On the merger control front, Shweta has significant experience industry wide, and is well regarded for her practical and commercially sound advice. She has successfully obtained merger clearances in several prominent cases including securing an unconditional approval for Vodafone India in its USD 23 billion merger with Idea Cellular in Phase 1. This was a merger of no. 2 and 3 in the telecom sector, which created the largest telecom operator in India by subscriber base

Previously, Shweta has been involved in two out of three seminal Phase II merger clearances in India, in relation to:

• Holcim Ltd in its “merger of equals” with Lafarge S. A.
• PVR’s acquisition of DT Cinemas

Shweta has successfully obtained unconditional merger clearances from the CCI for various big ticket global and Indian transactions, including:

• Walmart’s Acquisition of a majority stake in Flipkart;
• GE’s acquisition of Alstom’s energy business;
• Warburg Pincus’ acquisition of shareholding in Tata Technologies;
• JK Tyre’s acquisition of Kesoram’s tyre unit;
• Blackstone’s acquisition of a majority shareholding in Mphasis;
• Blackstone’s acquisition of equity stake in ANI Technologies;
• TPG’s acquisition of Intel’s security business;
• Brookfield’s acquisition of Reliance Communications’ tower business;
• Zuari/ (Adventz) Group’s open offer for shares of Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilisers Limited (first competing public offer reviewed by the CCI);
• Konecranes Plc’s acquisition of Terex Corporation’s material handling and port solution business;
• Nestlé’s acquisition of Pfizer’s infant nutrition business; and
• Rajputana Properties’s acquisition of equity stake in Binani Cement Limited under the insolvency resolution process

According to Chambers and Partners 2020, Shweta is singled out by interviewees as an “extremely smart” and “incredibly responsive” practitioner, one source further emphasising that “she has a great insight into how the CCI investigates cases and is very helpful in strategising how we respond to requests.” In Chambers and Partners Rankings 2019, Shweta has been ranked in Band 2 ((being the youngest Indian competition practitioner in this band for the third year running) and recommended highly for her ‘to-the-point, easy-to-understand advice’. In Chambers and Partners Rankings 2017, Shweta has been commended by clients for her “comprehensive handling of all aspects of competition law matters”. In Chambers and Partners Rankings 2016, Shweta has been praised by interviewees for her proactive approach, and ability to “take the bull by the horns“. According to Chambers and Partners Rankings 2015, Shweta is described by market sources as “a very smart lawyer with an in-depth approach, who has worked on big-ticket cases.” She has been consistently “highly recommended” for her “impressive reputation”’ as “a bright young legal talent of extraordinary quality”.

Shweta has been recognised as a global “Thought Leader” by Who’s Who Legal for 2019-20. She has also been recognised, based on an international peer review, for her professional achievements in the International Who’s Who of Competition Lawyers and Economists (by Global Competition Review and Law Business Research Ltd.) every year since 2013, describing her as “very knowledgeable and responsive lawyer who is absolutely commended by her peers” in 2017. Shweta has won the “Young Lawyer of the Year (Female)” Award at the Legal Counsel Congress & Awards 2014 and selected by the international in-house counsel community as an outstanding practitioner in the Euromoney Guide to the World’s Leading Competition and Antitrust Lawyers/ Economists. She was also profiled in the Asialaw Leading Lawyers, Euromoney Women in Business Law Guide, the Euromoney Guide to Leading BRIC Practitioners, and Global Competition Review’s Women in Antitrust 2016 Ranking.

Shweta has been actively involved in driving policy changes in the space of Indian competition law. In particular, she played an instrumental role in the finalisation of the Indian merger control regime in April- May 2011, working closely with the Government of India and the CCI in relation to the finalisation of the draft Combination Regulations and associated exemption notifications. She also contributed to the drafting of the national competition policy of India. Shweta continues to contribute to the ongoing changes to merger control regime being undertaken by the CCI. Shweta is also a Non-Governmental Advisor to the International Competition Network from India and participated at the ICN Annual Conference 2017 in Porto.

Shweta regularly contributes to competition law publications and has co-authored leading guides on the law of Dominance and Merger Control in India as part of the Getting the Deal Through series, which are key global reference materials for these areas of law. She has also authored Practical Law Company’s Merger Control in India: Overview.

Before joining the firm in 2007, Shweta qualified as a solicitor of England & Wales after completing a training contract with Denton Wilde Sapte, London and a secondment with Clifford Chance, London. Shweta is qualified to practise in India and in England & Wales.

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