Published on : 10 Oct 2025, 11:48 am 4 min read

Historically, competition law and white-collar crime inhabited parallel but separate spheres. Competition law aimed at preserving market efficiency and consumer welfare, while white-collar crime tackled deceit, fraud and economic malfeasance.

Corporate misconduct today defies those neat separations. A cartel is as much a secret conspiracy as an antitrust violation. Bid-rigging in procurement defrauds the public and distorts markets. Dominance in a digital platform may involve data misuse or misleading disclosures.

In India, the Competition Act, 2002 sets out a predominantly administrative regime. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) can impose civil penalties, but there is no criminal sanction in the Act. In the United States,

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