law: Trade Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1969 
  31. Investigation by Commission of Monopolistic Trade Practices
  (1) Where it appears to the
  
  Central Government that the owners of one or more undertakings are indulging in
  
  any practice which is, or, may be, a monopolistic trade practice, or that,
  
  monopolistic trade practices prevail in respect of any goods or services, that
  
  Government may refer the matter to the Commission for an inquiry and the
  
  Commission shall, after such hearing as it thinks fit, report to the Central
  
  Government its findings thereon :
  Provided that where the
  
  Commission receives any application from the Director General or any
  
  information, or comes to know, that the owner of any undertaking is, or, the
  
  owners of two or more undertakings are, indulging in any trade practice, which
  
  is, or may be, a monopolistic trade practice, or that monopolistic trade
  
  practices prevail in respect of any goods or services, it may on such
  
  application or on its own motion, and notwithstanding that no reference has
  
  been made to it by the Central Government under this sub-section, make an
  
  inquiry into the matter.
  
  
  (2) If as a result of such inquiry, the Commission makes a finding to the
  
  effect that, having regard to the economic conditions prevailing in the country
  
  and to all other
  
  matters which appear in particular circumstances to be relevant, the trade
  
  practice operates or is likely to operate against the public interest, it shall
  
  make a
  
  report to the Central Government as to its findings thereon and on receipt of
  
  such report, the Central Government may, notwithstanding anything contained in
  
  any other law for the time being in force, pass such orders as it may think fit
  
  to remedy or prevent any mischiefs which result or may result from such trade
  
  practice.
  
  
  (2A) If any such report contains a finding of the Commission to the effect that
  
  the owner of any undertaking is, or, the owners of two or more undertakings
  
  are,
  
  indulging in any monopolistic trade practice, or that monopolistic trade
  
  practice prevails in respect of any goods or services, and the Central
  
  Government is satisfied that it is necessary to take steps to remedy or prevent
  
  any mischiefs which result or may result from such monopolistic trade practice,
  
  and that such monopolistic trade practice does not fall within any of the
  
  exceptions specified in section 32, it may, notwithstanding anything contained
  
  elsewhere in this Act or in any other law for the time being in force, make
  
  such orders as it may think fit, -
  (a) prohibiting the
  
  owner of the concerned undertaking or the owners of the concerned undertakings,
  
  as the case may be, from continuing to indulge in such monopolistic trade
  
  practice; or
  (b) prohibiting the
  
  owners of any class of undertaking or undertakings generally, from continuing
  
  to indulge in any monopolistic trade practices in relation to such goods or
  
  services, and may also make such other orders as it may think fit to remedy or
  
  prevent any mischief which results, or may result, from the continuation of
  
  monopolistic trade practices in relation to the goods and services aforesaid.
  (3) Without prejudice to the
  
  generality of the powers conferred by sub-section (2A), any order made by the
  
  Central Government under this section may also include an order -
  (a) regulating the
  
  production, storage, supply, distribution or control of any goods by the
  
  undertaking or the control of supply of any service by it and fixing the terms
  
  of sale (including prices) or supply thereof;
  (b) prohibiting the
  
  undertaking from resorting to any act or practice or from pursuing any
  
  commercial policy which prevents or lessens, or is likely to prevent or lessen,
  
  competition in the production, storage, supply or distribution of any goods or
  
  provision of any services;
  (c) fixing standards
  
  for the goods used or produced by the undertaking;
  (d) declaring unlawful,
  
  except to such extent and in such circumstances as may be provided by or under
  
  the order, the making or carrying out of any such agreement as may be specified
  
  or described in the order;
  (e) requiring any party
  
  to any such agreement as may be so specified or described to determine the
  
  agreement within such time as may be so specified, either wholly or to such
  
  extend as may be so specified;
  (f) regulating the
  
  profits which may be derived from the production, storage, supply, distribution
  
  or control of goods or from the provision of any service;
  
  
  (g) regulating the quality of any goods or the provision of any service so that
  
  the standards thereof may not deteriorate.
  (4) Whenever any order is made by
  
  the Central Government under sub-section (2A) prohibiting the owner of any
  
  undertaking or class of undertakings or undertakings generally from continuing
  
  to indulge in any monopolistic trade practice, -
  (a) the owner of any
  
  undertaking or the owners of undertakings of any class, as the case may be,
  
  shall, within thirty days form the date of receipt of such order (or within
  
  such further time as the Central Government may, on sufficient cause being
  
  shown, allow) communicate to the Central Government his or their compliance
  
  with the order; and
  (b) the Director
  
  General shall within ninety days from the date of such order (or from the
  
  expiry of the further time allowed by the Central Government) inform the
  
  Central Government, whether the order made by it has been complied with, and
  
  where the Director General has any reason to believe that any such order has
  
  been, or in being, contravened by the owner of any undertaking, he shall inform
  
  the Central Government about the particulars of the owner of such undertaking
  
  to, enable that Government to take such action, under this Act, as it may think
  
  fit.