NEW DELHI (Reuters) - An investigation by India's antitrust body found food delivery giants Zomato and SoftBank-backed Swiggy breached competition laws, with their business practices favouring restaurant chains listed on their platforms, documents show.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has found that food delivery giants Zomato and Swiggy to have violated competition laws, as per Reuters. The investigation found that the companies' business practices favored certain restaurants listed on their platforms.

The antitrust investigation against Swiggy and its top rival Zomato began in 2022 after a complaint by National Restaurant Association of India about the impact on food outlets of alleged anti-competitive practices of the platforms.

Swiggy and Zomato are reportedly in breach of competition laws, favouring certain restaurants in the country, says a CCI report.

Zomato entered into "exclusivity contracts" with partners in return for lower commissions, while Swiggy guaranteed business growth to certain players if they listed exclusively on its platform, according to non-public documents prepared by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).

The situation in India is not that unfamiliar compared to the US, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, France or anywhere else. Here are five delivery apps and how they charge customers for food delivery.

Exclusivity arrangements between Swiggy, Zomato and their respective restaurant partners 'prevent the market from becoming more competitive' the CCI's investigation arm noted, says the report