New Delhi, The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has stayed the Rs 27.38 crore penalty imposed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Intel Corporation over its India-specific warranty policy for boxed microprocessors.
A two-member bench stayed the penalty last week until the next hearing. Intel Corporation has challenged the CCI’s February order imposing a penalty for engaging in anti-competitive practices related to its India-specific warranty policy for its boxed microprocessors.
The appellate tribunal observed Intel had already deposited 25 per cent of the penalty amount before its registry and asked the CCI to refrain from taking any coercive steps for implementation of the order.
“Considering the submission, as admittedly 25 per cent of penalty amount has since been deposited, hence further recovery stands stayed till the next date of hearing,” said a two-member NCLAT bench comprising Justice Yogesh Khanna (Member, Judicial) and Ajai Das Mehrotra (Member, Technical).
The tribunal also took on record submissions of Intel that they have “already withdrawn the India Specific Warranty Policy w.e.f. April 1, 2024 and had publicised it in the year 2024 itself on its website.”
However, CCI submitted that there should not be an issue to further publicising it since it would be in the interest of the customers.
On this, NCLAT said: “In any case, the impugned order (of CCI) does not state as to how it has to be published. Hence, the counsel of the Appellant submits they shall give a proposal in this regard, which may be considered on the next date of hearing”.
NCLAT has directed to list the matter on April 24, 2026, for the next hearing, according to the order, which was uploaded on its website on Monday.
The CCI had imposed a penalty on the company for abusing its dominant position in the market for Boxed Micro Processors (BMPs) for desktops in India.
CCI had said the India-specific warranty policy was discriminatory in comparison with Intel’s warranty policies in China, Australia and the rest of the world.
The Commission also found the policy to have limited the choice of consumers and parallel importers, and thereby causing an appreciable adverse effect on Indian consumers.
Further, CCI has directed Intel to widely publicise the withdrawal of the impugned India-specific warranty policy and submit a compliance report.
