Amazon, Flipkart to face India antitrust probe after court order

India’s Supreme Court allowed an antitrust investigation to proceed against Amazon.com Inc.’s local unit and Walmart Inc.-backed Flipkart Internet Pvt. for allegedly abusing their dominance by offering deep discounts and preferential treatment to some vendors.

A three-judge panel headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana rejected separate petitions by Amazon and Flipkart seeking to halt the probe. The firms have four weeks to respond to notices from the Competition Commission of India. "We expect big giants like Amazon, Flipkart volunteering for inquiry and transparency and you don’t even want it,” Ramana said. "Inquiry has to be permitted.”