India’s competition body, known as the Competition Commission of India (CCI), has issued a final warning to Apple over its attempts to delay an ongoing investigation into antitrust cases, Reuters reported.
Apple has been involved in an antitrust case in India since 2021, related to problems with payments within applications, and the American company may face a potential fine of up to $38 billion.
This case came amid Apple’s objection to the new Indian law on fines in monopoly cases, which may allow the authority to use the company’s global revenues to calculate the penalty.
In response, the committee in October 2024 required Apple to submit its objections to the investigation’s findings and provide it with the usual financial details for assessing fines, but Reuters reports that Apple has received repeated extensions since then.
In a confidential order issued on December 31, 2025, the committee stated that “repeated extensions, despite clear guidance, undermine procedural discipline and impede reaching a speedy conclusion to the proceedings,” adding that “such leniency cannot be continued indefinitely.”
The committee indicated that it would continue the procedures unilaterally if it did not receive a response from Apple by next week, given the company’s delay in responding to officials for more than a year, which affected the progress of the investigation.
Reuters quoted a source familiar with the matter as saying, “Apple considers the Competition Commission’s order issued in December a step to pave the way for the ongoing judicial proceedings, and it is unlikely to respond to it before the court hearing scheduled for January 27.”
