India’s Supreme Court has stopped regulatory approval for the Future Group’s $3.4 billion asset sale to Reliance Industries Ltd., effectively halting the deal and marking another victory for Amazon.com Inc., which wants to scuttle the transaction in its bid to dominate the country’s retail sector.
Agreeing with the American e-commerce giant’s petition, the top court on Monday overturned a lower court’s ruling and stopped India’s company tribunal from approving the transaction till further orders. The court issued notices to Future Retail Ltd. seeking written statements on Amazon’s petition. Justice Rohinton F. Nariman who’s heading the two-judge panel said the court will hear the case again after five week.