Appellate Tribunal
Section 53A of the Competition Act, 2002 deals with appellate Tribunal. [ [ [ [53A. Appellate Tribunal.-- The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal constituted under section 410 of the Companies Act, 2013 ( 18 of 2013) shall, on and from the commencement of Part XIV of Chapter VI of the Finance Act, 2017 (7 of 2017), be the Appellate Tribunal for the purposes of this The Act came into force on 31 Mar 2003.
1[ 2[ 3[ 4[53A. Appellate Tribunal.-- The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal constituted under section 410 of the Companies Act, 2013 ( 18 of 2013) shall, on and from the commencement of Part XIV of Chapter VI of the Finance Act, 2017 (7 of 2017), be the Appellate Tribunal for the purposes of this Act and the said Appellate Tribunal shall--
(a) hear and dispose of appeals against any direction issued or decision made or order passed by the Commission under 5[sub-section (6) of section 6, sub-sections (2), (2A), (6) and (9) of section 26], section 27, section 28, section 31, section 32, section 33, section 38, section 39, section 43, section 43A, section 44, section 45 or section 46 of this Act; and
(b) adjudicate on claim for compensation that may arise from the findings of the Commission or the orders of the Appellate Tribunal in an appeal against any finding of the Commission or under section 42A or under sub-section (2) of section 53Q of this Act, and pass orders for the recovery of compensation under section 53N of this Act.]
Section 53A, The Competition Act, 2002 (Act 12 of 2003).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
This section refers to
- Companies Act s. 410 Constitution of Appellate Tribunal
- s. 6 Regulation of combinations
- s. 26 Procedure for inquiry under section 19
- s. 27 Orders by Commission after inquiry into agreements or abuse of dominant position
- s. 28 Division of enterprise enjoying dominant position
- s. 31 Orders of Commission on certain combinations
- s. 32 Acts taking place outside India but having an effect on competition in India
- s. 33 Power to issue interim orders
- s. 38 Rectification of orders
- s. 39 Execution of orders of Commission imposing monetary penalty
- s. 42A Compensation in case of contravention of orders of Commission
- s. 43 Penalty for failure to comply with directions of Commission and Director General
- s. 43A Power to impose penalty for non-furnishing of information on combinations
- s. 44 Penalty for making false statement or omission to furnish material information
- s. 45 Penalty for contraventions in relation to furnishing of information
- s. 46 Power to impose lesser penalty
- s. 53N Awarding compensation
- s. 53Q Contravention of orders of Appellate Tribunal
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Competition Commission of India v. Steel Authority of India Ltd.
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
CCI is an expert body. Director General investigation under s.26, inquiry under s.19, and CCI's duties under s.18 are part of a specialised scheme; s.61 excludes civil-court jurisdiction over the same subject. COMPAT's interference with a CCI direction to investigate was set aside. Single labelled Judgment of Main Case (order-1.pdf, 2010-09-09).
On this section: s.53A Appellate Tribunal — defines which CCI orders are appealable to COMPAT/Appellate Tribunal; s.26(1) directions fall outside s.53A appeal.
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Judgments citing this section
These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.
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… any remedy to a person/enterprise, who/which without being afforded any opportunity, has by an order/direction under Section 26(1) been ordered/directed to be investigated against/into. Though ComPAT has been created as an appellate forum against the orders of CCI but its appellate jurisdiction is circumscribed by Section 53A of the Competition Act and no appeal is prescribed against the order of CCI under Section 26(1) of the Act. The said person/enterprise, in the absence of any remedy, has but to allow itself to be subjected to and participate in the investigation." "18(K) We are of the opinion that once petitions under Article …
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… any remedy to a person/enterprise, who/which without being afforded any opportunity, has by an order/direction under Section 26(1) been ordered/directed to be investigated against/into. Though ComPAT has been created as an appellate forum against the orders of CCI but its appellate jurisdiction is circumscribed by Section 53A of the Competition Act and no appeal is prescribed against the order of CCI under Section 26(1) of the Act. The said person/enterprise, in the absence of any remedy, has but to allow itself to be subjected to and participate in the investigation." "18(K) We are of the opinion that once petitions under Article …
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… any remedy to a person/enterprise, who/which without being afforded any opportunity, has by an order/direction under Section 26(1) been ordered/directed to be investigated against/into. Though ComPAT has been created as an appellate forum against the orders of CCI but its appellate jurisdiction is circumscribed by Section 53A of the Competition Act and no appeal is prescribed against the order of CCI under Section 26(1) of the Act. The said person/enterprise, in the absence of any remedy, has but to allow itself to be subjected to and participate in the investigation." "18(K) We are of the opinion that once petitions under Article …
Made under this section, and citing it
1 instrument names this provision in its title or its text without being made under it.
Questions about Section 53A
What have the courts held on Section 53A of the Competition Act?
Competition Commission of India v. Steel Authority of India Ltd. (09 Sep 2010) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: s.53A Appellate Tribunal — defines which CCI orders are appealable to COMPAT/Appellate Tribunal; s.26(1) directions fall outside s.53A appeal.
How do I find court cases under Section 53A of the Competition Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Competition Act 53A, section 53A Competition Act, section 53A of the Competition Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Competition Commission of India v. Steel Authority of India Ltd. (09 Sep 2010).
What should I read with Section 53A of the Competition Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on Companies Act 410 (Constitution of Appellate Tribunal), section 6 (Regulation of combinations), section 26 (Procedure for inquiry under section 19), section 27 (Orders by Commission after inquiry into agreements or abuse of dominant position), and on 14 further provisions, so none of them can safely be read on its own. 4 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. One instrument names it without being made under it, most recently The Competition Appellate Tribunal (Form and fee for filing an appeal and fee for filing compensation applications) Rules, 2009 (2009).
When did Section 53A of the Competition Act come into force?
Section 53A of the Competition Act, cited as Competition Act 53A, came into force on 31 Mar 2003, having been enacted on 13 Jan 2003. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 66. Repeal and saving1683 words
- 2. Definitions1390 words
- 5. Combination1317 words
- 6. Regulation of combinations920 words
- 3. Anti-competitive agreements850 words
- 26. Procedure for inquiry under section 19788 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 17 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.