The Institute of Law, Nirma University successfully hosted the 4th Edition of the Antitrust Conference as part of the XV ILNU Antitrust Moot, Conference & Paper Presentation on 27 February 2026. The conference brought together leading practitioners, competition law experts, and students to deliberate on pressing structural and doctrinal challenges shaping contemporary antitrust enforcement. The discussions were structured around two central themes reflecting the evolving dynamics of digital and platform-driven markets
The first panel, comprising Akshay Nanda (Partner, Saraf & Partners), Modhulika Bose (Partner, Chandhiok & Mahajan), Varun Rathod (Senior Associate, AZB & Partners), and Ankush Walia (Counsel, Trilegal), deliberated on “Reassessing Price Parity Clauses: Interactions with Discounting Practices, Regulatory Divergence, and the Evolving Framework of Vertical Restraints.” The discussion focused on the interplay between deep discounting strategies and price parity obligations, particularly in digital markets where such mechanisms may lead to market-wide pricing uniformity and potentially restrict price-based competition.
The panel further examined the economic and legal justifications for vertical restraints, including resale price maintenance (RPM) and Most Favoured Nation (MFN) clauses. The speakers discussed the need to balance legitimate commercial considerations such as preventing free-riding and ensuring platform viability against concerns of foreclosure and anti-competitive effects. The complexities of assessing such clauses under Indian competition law were also highlighted.
Comparative perspectives were drawn from international regulatory frameworks, particularly the European Union’s differentiated approach to wide and narrow MFNs. The panel emphasised how regulatory divergence across jurisdictions creates compliance challenges for multinational enterprises and underscored the need for doctrinal clarity within India’s evolving competition law framework.
The second panel featured Akshay Nanda, Jincy Francis (FTI Consulting), and Mohith Gauri (Competition Lawyer), who engaged in a discussion on “Duopoly Dominance: Rethinking India’s Antitrust Framework.” The panel critically analysed whether India’s abuse of dominance regime, traditionally centred on single-firm dominance, sufficiently captures competitive harm arising in duopolistic markets, particularly in the digital economy.
The speakers examined structural features such as network effects, data advantages, and economies of scale that reinforce duopoly power and create high entry barriers. These factors, especially prevalent in technology-driven markets, raise important questions about market contestability and the adequacy of existing enforcement tools to address shared or parallel dominance.
The discussion also explored the role of algorithmic governance in duopolistic settings. Pricing algorithms, ranking systems, and recommendation mechanisms were considered in light of their potential to facilitate exclusionary conduct or soft coordination without explicit collusion. The panel concluded by reflecting on the evidentiary and statutory constraints faced by enforcement authorities and the possible need for recalibration of India’s antitrust framework.
The 4th Edition of the Antitrust Conference provided a significant platform for informed dialogue on emerging issues in competition law. By engaging with complex questions surrounding vertical restraints, parity clauses, and duopolistic market structures, the conference meaningfully contributed to ongoing discussions on strengthening India’s antitrust jurisprudence in an increasingly digital and concentrated marketplace.
