Google on Thursday said it had filed a writ in the Delhi High Court against the Competition Commission of India (CCI), following the leak of a ‘confidential report’. On September 18, an interim fact-finding report submitted by the Director General’s office to CCI relating to an ongoing probe into Google’s Android smartphone agreements was leaked to the media, the company said.
The company’s petition is scheduled to come up for hearing before the High Court on Friday. Earlier during the day, Google had sought an urgent hearing on its plea which was permitted by the HC.
In a statement, Google said it aims to prevent any further unlawful disclosures of confidential findings by the CCI investigative arm.
It noted that the DG’s findings did not reflect the final decision of the CCI and the submission of the investigation report is an interim procedural step. Google has not yet had the opportunity to review the DG’s findings, much less submit its defence of any allegations, it added.
“Today, Google filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court seeking redress in this matter, specifically protesting against the breach of confidence which impairs Google’s ability to defend itself and harms Google and its partners,” it said.
A Google spokesperson said, “We are deeply concerned that the Director General’s Report, which contains our confidential information in an ongoing case, was leaked to the media while in the CCI’s custody.”
“Protecting confidential information is fundamental to any governmental investigation, and we are pursuing our legal right to seek redress and prevent any further unlawful disclosures. We cooperated fully and maintained confidentiality throughout the investigative process, and we hope and expect the same level of confidentiality from the institutions we engage with,” the spokesperson added.
