Restrictive Trade Practices And Public Interest

After Independence, the economic climate in India had radically changed. Full employment and inflationary pressure had replaced the depressed conditions of 1950?s. it is not surprising, therefore, that public attitudes towards restrictive arrangements have hardened and that fears of the abuse of market power have become more widespread. The Government largely mirrored the change of attitude of the general public during the debates inside and outside the Parliament. Questions were frequently raised in the House of the People regarding the mal-practices of Trade Associations and dominant firms. The jurisdiction over agreement was being transferred to an expert body, i.e., MRTP Commission, from the courts. The author in this scholarly discourse examines the various forms of restrictive trade practices and other incidental matters like registration of agreement, the role of the MRTP Commission, Central Government and power, producer of the Commission in the light of public interest as defined under Section 38 of the MRTP Act. The author relied more on decided cases than on academic dissertations that have appeared in various legal journals. The Indian decisions as well as the English decisions have been exhaustively noted under the respective headings of this book.