The year has been a long one, even more so for Big Tech firms. The behemoths have seen their reign being challenged and subject to scrutiny across the world. India is a key market to the giants of the tech and e-commerce industries, and also a country that has been dealing strictly with such behemoths which indulge in anti-competitive practices.

Apple is one such company, and it seems that its woes will continue. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) ordered a probe against the company for allegedly indulging in anti-competitive practices and abusing its dominance in the market, specially in relation to its app store policies.

The issue is not an old one. There have been complaints that the giants leverage their dominance to make it tough for competitors and mandate app developers to use the company’s payment system and not others. Apple’s App Store has also been guilty of levying steep commissions for in-app purchases.

In a 20-page order, the anti-trust regulator of the country noted that the App Store was the only channel for app developers to distribute their apps to iOS consumers. Additionally, third-party stores were not allowed to be listed on Apple’s App Store as the developer guidelines and agreement prohibited app developers from offering such services.

“At this stage, it appears that the lack of competitive constraint in the distribution of mobile apps is likely to affect the terms on which Apple provides access to its App Store to the app developers, including the commission rates and terms that thwart certain app developers from using other in-app payment systems,” the CCI said in its order. Since the App Store is the only way users can download apps on the iPhone and iPad devices, Apple had control over a large volume of payments made through the App Store.

The CCI has taken a prima facie view that Apple’s policy of restricting developers to only use Apple’s in-app payments system for paid apps and in-app purchases “restrict[s] the choice available to the app developers to select a payment processing system of their choice especially considering when it charges a commission of up to 30% for app purchases and in-app purchases.”

The Director-General has been directed to conduct the investigation within 60 days. The CCI may also look into whether Apple would have access to data collected from the users of its downstream competitors, which would enable it to improve its own services.

As for Apple, it urged the CCI to dismiss the case by pleading that its market share in India was too small, and thus could not be guilty of abusing its dominance. It also denied indulging in anti-competitive practices and maintained its stance that the commission charged aligned with industry standards.