'Economic Decision, Not A Criminal Offence': Delhi HC Quashes FIR, ED Case Against NewsClick, Founder Over Foreign Funding

The Delhi High Court has recently quashed an FIR registered against digital media platform NewsClick and its founder, Prabir Purkayastha, along with the Enforcement Directorate's money laundering case, holding that the allegations failed to disclose offences of cheating or criminal breach of trust. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna observed that the basic ingredients of the offences were absent. The court held: "Even if all the allegations are accepted, no offence under 406 or 420 IPC is disclosed...

'Bare Possibility Of Confusion' Enough In Pharma Marks: Bombay High Court Restrains Use Of 'ACIPROX'

The Bombay High Court has granted an interim injunction in favor of Alkem Laboratories. It has restrained Numen Pharma Private Limited from manufacturing, selling, or marketing pharmaceutical products under the trademark 'ACIPROX', holding it to be phonetically similar to Alkem's registered mark 'ALCIPRO'. Justice Sharmila U. Deshmukh, on June 8, 2026, made absolute the interim application filed by Alkem. The court observed that the company had made out a prima facie case for both trademark...

Karnataka High Court Rejects Trademark Suit After Finding Reliefs Were Undervalued To Avoid Commercial Court

The Karnataka High Court has rejected a trademark infringement and passing-off suit filed by a Raichur-based rice trader after holding that the plaintiff had deliberately undervalued the suit reliefs and instituted the dispute before a civil court instead of the commercial court.Justice Ravi V Hosmani passed the order on June 1 while allowing a revision petition filed by Shri Prasanna Anjaneya Agrotech and setting aside an order of the XVIII Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge, Bengaluru,...

BOCW Cess Dispute Not Arbitrable, Must Be Decided Under Statutory Mechanism: Chhattisgarh High Court

The Chhattisgarh High Court on 13 May, refused to appoint an arbitrator in a dispute between SK Samanta and Co. (P) Ltd. and South Eastern Coalfields Ltd. (SECL), holding that issues relating to statutory cess under the Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Cess Act, 1996 (BOCW Cess Act) are non-arbitrable. Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha held that the dispute arose from statutory levy and not a purely contractual arrangement, and therefore did not fall within the scope of arbitration...

Karnataka High Court Remands Trademark Suit, Sets Aside Return Of Plaint For Non-Examination Of Specified Value

The Karnataka High Court has recently set aside an order returning a trademark infringement suit to a civil court. It held that the Commercial Court had failed to examine the value of the plaintiff's claimed trademark rights before concluding that it lacked pecuniary jurisdiction. Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju observed that the Commercial Court had not independently assessed the value of the rights asserted by Sarathi International Inc. The court noted that Sarathi International had taken...

GST Registration Can Be Restored On Filing Pending Returns, Clearing Dues Under Rule 22(4): Gauhati HC

The Gauhati High Court on 1 June held that a taxpayer whose GST registration has been cancelled for non-filing of returns can seek restoration of registration by furnishing pending returns and clearing tax dues, interest, penalty and late fees in terms of the proviso to Rule 22(4) of the CGST Rules, 2017. A Bench of Justice Kardak Ete disposed of the petition filed by Md. Nekib Hussain, proprietor of Nekib Hussain, who challenged the cancellation of his GST registration and sought restoration...

Delhi High Court Refuses To Lift Injunction Against KS Agro's Rice Packaging Over Similarity To Zarda King

The Delhi High Court has refused to lift an interim injunction restraining KS Agro Impex from selling Golden Sella Basmati Rice in packaging alleged to imitate GRM Foodkraft's 'Zarda King' trade dress. The court held that KS Agro's packaging was deceptively similar to GRM's. It further held that GRM had established a prima facie case of passing off and copyright infringement. Justice Jyoti Singh observed that a comparison of the rival packaging revealed striking similarities. The court found...

Section 11 Arbitration Orders Not Reviewable, Article 215 Powers Limited: Allahabad High Court

On 14 May, the Allahabad High Court held that it cannot review an order passed under Section 11 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, while exercising its statutory jurisdiction. However, as a Court of Record, it may invoke its inherent powers under Article 215 of the Constitution to correct the record or remedy a grave error that may otherwise result in a failure of justice. A Bench of Justice Jaspreet Singh dismissed an application seeking recall of an earlier order constituting a...

Bombay High Court Orders No Coercive Action Against Anil Ambani Pending Challenge To Black Money Act

The Bombay High Court on Monday directed that no coercive action, including prosecution or penalty proceedings, be taken against industrialist Anil Ambani pending the final disposal of his writ petition challenging certain provisions of the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015. Ambani has challenged certain provisions of the Act as being ultra vires the Constitution of India. A division bench of Justices B.P. Colabawalla and Firdosh P. Pooniwalla...

Kerala High Court Quashes GST Notice Issued For Multiple Assessment Years Through Single Proceeding

On 1 June, the Kerala High Court held that the GST Department cannot issue a composite show-cause notice covering more than one assessment year, as such a notice is legally unsustainable and cannot form the basis of adjudication. Justice Ziyad Rahman A.A. quashed the show-cause notice and the consequential Order-in-Original issued against Malabar Trade Links, while granting liberty to the GST Department to initiate fresh proceedings in accordance with law. He held: “The Division Bench has...

Delhi High Court Grants Relief To Acharya Manish Against AI-Generated Fake Endorsements

The Delhi High Court has granted temporary protection to the personality rights of Manish Grover, popularly known as 'Acharya Manish' or 'Chikitsaguru,' after finding a prima facie case that unknown persons used artificial intelligence to create fake endorsements of health products using his voice and videos. Granting an ad-interim injunction on June 5, a vacation bench of Justice Saurabh Banerjee observed that the unknown operators of various social media accounts had “gone a step further”...

Mere 'Criminal Overtones' Or Claimed 'Public Overtones' Do Not Make Dispute Non-Arbitrable: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court has held that a dispute does not become non-arbitrable merely because one side alleges fraud or claims that it has criminal or public overtones. Referring a dispute between television production company Shashisumeet Production Pvt. Ltd. and investor Kuresh R. Kushesh to arbitration, the Court said such allegations, by themselves, do not take the matter outside the jurisdiction of an arbitral tribunal. "Merely on the ground that there are “criminal overtones” or because a...