CCI closes case against 12 Delhi hospitals after decade-long probe
23 May 2026

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has closed a decade-old case against 12 hospitals in Delhi, including Max Super Specialty Hospital and Fortis Escorts Institute.

The CCI's decision comes after an extensive investigation by its Director General (DG), which looked into several factors like the pricing of consumables, medicines, and medical devices.

The commission found no evidence to support claims that these hospitals abused their dominant position in the market.

Case closure based on DG's investigation
Investigation findings

The CCI's decision to close the case was largely based on the DG's investigation and supplementary reports.

These documents were submitted in September 2024, after a detailed probe that started with a complaint in November 2015.

The hospitals involved include BLK Max Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi; Max Multi Specialty Centre, Panchsheel Park; Fortis Flt Lt Rajan Dhall Hospital, Vasant Kunj; Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, among others.

'Higher prices' and 'significant profit margins' observed
Pricing standards

The CCI clarified that the DG's reports only pointed out 'higher prices' and 'significant profit margins' charged by these hospitals.

However, it didn't apply the legal standard of excessive pricing as defined by the Commission and other jurisdictions.

The regulator emphasized that under Section 4 of the Competition Act, it's not just an excessive price that's illegal but an unfair one too.

Need for 2-stage test in determining abusive pricing
Pricing distinction

The CCI stressed that unfairness goes beyond excessiveness, and both need to be proved in a case of abusively high prices.

It cited the United Brands case, which laid down a two-stage test to determine if the price charged by a dominant enterprise for a product was abusive.

The first stage is Excessive Limb, and the second is Unfair Limb.