Apple (AAPL) has urged an Indian court to stop the country’s antitrust regulator from seeking its global financial records as part of a probe into its App Store policies, Reuters reported, citing court papers.
Apple is concerned that it could be fined up to $38B if the Competition Commission of India, or CCI, uses its global turnover calculation for fines, after an investigation allegedly found the company abused its position on its app store. The company, which denies the allegations, has challenged the penalty rules in an Indian court, and the matter is pending.
Last week, it was reported that the CCI issued a final warning to Apple that it would proceed in a case as the company had delayed responses to officials for over a year and undermined the probe.
The CCI is seeking financials from Apple in a private order on Dec. 31, 2025, and Apple has now asked a Delhi High Court judge to direct CCI to not act against the company at this stage. The company has asked the court to put the entire probe on hold, according to a Jan. 15 Apple filing, which is not public, the report added.
The U.S. tech giant argues that being forced to comply now would defeat its main legal challenge against India’s penalty rules. The CCI has defended the rules as necessary to discourage breaches by multinationals, the report noted.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Seeking Alpha.
The Delhi High Court is slated to hear the matter on Jan. 27.
Since 2022, Tinder-owner Match (MTCH) and Indian startups have been in an antitrust tussle with Apple at the CCI. In July 2024, it was reported that a probe by the CCI allegedly found that Apple exploited its dominant position in the app store market on iOS, engaging “in abusive conduct and practices.”