Jharkhand HC Slams Tax Dept, Warns Commissioner Of Personal Liability Over ₹6.71 Crore VAT Refund Delay

The Jharkhand High Court has come down heavily on the State tax department for sitting over a VAT refund of Rs.6.71 crore for years, holding that excuses such as vacant posts and officers being on election duty are “neither legal nor satisfactory.”A Division Bench of Chief Justice M. S. Sonak and Justice Rajesh Shankar directed the Commissioner, Commercial Taxes Department, to ensure that the refund is paid with 6% annual interest by May 5, 2026, warning that any delay beyond the deadline would...

Delhi High Court Temporarily Bars PMGIndia From Using 'PMG' Mark, Grants Relief To US Banknote Grading Company

The Delhi High Court recently restrained PMGIndia, a family-run business, and its proprietors from using the marks “PMG”, “PMGIndia”, “Paper Money Grading” or any deceptively similar mark, granting an ex parte ad-interim injunction in favour of Paper Money Guaranty LLC. Justice Jyoti Singh observed, “I am of the view that Plaintiff has made out a prima facie case for grant of ex parte ad interim injunction against the Defendants. Balance of convenience lies in favour of the Plaintiff and it is...

Delhi High Court Declares “MULTANI” A Well-Known Trademark For Ayurvedic Pharma Products

The Delhi High Court has declared Multani Pharmaceuticals Limited's “MULTANI” mark as a well-known trademark for Ayurvedic pharmaceutical products.A single-judge bench of Justice Jyoti Singh held that the mark has acquired extensive recognition over decades of use and promotion, observing: “Plaintiff's long-standing reputation and extensive and continuous use of the mark MULTANI across jurisdictions reflects its significant commercial presence. The mark has received enviable recognition in...

Delhi High Court Bars AI Urdu Poetry Platform From Using “rekhta.in” Domain, Protects Rekhta Trademark

The Delhi High Court on 24 April 2026 granted an ad-interim injunction in a trademark infringement dispute filed by the Rekhta Foundation, restraining the use of the domain name "www.rekhta.in" by a rival entity and protecting the Foundation's registered mark “REKHTA”. Justice Jyoti Singh restrained the defendants from using the impugned domain and referred the parties to mediation to explore settlement. The Bench noted: “I am of the view that Plaintiffs have made out a prima facie case...

Karnataka High Court Upholds DICGC's Priority Right To Recover Depositor Payouts From Insured Banks

The Karnataka High Court has upheld the law allowing the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) to recover amounts paid to depositors directly from a failed bank, with priority over other liabilities, ruling that the premium charged need not be proportionate to the insured amount. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Poonacha dismissed a writ appeal filed by a depositors' society (Sangha) arising from the collapse of Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara...

Delhi High Court Says 100% Shareholding Not Enough To Tax Shareholders For Company's Income

The Delhi High Court has held that shareholders, even if holding all the shares of a company, are only owners of the shares and not of the company's assets, and therefore the company's income cannot be taxed in their hands. “Legally speaking, the respondents being shareholders of the company, even if holding all the shares (100%), are only owners of the shares of the company and not the owners of the property as such and similarly the income which that company has earned cannot ipso-facto be...

Delhi High Court Declines GST Refund Challenge In Writ, Says Appeal Lies Before GSTAT

The Delhi High Court has declined to entertain a writ petition challenging rejection of GST refund claims, holding that the petitioner must avail the statutory remedy of appeal before the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT).A division bench of Justices Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Ajay Digpaul was dealing with a plea filed by Mahanadi Exporttek Private Limited assailing an appellate order that had upheld rejection of its refund claims aggregating over Rs. 4 crore under Section 54 of...

Every Content Can't Be Disparaging: Delhi High Court Remarks In Arjun Kapoor's Personality Suit

Actor Arjun Kapoor has moved the Delhi High Court alleging widespread unauthorised commercial use of his likeness and circulation of “sexually explicit” deepfake content, with the court cautioning against overbroad restrictions that could stifle satire. Hearing the matter, Justice Tushar Rao Gedela flagged the need to balance personality rights with free expression, observing: “A person who is in the public glare, a lot of things happen… We can understand certain things which will be...

Delhi High Court Dismisses Pleas Against Customs SCNs On AIFTA Benefits For Copper Imports

The Delhi High Court has dismissed as premature petitions challenging show cause notices denying duty benefits under the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement on copper imports from Vietnam for allegedly failing the 35% value addition requirement. A Division Bench of Justices V. Kameswar Rao and Vinod Kumar held that the petitions were not maintainable at this stage, noting that the challenge was to show cause notices which initiate adjudicatory proceedings and do not conclusively determine rights ...

Export Benefits Cannot Be Denied To Holoflex For Missing Bill Of Export if Supply Is Proven: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has recently held that export incentives under the Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) Scheme cannot be denied solely on the ground that the exporter failed to furnish a Bill of Export (BOE), where there is otherwise sufficient evidence of supply of goods and receipt of payment.A Division Bench of Justices C. Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla made the observation while dismissing a review petition filed by the Union of India challenging an earlier judgment granting EPCG...

Madhya Pradesh High Court Sets Aside ₹7.01 Crore GST Demand, Says Officer Lacked Proper Authorisation

The Madhya Pradesh High Court recently held that a GST demand of Rs. 7.01 crore could not be sustained as it was passed by the Assistant Commissioner of State Tax, Anti-Evasion Bureau, Indore, who lacked jurisdiction in the absence of a GST Council-backed authorisation. A bench of Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi set aside the order passed against a firm, Subhash Chandra Narendra Kumar Nahar. “The impugned order dated 30.12.2025 passed by the respondent No.4 is quashed,...

Bombay High Court Removes 'PAXIL' Mark From Trade Marks Register Over 20 Years Of Non-Use

The Bombay High Court recently ordered the removal of the trademark 'PAXIL' from the Register of Trade Marks, holding that its proprietor, Shreya Life Sciences Private Limited, had held on to the mark without using it for nearly twenty years. Justice Arif S. Doctor observed that internal business decisions such as “expansion of business” cannot be used as a valid excuse for not using a trademark for long periods. “Respondent No. 1 has, after obtaining the impugned registration, simply...