AGNI STEELS PRIVATE LIMITED Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) On 6/3/2021, one Coimbatore Corporation Contractors Welfare Association lodged a complaint with the Central Bureau of Investigation, New Delhi, alleging that the nine companies named in the complaint which are into the business of sale of steel products, considering the demand for steel products by the real estate sector and contractors carrying out infrastructure projects, dishonestly formed a cartel among themselves to obtain wrongful gain and all of them though own iron ore mines, have hiked the price from Rs.2,500.00 to Rs.2,700.00 a tonne for flat and long products and with the hike hot rolled coil price Ex-Mumbai hit a record high of Rs.47,000.00 a tonne.

(2.) By a communication, dtd. 30/4/2001, the Superintendent of Police, SPE:CBI:ACB: Chennai, forwarded the complaint to the Director General (Investigation), Competition Commission of India, New Delhi and the said communication reads thus: " Please find enclosed complaint No.CA/0019/2021, in original, for taking necessary action at your end. CBI has not caused any enquiry on the enclosed complaint and not retained any copy of the same."

(3.) However, the said Association filed Crl.O.P.No.6153 of 2021 on the file of this Court under Sec. 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and before this Court, on behalf of the Central Bureau of Investigation, it was informed that the complaint has already been forwarded to the Competition Commission of India and that C.B.I has no jurisdiction to take up the matter. On the said submission, the above Original Petition was disposed of on the following terms :