Media cartel probe: CCI search and seizure targeted Publicis South Asia CEO, court filing reveals
TLG India, the Indian arm of French advertising giant Publicis Groupe, also alleged that during the Search and Seizure, legal counsels of Publicis were not allowed to interact with any of its employees or with CCI officials present during the raids.
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Publicis Groupe’s South Asia CEO Anupriya Acharya was at the center of the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) search and seizure operation conducted on 18 and 19 March, 2025, according to a petition filed before the Delhi High Court by TLG India.
TLG India, the Indian arm of French advertising giant Publicis Groupe, also alleged that during the Search and Seizure, legal counsels of Publicis were not allowed to interact with any of its employees or with CCI officials present during the raids.
The petition states, "It is clarified that during the Search and Seizure at the premises of the Petitioner, CCI officials specifically sought presence of Anupriya Acharya and she was the focus of the Search and Seizure."
Counsel for Publicis was also not allowed access to any document, rather, CCI officials during the Search and Seizure refused to speak to the counsel of the Petitioner or provide any information or details pertaining to the investigation.
The petition (seen by Storyboard18) states, "If the counsel for the Petitioner were granted access to the CMM Warrant during the Search and Seizure, it would have pointed out the apparent mistake that there is no enterprise identified for the purpose of the investigation in Suo Motu Case No. 02 of 2024 as far as it identified the “Publicis Groupe” and not a legal entity/ person registered in India."
The petition further contends that “Publicis Groupe” is neither a juristic person nor an “enterprise” under Section 2(h) of the Competition Act, 2002, and therefore cannot be subjected to investigation. TLG India has maintained that it is the correct legal entity that should have been named in the proceedings.
According to the petition, CCI officials prevented Publicis’ legal counsel from interacting with employees, accessing documents, or even reviewing the court warrant during the raid. The petitioner alleged that this denial of access prevented counsel from pointing out what it called a “fundamental error” in the CCI’s warrant, which named “Publicis Groupe” instead of a legally registered entity in India.
The petition comes against the backdrop of the CCI’s sweeping March 2025 probe into alleged cartelization and price-fixing in India’s advertising sector. The investigation has triggered dawn raids on several major advertising conglomerates including Publicis, WPP’s GroupM, Dentsu, Omnicom, Havas, Madison, IPG, and extended scrutiny to key industry bodies such as the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA), and the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF).
Publicis has become the first advertising major to formally challenge the regulator’s procedure in court. In July 2025, it urged the CCI to pause its probe until the company was allowed to review case documents, but the regulator pressed ahead, issuing summons to the company’s South Asia leadership and seeking details of contracts, revenue-sharing agreements, and other records.
In response to the petition, the Delhi High Court has issued notice to the CCI, asking the regulator to file its reply within two weeks. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on October 9, 2025, with the court directing that a copy of the prima facie opinion passed by the regulator in Suo Motu Case No. 2 of 2024 also be placed on record.
