Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co‘s antitrust and competition practice has established a notable reputation in the market for its expertise in restrictive agreements, including cartels and leniency applications, abuse of dominance, and damages actions, as well as merger control cases and compliance. Alongside the group’s extensive experience acting before the CCI, the NCLAT, the High Courts, and the Supreme Court, its cross-border capabilities continue to attract new and impressive clients from various industry sectors such as technology, financial services, and media and entertainment, to name a few. With no formal practice heads, the main contacts in the department include Harman Singh Sandhu and Yaman Verma, both of whom are highly adept in handling the full gamut of antitrust and competition matters including contentious, non-contentious, regulatory, and advisory mandates. Sandhu is recognised for his deep knowledge of the telecoms, natural resources, and railways sectors, while Verman concentrates on technology and e-commerce. Shweta Shroff Chopra is another notable name due to her aptitude in cartelisation, abuse of dominance, and merger control matters.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The depth of industry knowledge of the team ensures that their advice is actionable and achieves commercial objectives while being compliant.’

  • ‘Harman offers clear and practical advice with his in-depth knowledge of industry and antitrust laws.’

  • ‘Aparna is clearly very well versed in the nuance of antitrust filings and has a long history of working with the CCI. Her advice is very clear and sensible.’

  • ‘Shardul stands out among Indian firms for its practical team-based approach. You know that you are getting the right people on your matter. They are masters of the law and not afraid to challenge the government. The partners allow the junior attorneys to play key roles so the next generation is ready to go. If I have an important matter touching on India the Shardul team is my first call.’

  • ‘Naval Chopra has a deep understanding of the regulations and patiently works through issues to achieve outstanding results.’

  • ‘Shweta Shroff Chopra is a brilliant strategist who is always thinking ahead.’

  • ‘Yaman Verma masters the details of the matter and is a forceful advocate.’

Key clients

  • WhatsApp LLC
  • Meta Platforms, Inc.
  • Facebook India Online Services Private Limited
  • PVR INOX Limited
  • Monsanto
  • IBDF
  • IDMIF
  • Coal India Limited
  • DLF Limited
  • DLF Home Developers Limited
  • UBS Group AG
  • Credit Suisse Group AG
  • Titan Company Limited
  • Advent International Corporation
  • ChrysCapital
  • Gateway Velocity Holding Corporation
  • Concentrix Corporation
  • OSYRIS s.a.r.l.
  • Atlas 2022 Holdings Limited
  • Hapag-Lloyd AG
  • Gentari
  • Singapore Airlines Limited
  • TPG

Work highlights

  • Represented Monsanto (now Bayer) in proceedings before the Delhi High Court, where the High Court held that the CCI had no jurisdiction to consider disputes in relation to the licensing of intellectual property rights.
  • Represented the Indian Broadcasting Digital Federation and the Indian Digital Media Industry Foundation in CCI proceedings, where the CCI issued a prima facie order directing an investigation into Google’s pricing of the Google Play Store.
  • Represented Singapore Airlines in the notification to the CCI of the merger of Tata SIA Airlines into Air India Limited, which was approved by the CCI with limited voluntary commitments.

Lawyers

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Other key lawyers

Harman Singh Sandhu, Yaman Verma, Aparna Mehra, Naval Satarawala Chopra, Shweta Shroff Chopra, Naval Satarawala Chopra