Google on Tuesday avoided a forced breakup of its online search monopoly after a federal judge rejected the harshest remedies proposed by the Justice Department — sparking furor from critics for the slap on the wrist in the landmark antitrust case.

US District Judge Amit Mehta said he would not require Google – which he had earlier dubbed a “monopolist” – to sell off its Chrome web browser or its Android operating system software, as the feds had requested.

“Plaintiffs overreached in seeking forced divesture of these key assets, which Google did not use to effect any illegal restraints,” Mehta wrote in his court order. 4

Instead, Mehta opted for a lighter touch in issuing his verdict in the trial’s remedy phase, which included three weeks of hearings in April. He ordered Google to

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