Telangana High Court Refers Cinepolis-Sree Thirumala Dispute To Arbitration, Appoints Former Acting CJ

The Telangana High Court has appointed former Acting Chief Justice Justice P. Naveen Rao as an independent arbitrator to adjudicate disputes between Cinepolis India Private Limited and Sree Thirumala Infra Private Limited. The order was passed by Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh after the parties agreed to the appointment. The court also took on record the statutory disclosure submitted by the proposed arbitrator. Cinepolis and Sree Thirumala Infra had entered into a Memorandum of...

Uttarakhand High Court Upholds Award, Finds No Bar To Arbitration After Partial Settlement Of Insurance Claim

The Uttarakhand High Court has recently upheld an arbitral award directing Oriental Insurance Company Ltd. to pay ₹34,000 to Vigyan Chemical Industries in an insurance claim dispute. The court rejected the insurer's contention that acceptance of a lower amount against the claim prevented the insured from seeking the balance through arbitration. Justice Ravindra Maithani heard the appeal filed by Oriental Insurance against a District Judge's order refusing to set aside the award. Observing that...

Madras High Court Stays Release Of Dileep-Starrer 'Neekkam' Over Financial Dispute

The Madras High Court has restrained the release, distribution, and exhibition of the Malayalam film 'Neekkam', starring Dileep and directed by Jagan Shaji Kailas. The temporary order came on a plea filed by A.V. Anoop, proprietor of AVA Productions, who claimed a contractual charge over the film after alleging that its producer had failed to repay advances extended under earlier production agreements.Justice K. Kumaresh Babu granted ad-interim protection to AVA Productions. The court also...

Trademark, Not Copyright Dispute: Bombay High Court Quashes FIR Over Fake Zara and Calvin Klein Apparel

The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against two traders accused of selling counterfeit Zara and Calvin Klein clothing. The court held that the allegations disclosed a trademark-related offence and not offences under the Copyright Act for which the FIR had been registered. Justice M.W. Chandwani observed that the prosecution's own case was that the two men were selling garments bearing the labels of the brands. It was not the prosecution's case that they...

Calcutta High Court Refers ₹38 Crore Railway Contract Dispute To Arbitration, Says No Claim Certificate No Bar

The Calcutta High Court has recently referred a ₹38.07 crore dispute arising out of an Eastern Railway bridge construction contract to arbitration, reiterating that the existence of a No Claim Certificate does not, by itself, render disputes non-arbitrable. Justice Gaurang Kanth constituted a three-member arbitral tribunal headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose, with Senior Advocates Ritzu Ghosal and Saptangshu Basu as co-arbitrators. "It is well settled that the...

Draft Assessment Order Required Only For 'Eligible Assessees' Under Faceless Assessment: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court has held that tax authorities conducting faceless assessments are not required to issue a draft assessment order before finalising proceedings in the case of ordinary assessees. Justice Ziyad Rahman A.A., while dismissing writ petitions filed by a partnership firm engaged in the real estate business, observed that the requirement applies only to "eligible assessees" specifically defined under the Income Tax Act. "The requirement of issuing a draft assessment order before...

NCLAT Appeal Not A Bar On Swiss Challenge Auction By Bank: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court on 22 June held that the pendency of an appeal before the NCLAT does not, by itself, bar a bank from proceeding with the transfer of loan exposure or auction of secured assets through the Swiss Challenge Method, reiterating that courts will not ordinarily interfere in commercial banking decisions unless they are shown to be arbitrary or illegal. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan dismissed a plea challenging...

Property Tax Revision Invalid Without Mandatory Publication Compliance: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court on 2 June quashed enhanced property tax demands issued by the Haripad Municipality, holding that revised property tax rates cannot be enforced without compliance with the mandatory notification and publication requirements prescribed under the Kerala Municipality (Property Tax Services and Surcharge) Rules, 2011. Justice Ziyad Rahman A.A. was deciding a batch of writ petitions challenging enhanced property tax demands issued in respect of various buildings within the...

CAG Audit Of BSES Discoms Cannot Be Blocked At Show-Cause Stage: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on 22 June held that a writ petition challenging a notice proposing entrustment of audit to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) is premature, reiterating that courts ordinarily do not interfere at the stage of a show cause notice as it does not give rise to a cause of action unless it is issued without jurisdiction. Justice Tejas Karia dismissed the writ petition filed by BSES Rajdhani Power Limited and BSES Yamuna Power Limited, upholding the Government of...

Corrigendum Cannot Expand Show Cause Notice After Hearing Concludes: Gujarat High Court

On 22 June, the Gujarat High Court held that Customs authorities cannot introduce fresh allegations or evidence through a corrigendum after adjudication proceedings have concluded and the matter has been reserved for final orders. A Division Bench of Justices A.S. Supehia and Vaibhavi D. Nanavati allowed a writ petition filed by Vidres India Ceramics Pvt. Ltd. and directed the authorities to pass final orders within six weeks.They emphasised that the department could not improve its...

Commercial Court Cannot Decide Interim Relief Once Design Cancellation Is Pleaded: Gujarat High Court

The Gujarat High Court on 16 June held that the Commercial Court lacked jurisdiction to proceed with the injunction application once the defendant raised a plea for cancellation of the registered design as a defence. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice D.N. Ray allowed the appeal filed by Satyam Fashion against Meesho Technologies Private Limited and set aside the Surat Commercial Court's order dated 12 September 2025. It observed: “In terms of Section 22(4) of...

GST Proceedings Maintainable Against Heirs Even Without Action During Taxpayer's Lifetime: Madras HC

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on 16 June held that Section 93 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 permits GST authorities to initiate proceedings against the legal heirs of a deceased taxpayer even if no proceedings were initiated during the taxpayer's lifetime. Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy dismissed a writ petition filed by V. Damayanti, wife of the late V. Vasudevan, proprietor of Vasu Chemicals, challenging proceedings initiated after Vasudevan's death. He held:...