The statutory body established under Section 7 of the Competition Act, 2002, comprising a Chairperson and not less than 2 and not more than 6 members (maximum 7), appointed by the Central Government. Constituted in 2003 and fully operational from 2009 (when the MRTP Act was repealed and the MRTP Commission dissolved). Current Chairperson: Ravneet Kaur (IAS 1988, Punjab cadre; appointed 23 May 2023; first woman to head CCI; also given additional charge as NFRA Chairperson for April–June 2025). The CCI enforces three pillars of competition law: (1) anti-competitive agreements (Section 3 — horizontal agreements presumed AAEC, vertical agreements under rule of reason); (2) abuse of dominant position (Section 4 — dominance itself is not prohibited, only its abuse); and (3) regulation of combinations (Sections 5-6 — mergers/acquisitions exceeding asset/turnover thresholds or the deal value threshold of Rs 2,000 crore introduced by the 2023 Amendment). The CCI has extra-territorial jurisdiction (Section 32) and its orders are appealable to the NCLAT and then the Supreme Court.