LHC dismisses Honda Atlas appeal against CCP enquiry

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has dismissed an intra-court appeal filed by Honda Atlas Cars (Pakistan) Ltd., upholding the Competition Commission of Pakistan’s (CCP) authority to conduct enquiries and reaffirming the appeals mechanism under the Competition Act, 2010.

According to a CCP statement issued on Tuesday, Honda had challenged the commission’s ongoing enquiry proceedings related to alleged anti-competitive practices in the automobile sector, including on-money (premium), delayed deliveries, and price hikes after booking.

The company had filed the intra-court appeal against an October 20, 2025 judgment by a single judge of the LHC, which had already dismissed its writ petition against the CCP enquiry.

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In that ruling, the court held that the CCP is fully empowered under Sections 36 and 37 of the Competition Act, 2010, to collect information, examine market conduct, and investigate potential anti-competitive behaviour.

It also observed that providing information to the commission is a statutory obligation and rejected attempts to challenge its jurisdiction at an advanced stage of proceedings.

While hearing the intra-court appeal, a two-member LHC bench comprising Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal and Justice Syed Ahsan Raza Kazmi ruled that the appeal was not maintainable, stating that the law already provides a specific and adequate appellate mechanism within the competition law framework.

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The court noted that under the Competition Act, any person aggrieved by an order passed by a CCP member or authorised officer may file an appeal before the Appellate Bench of the commission within 30 days.

Similarly, appeals against orders of two or more members of the commission or its Appellate Bench can be filed before the Competition Appellate Tribunal within 60 days.

The bench held that the existence of these remedies makes constitutional petitions and intra-court appeals inadmissible at an intermediate stage, particularly when enquiry proceedings are still underway, and no final order has been passed.

The CCP said its enquiry, initiated in November 2018, involved multiple notices seeking detailed information, but despite extensions, the required data was not fully furnished.

The judgment reinforces the self-contained appellate structure under the Competition Act and strengthens the CCP’s mandate to enforce fair competition and transparency in the market, the commission added.