartelisation, and leniency matters, as well as merger controls, M&A transactions, and restructuring, Khaitan & Co LLP‘s antitrust and competition practice is capable of handling a wide range of matters, both domestically and internationally. The group has particular strengths in the manufacturing, steel, and technology sectors, and its notable client roster continues to expand. Anshuman Sakle heads up the practice and is highly regarded in the market for his extensive experience advising on merger control matters, abuse of dominance and cartel investigations, and joint venture and distribution agreements, alongside regulatory compliance and antitrust audits. He is instructed by businesses from a wide range of industries including financial services, pharmaceutical, and infrastructure. Other notable names in the team are Manas Kumar Chaudhuri, who frequently acts before the CCI and the NCLAT and is adept at advising on cross-border merger control cases, as well as Anisha Chand and Pranjal Prateek.

Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co‘s antitrust and competition practice has established a notable reputation in the market for its expertise in restrictive agreements, including cartels and leniency applications, abuse of dominance, and damages actions, as well as merger control cases and compliance. Alongside the group’s extensive experience acting before the CCI, the NCLAT, the High Courts, and the Supreme Court, its cross-border capabilities continue to attract new and impressive clients from various industry sectors such as technology, financial services, and media and entertainment, to name a few. With no formal practice heads, the main contacts in the department include Harman Singh Sandhu and Yaman Verma, both of whom are highly adept in handling the full gamut of antitrust and competition matters including contentious, non-contentious, regulatory, and advisory mandates. Sandhu is recognised for his deep knowledge of the telecoms, natural resources, and railways sectors, while Verman concentrates on technology and e-commerce. Shweta Shroff Chopra is another notable name due to her aptitude in cartelisation, abuse of dominance, and merger control matters.

With deep industry knowledge of the technology, automobile, media, and pharmaceuticals sectors, Chandhiok & Mahajan, Advocates and Solicitors' competition and regulatory law practice continues to attract impressive clients to its extensive roster. The group specialises in leniency mandates and issues related to abuse of dominance, as well as merger control processes and compliance. Karan Singh Chandhiok leads the practice and stands out for his aptitude in advising and representing clients on mergers, commercial arrangements, and strategic alliances. He is also noted for his experience acting before the CCI, NCLAT, and Supreme Court on behavioural matters including cartelisation and abuse of dominance allegations. Other notable names in the group include Avinash Amarnath – who concentrates on vertical agreements and cross-border transactions – and Deeksha Manchanda – who focuses on antitrust and competition matters arising from the technology sector.

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas' antitrust and competition practice is highly regarded in the market for its expertise in handling high-profile and high-value merger control matters. In addition, the group is adept at obtaining antitrust approvals, advising on cross-border transactions, and representing businesses in enforcement actions including cartelisation allegations and investigations. With such a broad offering, the team's impressive client roster – which consists of companies from the insurance, technology, and automotive sectors, among others – continues to expand. Avaantika Kakkar leads the department and stands out for her experience in acting on both merger control and enforcement action matters such as merger defence, vertical agreements, and dawn raids. Other notable names in the group include Dhruv Rajain, Vijay Pratap Singh Chauhan, and Kaustav Kundu.

The antitrust and competition practice at JSA Law has been bolstered by the arrival of Nisha Kaur Uberoi in August 2024 from Trilegal. Her expertise in the full gamut of competition law – which includes merger control matters, cartel and abuse of dominance allegations and investigations, and allegations of anti-competitive conduct before the CCI, NCLAT, and Supreme Court – makes her an asset to the team. Co-leading the group alongside Uberoi is Vaibhav Choukse, who stands out for his aptitude in both enforcement actions and merger control matters; he regularly advises on leniency, dawn raids, and compliance, as well as allegations of price-fixing cartels, M&A approvals, and challenges to CCI investigations. Ela Bali and Nripi Jolly are also key members of a department which, with a wealth of knowledge, has amassed an impressive and expanding client roster.

P&A Law Offices is recognised both domestically and internationally for its expertise in the antitrust and competition space, with offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Silicon Valley. The group specialises in cartel and abuse of dominance matters, merger control, and restrictive and vertical agreements, as well as gun-jumping proceedings, disputes, and discrimination pricing policy. Offering contentious, non-contentious, and regulatory compliance support, the team continues to attract new clients from the e-commerce, retail, and media and entertainment sectors. Leading the department is managing partner Anand Pathak, who is adept at handling cross-border transactions and acting before the CCI on enforcement matters. The practice also benefits from the aptitude of Shashank Gautam and Sreemoyee Deb, both of whom concentrate on cartel defence, abuse of dominance, and merger control matters.

Offering assistance on merger control matters and enforcement actions, the antitrust and competition practice at S&R Associates is capable of handling a wide variety of mandates including joint ventures, abuse of dominance matters, allegations of cartelisation, and investigations. With experience advising on both domestic and cross-border matters, the group continues to attract new clients from a range of industry sectors including telecoms, banking, and manufacturing, to name a few. Heading the team is Simran Dhir who is adept at assisting on national and international transactions, acting before the CCI in abuse of dominance cases, and advising on regulatory compliance. The department also benefits from the aptitude of Akshat Kulshrestha who concentrates on matters pertaining to merger control, behavioural issues, and leniency.  He was also notably promoted to partner in May 2024.

Talwar Thakore & Associates‘ antitrust and competition practice continues to attract new clients due to its broad offering which encompasses merger filings, leniency applications, and dawn raids, as well as litigation and compliance training and audits. Additionally, the group has extensive experience acting before the CCI, NCLAT, appellate courts, High Courts, and the Supreme Court. Instructing the team are noteworthy businesses predominantly from the pharmaceuticals, IT, and media and entertainment industry sectors. The main contact in the practice is Sonam Mathur, who concentrates on investigations into cartel and abuse of dominance allegations, alongside merger control transactions and compliance. Other key practitioners in the group include Shubhang Joshi and Dhruv Dikshit, both of whom regularly advise on horizontal and vertical agreements, CCI challenges, and allegations of anti-competitive practice.

