Graphical User Interfaces Not Automatically Excluded From Registration Under Designs Act: Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court on Monday held that Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) are not automatically excluded from protection under the Designs Act and may qualify as registrable designs if they satisfy the statutory requirements. A GUI is the visual interface of a digital device or software that allows users to interact with it through icons, buttons and menus instead of typing text commands. A single bench of Justice Ravi Krishan Kapur ruled that the Controller of Designs had adopted an...

Gujarat High Court Sets Aside ₹30,000 Customs Penalty On Zaveri & Co. For Wrong Regulatory Action

The Gujarat High Court on 24 February set aside a penalty imposed on Zaveri and Co. Pvt. Ltd. for alleged violations of warehousing regulations, holding that the customs authorities had initiated proceedings under the wrong regulatory framework and failed to provide the audit report that formed the basis of the action. A Division Bench comprising Justice A.S. Supehia and Justice Pranav Trivedi passed the ruling while allowing a writ petition filed by the company challenging the penalty order...

Failure To Commence Arbitration Within 90 Days Does Not Vitiate Interim Proceedings: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court on 23 February, observed that interim relief granted under Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (the Act) does not automatically get vitiated merely because arbitral proceedings were not commenced within 90 days as required under Section 9(2) of the Act. Justice T.R. Ravi clarified that proceedings to enforce the interim relief would also constitute proceedings under Section 9, and therefore the 90-day calculation is not limited to the original interim...

Madras High Court Allows Enforcement Of Foreign Arbitral Award Against Non-Signatory That Issued Cheque As Security For Claim

The Madras High Court has allowed enforcement of a foreign arbitral award against a group company after noting that it had voluntarily issued a cheque as security for the disputed demurrage claim arising from a shipping contract. A division bench of Justice C.V. Karthikeyan and Justice K. Kumaresh Babu observed that by issuing the cheque as security for the award amount, the company had effectively undertaken to satisfy the award if the charterer failed to do so. It therefore could not avoid...

Interim Relief Under Arbitration Act Cannot Supplant Execution Proceedings: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court recently observed that a petition seeking interim relief under Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act cannot be used as a substitute for execution proceedings under the Civil Procedure Code. “An application under Section 9 can supplement but cannot supplant the process of execution contemplated through Order XXI of the Code,” Justice N. Anand Venkatesh said. The court explained that although a Section 9 petition may remain maintainable until an arbitral award...

ACJM Not Subordinate To CJM In Judicial Functions In SARFAESI Possession Proceedings: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court has held that an Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate is competent to entertain applications under Section 14 of the SARFAESI Act, ruling that the magistrate exercises judicial powers at par with a Chief Judicial Magistrate. Section 14 allows a secured creditor (bank/financial institution) to seek assistance from a magistrate to take physical possession of secured assets when a borrower defaults.A coram of Justice Urmila Joshi Phalke dismissed a criminal application filed...

Writ Not Maintainable Against MSME Council Award When Remedy Exists Under Arbitration Act: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court has reiterated that a writ petition challenging an arbitral award passed by a Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council cannot ordinarily be entertained when the aggrieved party has an effective statutory remedy under Section 34 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act. A single bench of Justice V. Lakshminarayanan observed that parties cannot invoke writ jurisdiction under Article 226 to set aside such awards when the arbitration statute itself provides a mechanism...

Courts Cannot Re-Examine Merits Of Foreign Arbitral Awards At Enforcement Stage: Bombay High Court Reiterates

The Bombay High Court has reiterated that courts considering enforcement of foreign arbitral awards under Section 48 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 cannot re-examine the merits of the award or undertake a fresh evaluation of the evidence. A single-judge bench of Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan observed that the jurisdiction of an enforcement court under Section 48 is limited and does not permit a review of the arbitral tribunal's findings. “The scope of jurisdiction of the Section...

Transfer Pricing Adjustment Cannot Amount To 'Misreporting of Income': Madras High Court Quashes Penalty On Verizon

The Madras High Court has recently quashed penalty proceedings against Verizon Data Services India Pvt Ltd, holding that a transfer pricing adjustment based on estimation of arm's length price cannot by itself constitute “misreporting of income” under Section 270A of the Income Tax Act.A single-bench of Justice C. Saravanan, while quashing the penalty order and rejection of its immunity application against Verizon observed,"The entire basis for initiation of penalty proceedings is the transfer...

Karnataka High Court Allows Wacom To Collect Evidence From Bengaluru-Based Company For US Patent Suit

The Karnataka High Court has recently allowed Japanese technology firm Wacom Company Limited to collect documents and testimony from Bengaluru-based semiconductor manufacturer Cirel Systems Pvt Ltd.The evidence will be used in a patent infringement lawsuit pending in the United States between Wacom and Chinese company Shenzhen Qianfenyi Intelligent Technology Co Ltd, in which the Indian firm is not a party.Justice P. Sree Sudha, who heard the matter, held that India's declaration under Article...

Rajasthan High Court Refuses to Quash VAT Proceedings Against JK Lakshmi Cement Over Diesel Supplied To Contractors

The Rajasthan High Court has recently refused to quash proceedings initiated against JK Lakshmi Cement Limited over alleged VAT liability arising from diesel supplied to transport and mining contractors, holding that the company must respond to the tax authorities and raise its objections during the ongoing assessment inquiry.The dispute arose after the Commercial Taxes Department conducted a survey and investigation into the operations of the cement manufacturer.According to the department, the...

Delhi High Court Sets Aside Refusal Of Jindal Steel's 'JSP' Trademark, Orders Fresh Consideration

The Delhi High Court has partially allowed an appeal filed by Jindal Steel Limited against an order of the Registrar of Trade Marks refusing registration of the trademark “JSP,” holding that the decision was a “non-speaking order” passed without considering the arguments and material placed on record. In a judgment delivered on February 17, 2026, Justice Jyoti Singh observed that the Registrar had failed to consider several issues raised by the company, including its reliance on Sections 34 and...