Madison urges Delhi High Court to quash CCI ad sector probe: Report
In March, CCI raided the offices of Madison and other major advertising agencies and broadcasters on suspicion of collusion involving advertising rates and discounts — one of the broadest regulatory crackdowns ever in India’s ad industry.
- Oct 9, 2025,
- Updated Oct 9, 2025 9:18 PM IST
Madison Communications has approached the Delhi High Court to quash the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) antitrust probe into the ad‑agency sector, alleging its top executives were interrogated during March raids without legal counsel and that the regulator has violated procedural safeguards, as per a Reuters report.
In March, CCI raided the offices of Madison and other major advertising agencies and broadcasters on suspicion of collusion involving advertising rates and discounts — one of the broadest regulatory crackdowns ever in India’s ad industry.
The investigation was triggered by a leniency application submitted by Dentsu in early 2024, which reportedly revealed evidence of coordination via messaging platforms. Madison’s filing, submitted October 8, seeks not only to halt the probe entirely but also to strike down summonses already issued to its Chairman, Sam Balsara, and Executive Director, Vikram Sakhuja, the Reuters report added.
Business Today was unable to verify the development independently.
Alleged procedural violations The 276‑page petition contends that during the March raids, Balsara and Sakhuja were questioned “in the middle of the night, in the presence of armed personnel,” without any opportunity to “engage or consult lawyers before their statement was recorded”, as per the Reuters report. Madison argues this contravened their rights to legal representation and amounted to coercion.
In addition, Madison asserts the CCI failed to disclose which documents or digital evidence were seized during the raids — a deficiency the agency says violates legal mandates around transparency and procedural fairness, the report added. The petition frames this as a breach of due process, demanding that the searches be declared invalid.
Madison also challenges the timing and substance of summonses issued to Balsara and Sakhuja, seeking to have them quashed pending resolution of its petition.
Preliminary assessments by the CCI — based on internal filings reviewed by Reuters — suggest multiple leading agencies may have coordinated pricing strategies through informal forums, including WhatsApp groups. A prior CCI document dated February 2025 reportedly points to collusion via industry associations such as the Advertising Agencies Association of India and the Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation.
If found liable, the agencies could face fines up to three times their profits or 10% of global turnover for each year of infringement — whichever is higher.
Publicis, another agency under the CCI’s scanner, has separately petitioned the Delhi High Court to gain access to portions of the investigation’s case files — but has not asked to have the probe quashed, the Reuters report added.
Meanwhile, CCI has not publicly responded to the petition, and Madison has declined to comment beyond the court filing.
Madison Communications has approached the Delhi High Court to quash the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) antitrust probe into the ad‑agency sector, alleging its top executives were interrogated during March raids without legal counsel and that the regulator has violated procedural safeguards, as per a Reuters report.
In March, CCI raided the offices of Madison and other major advertising agencies and broadcasters on suspicion of collusion involving advertising rates and discounts — one of the broadest regulatory crackdowns ever in India’s ad industry.
The investigation was triggered by a leniency application submitted by Dentsu in early 2024, which reportedly revealed evidence of coordination via messaging platforms. Madison’s filing, submitted October 8, seeks not only to halt the probe entirely but also to strike down summonses already issued to its Chairman, Sam Balsara, and Executive Director, Vikram Sakhuja, the Reuters report added.
Business Today was unable to verify the development independently.
Alleged procedural violations The 276‑page petition contends that during the March raids, Balsara and Sakhuja were questioned “in the middle of the night, in the presence of armed personnel,” without any opportunity to “engage or consult lawyers before their statement was recorded”, as per the Reuters report. Madison argues this contravened their rights to legal representation and amounted to coercion.
In addition, Madison asserts the CCI failed to disclose which documents or digital evidence were seized during the raids — a deficiency the agency says violates legal mandates around transparency and procedural fairness, the report added. The petition frames this as a breach of due process, demanding that the searches be declared invalid.
Madison also challenges the timing and substance of summonses issued to Balsara and Sakhuja, seeking to have them quashed pending resolution of its petition.
Preliminary assessments by the CCI — based on internal filings reviewed by Reuters — suggest multiple leading agencies may have coordinated pricing strategies through informal forums, including WhatsApp groups. A prior CCI document dated February 2025 reportedly points to collusion via industry associations such as the Advertising Agencies Association of India and the Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation.
If found liable, the agencies could face fines up to three times their profits or 10% of global turnover for each year of infringement — whichever is higher.
Publicis, another agency under the CCI’s scanner, has separately petitioned the Delhi High Court to gain access to portions of the investigation’s case files — but has not asked to have the probe quashed, the Reuters report added.
Meanwhile, CCI has not publicly responded to the petition, and Madison has declined to comment beyond the court filing.