Kerala High Court Dismisses Cholamandalam Appeal, Reiterates Threshold For Intra-Court Appeals

The Kerala High Court on 19 June dismissed a writ appeal filed by Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Limited after holding that a purely procedural interim order, which does not affect substantive rights or cause serious prejudice, cannot be appealed under Section 5(i) of the Kerala High Court Act, 1958. A Division Bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and Muralee Krishna S ruled that an intra-court appeal lies only against orders that substantially affect the rights or liabilities of...

Registration Of Customs Appeal Cannot Be Refused For Non-Payment Of Pre-Deposit: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court has held that an appellate authority cannot refuse to register an appeal merely because the appellant has not made the mandatory pre-deposit under Section 129E of the Customs Act, holding that the statutory requirement applies only at the stage of "entertaining" the appeal and not at the stage of its filing or registration. A Division Bench of Justices Saumitra Dayal Singh and Swarupama Chaturvedi disposed of a writ petition filed by Runway Impex, directing the...

Transit State Lacks Jurisdiction To Levy GST Penalty Without Taxable Transaction: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court has held that a State through which goods merely transit cannot invoke Section 129 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, to detain goods and levy penalty for the absence of an e-tax invoice where no taxable transaction takes place within that State. A Division Bench of Justices Saumitra Dayal Singh and Swarupama Chaturvedi on 14 May allowed a writ petition filed by Maruti Enterprises and connected matters, holding that the Uttar Pradesh GST authorities lacked...

Are ED's 'Reasons To Believe' For Provisional Attachment Confidential? Gauhati High Court Refers Issue To Larger Bench

The Gauhati High Court has recently referred to a larger bench the question of whether the Enforcement Directorate's recorded "reasons to believe" are confidential or can be incorporated into a provisional attachment order. The reference follows a single judge's disagreement with an earlier coordinate bench that had taken a contrary view.Justice Manish Choudhury observed that his view that it is not confidential differed from the earlier coordinate bench ruling in Aftabuddin Ahmed v. Enforcement...

Madras High Court Restores Arbitral Award, Says District Judge Erred In Calling It 'Hypothetical'

The Madras High Court at Madurai has recently set aside an order of the Madurai Principal District Judge insofar as it annulled an arbitral award granting ₹14.04 lakh as an early completion bonus to a contractor in a dispute with the Union of India over the construction of a Kendriya Vidyalaya school building at Sivagangai. The bench of Justice V. Lakshminarayanan held that the Principal District Judge's characterisation of the arbitral award as "hypothetical" reflected non-application of mind....

Bombay High Court Sets Aside Revocation Of SAATHI's Patent For Natural Fibre Absorbent Article

The Bombay High Court has recently set aside an order revoking a patent granted to SAATHI Inc. for an absorbent article made from natural fibres. The court held that the Controller of Patents revoked the patent without giving reasons, departed from the Opposition Board's recommendation without explaining why, and failed to decide whether the opponent was entitled to maintain the post-grant opposition. Justice Arif S. Doctor delivered the judgment on June 15, 2026. The challenge arose from a...

Calcutta High Court Upholds Rejection of German Research Organisation's Patent For Biomass Growth Method

The Calcutta High Court has dismissed an appeal filed by German research organisation Fraunhofer Gesellschaft against the rejection of its patent application for a method of stimulating biomass growth in a bioreactor. It held that the invention's specification was excessively broad and failed to sufficiently disclose how the invention could be performed. The court also found that the application did not disclose the source and geographical origin of the biological material used in the...

Madras High Court Dismisses Intellectual Property Suit Against Tamil Film 'Saamaniyan' After Release

The Madras High Court has dismissed a suit seeking to restrain the release and promotion of the Tamil film "Saamaniyan," holding that the reliefs sought had become infructuous after the film was released in 2024.Justice K. Kumaresh Babu passed the judgment on June 22, 2026, in a suit filed by M. Viyan Aarman, proprietor of Art Addict, who had claimed exclusive trademark and copyright rights over the title "SAAMANIYAN."The proprietor had filed the suit against Etecetra Entertainment and others,...

One Lender's Absence Doesn't Invalidate Resolution Under RBI's Stressed Asset Framework: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court has recently held that the absence of one lender from meetings convened to consider a borrower's resolution plan under the Reserve Bank of India's Prudential Framework for Resolution of Stressed Assets, 2019 does not invalidate the resolution process. It also does not affect a decision approved by the requisite majority of lenders. Justice Lalitha Kanneganti dismissed a writ petition filed by Ganjam Nagappa and Son Private Limited, a Bengaluru-based luxury jewellery...

Karnataka High Court Upholds Regulations Allowing Cross-Subsidy Surcharge On Open Access Electricity Consumers

The Karnataka High Court has recently upheld the validity of a Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission regulation that requires consumers procuring electricity through Open Access to pay Cross-Subsidy Surcharge (CSS). The court rejected a challenge to the surcharge mechanism, holding that it is consistent with the Electricity Act, the Electricity Rules and the National Tariff Policy. Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum held that the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (Terms and...

GST Registration Cannot Be Cancelled Through Cryptic, Non-Speaking Orders: Gauhati High Court

The Gauhati High Court has recently set aside an order cancelling a taxpayer's GST registration, holding that an adjudicating authority cannot pass a cryptic and non-speaking order that carries adverse civil consequences. The court observed that even where a taxpayer fails to respond to a show cause notice, the statutory authority remains under an obligation to provide reasons and demonstrate application of mind while cancelling registration. "If an order is passed without giving a proper...

Delhi High Court Restores Interim Relief For Kumar Foods, Finds “10X SHAKTI” Similar To SHAKTI BHOG

The Delhi High Court on 19 June restored interim protection in favour of Kumar Foods Industries in its dispute against GRM Foodkraft Private Limited and held that the latter's use of the mark “10X SHAKTI” for wheat flour is prima facie deceptively similar to the former's registered mark “SHAKTI BHOG”. A Vacation Bench of Justices Tejas Karia and Madhu Jain allowed Kumar Foods's appeal against the order of the District Judge, Rohini dated 6 June 2026, which had vacated an ex-parte injunction...