The antitrust and competition practice at Trilegal is noted for its breadth of capabilities which span enforcement actions, merger control matters, and regulatory compliance. With particular strengths in cartel investigations, abuse of dominance allegations, and audits, the team continues to attract new and impressive clients from a range of sectors including technology, cement, and textiles to an already strong roster. After Nisha Kaur Uberoi‘s departure in August 2024, the main contact in the department is Rudresh Singh who boasts a wealth of experience in competition law matters such as restrictive practices, market dominance, and merger control.

DMD Advocates continues to attract new clients as a result of its cross-border capabilities and extensive antitrust and competition offering, which covers cartel investigations, bid rigging allegations, and leniency, as well as dawn raids, merger filings, and compliance. With expertise in acting before the CCI, NCLAT, and Supreme Court, the group has amassed an impressive client roster consisting of businesses from various sectors including automotive, aviation, and logistics, to name a few. Heading up the competition law practice is Vivek Agarwal, who specialises in abuse of dominance matters and merger controls, although he is highly adept at advising on vertical restraints, gun-jumping issues, and implementing competition policies.

With experience acting before the CCI, appellate tribunal, and Supreme Court in matters pertaining to anti-competitive agreements and abuse of dominance allegations, DSK Legal is a notable name in the antitrust and competition space. The group’s capability to handle both enforcement actions and merger control cases continues to attract new clients from a range of industry sectors including agribusiness, technology, and media. Co-leading the department are Abdullah Hussain, Kunal Mehra, Kanika Chaudhary Nayar, and Abhishek Singh Baghel, all of whom bring a wealth of experience to the practice. Hussain and Nayar stand out in particular for their ‘excellent knowledge of the chemicals and agriculture industries’.

IndusLaw‘s antitrust and competition practice stands out for its extensive experience handling anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominance allegations, and merger control issues, as well as dawn raids, leniency cases, and regulatory compliance. With a breadth of expertise, the group continues to attract new clients from the e-commerce, technology, and shipping sectors, among others. Unnati Agrawal is the main contact in the team and is noted for her aptitude in representing corporates, banks, and financial institutions before the CCI, NCLAT, and Supreme Court in litigation regarding cartel allegations, abuse of dominance, and leniency. She is also adept at advising on M&A transactions from a merger control perspective. Nikita Agarwal joined from AZB & Partners in March 2024.

Specialising in litigation and merger control reviews, the antitrust and competition practice at Luthra and Luthra Law Offices India has extensive experience acting before the Supreme Court, the CCI, and the competition appellate tribunal on behalf of clients from the manufacturing, energy, and pharmaceuticals sectors, among others. GR Bhatia is a notable name in the group for his expertise in handling abuse of dominance matters, anti-competitive agreements, cartel investigations, and leniency cases. The team also benefits from the aptitude of Arjun Nihal Singh, who concentrates on merger filings, cartel and abuse of dominance investigations, and regulatory compliance.

The antitrust and competition team at Samvad Partners stands out for its extensive experience representing the CCI in enforcement disputes, although the group is also adept at advising on merger control matters, cartel allegations and investigations, and regulatory compliance. With cross-border capabilities and a broad offering, the practice continues to attract new clients from the manufacturing, automobile, and technology sectors, among others. Arjun Krishnan heads up the practice and specialises in competition litigation and merger control filings. Another notable name in the department is Ankur Singh, who concentrates on enforcement matters including cartelisation and abuse of dominance cases before the Supreme Court and the CCI.

Dentons Link Legal is noted for its focus on the aviation sector, assisting clients on day-to-day advisory matters as well as antitrust litigation before the CCI. Abhishek Sharma heads the practice and has experience representing clients before the Director General, the CCI, and the Competition Appellate Tribunal in both investigations and proceedings related to allegations of anti-competitive conduct. Founding partner and executive chairman Atul Sharma has expertise across a range of industry sectors including energy, automotive, and infrastructure.

Concentrating on cartelisation allegations and investigations, the antitrust and competition practice at Dua Associates is instructed by clients from a range of industry sectors including power, communications, and pharmaceuticals. Gautam Shahi heads up the practice and offers deep experience acting before the CCI, NCLAT, and Supreme Court on enforcement matters. He is also adept at assisting with competition compliance and M&A filings.

Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan's antitrust and competition practice offers representation before the CCI, NCLAT, and Supreme Court on behavioural matters such as anti-competitive agreements and allegations of cartelisation, as well as advisory services relating to regulatory compliance and training programmes. The group is instructed by clients from a wide array of industry sectors including automotive, infrastructure, and e-commerce, among others. Charanya Lakshmikumaran leads the practice and specialises in dispute resolution, while Neelambera Sandeepan stands out for her breadth of practice which covers investigations into anti-competitive agreements and abuse of dominance, leniency applications, and merger control matters.

Veritas Legal has a robust antitrust and competition offering which includes M&A filings, anti-competitive agreements, and regulatory compliance. The group is predominantly instructed by companies from the IT, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, and media and entertainment industries, as well as businesses from the energy and real estate sectors. With enforcement and merger control capabilities, alongside experience acting before the CCI, the team continues to attract new clients. Co-leading the practice are regulatory and disputes specialist Rahul Dwarkadas and competition law expert Zenia Cassinath. Cassinath is adept at both merger control and behavioural competition law issues.