CAT dismisses Strepsils appeal, hears major competition cases

ISLAMABAD: The Competition Appellate Tribunal (CAT) has dismissed the appeal filed by Reckitt Benckiser in the Strepsils case due to non-prosecution. The company’s counsel sought an adjournment, citing that he was abroad. However, the Tribunal rejected the request, noting that a similar excuse was presented at the previous hearing.
Earlier, the bench had imposed a fine of Rs50,000 on the counsel for failing to appear. With no appearance once again, the appeal was dismissed. The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) had imposed a penalty of Rs150 million on the company in 2021 for misleading advertising and deceptive marketing, which gave the impression that Strepsils was a medicated remedy for sore throat.
The Tribunal also held hearings in several other key competition cases. Eight poultry hatcheries recently fined Rs155 million by CCP for anti-competitive practices in the sale of day-old chicks have filed individual appeals. The Tribunal admitted the appeals for regular hearing and fixed the cases for September 10, 2025.
In another case, two appeals were filed by Fatima Fertilizer Limited against CCP’s order on price fixing in the fertilizer sector. CAT admitted the appeals and suspended CCP’s order. The next hearing is scheduled for September 10, 2025. CCP had recently imposed fines totaling Rs375 million on six fertilizer companies, including Fatima Fertilizer and their trade body FMPAC.
Arguments also concluded in the appeal filed by Unilever Pakistan and Friesland Campina Engro in the frozen dessert in advertisements. The case centers on the use of the term “ice cream” instead of “frozen dessert” on packaging. CCP had fined both companies Rs75 million each in December 2024 for misleading consumers. The Tribunal has reserved its order and is expected to issue directions that could impact labeling practices for ice-cream and frozen dessert products.
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