Karnataka HC Allows Arbitration Plea Filed By Retired Partner As It Was Not Filed As Partner Of Unregistered Firm

The Karnataka High Court has held that, in the facts of the case, a retired partner can seek to refer a dispute to arbitration to defend himself in a recovery suit, and such a plea cannot be rejected merely because the partnership firm was not registered. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Poonacha was considering an appeal challenging an order of the Commercial Court, which had refused to refer the parties to arbitration under Section 8 of the Arbitration...

Interest On Funds Linked To Business Setup Not Taxable As 'Other Income': Delhi HC In VNG Automotive Case

The Delhi High Court has recently held that interest earned by VNG Automotive Pvt. Ltd. on funds earmarked for setting up its manufacturing unit cannot be taxed as “income from other sources”, finding that the funds were not surplus but were directly linked to project obligations. The Division Bench of Justice V. Kameswar Rao and Justice Vinod Kumar said: “We find that the funds in the present case were not lying as surplus but the same were earmarked to facilitate the balance payment for...

Actor Vijay Appeals Single-Bench Ruling Of Madras High Court Upholding ₹1.5 Crore Income Tax Penalty

Actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay has moved a Division Bench of the Madras High Court against a single-judge ruling that upheld a ₹1.5 crore income tax penalty imposed on him.The appeal, filed last month, is yet to be listed for hearing.The challenge is to a judgment by Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, who had dismissed Vijay's writ petition and upheld the penalty linked to alleged undisclosed income of Rs 15 crore for the financial year 2015–16.The single judge held that the penalty order...

Delhi High Court Cancels 'SOCIAL HOUSE' Mark For Non-Use; 'SOCIAL' Not Generic In Hospitality

Holding that the mark “SOCIAL” is not generic in the hospitality industry and that the rival mark had not been used for restaurant services, the Delhi High Court has ordered the removal of “SOCIAL HOUSE” from the register of trade marks. Impressario Entertainment and Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., which operates the “SOCIAL” chain of restaurants and cafes, approached the Delhi High Court seeking removal of the mark registered in the name of Vardhaman Choksi, arguing that it had not been used for...

Bombay High Court Rejects Bholaa Maker's Plea That Suit Concerning 'Kaithi' Remake Is Triable Only In Chennai

The Bombay High Court has recently declined to return the plaint in a copyright dispute over the Hindi remake of the Tamil film “Kaithi,” holding that the suit can proceed before courts in Mumbai. By an order pronounced on April 10, 2026, Justice Sharmila U. Deshmukh rejected a plea by Reliance Entertainment Studios Private Limited seeking to have the plaint sent back for presentation before courts in Chennai. At the heart of the dispute was where the case should be heard. Reliance pointed to...

Delhi High Court To Pass Order Protecting Crocs' Designs, Trademarks and Patent Over Jibbitz Charms

The Delhi High Court on Monday indicated that it will pass ad-interim relief orders in an infringement suit filed by Crocs Inc. against Summersalt Lifestyle Private Limited. Crocs Inc. alleged that the defendant has copied its three registered designs and two trademarks and infringed one patent, while also engaging in passing off. During the hearing before Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, Crocs submitted that the defendant has replicated a range of its footwear products and placed on record...

Gujarat High Court Seeks Affidavit From Centre Over Failure To Make ITR Utilities Available By April 1

The Gujarat High Court recently directed the Union government to file an affidavit in a writ petition filed by the Chartered Accountants Association, Surat, and others, alleging continued non-compliance with its 2015 directions on the timely availability of income tax return e-filing utilities. A Division Bench of Justice A.S. Supehia and Justice Pranav Trivedi noted that despite its earlier ruling in All Gujarat Federation of Tax Consultants v. CBDT, the respondent Department had not followed...

Delhi High Court Temporarily Bars 'Babu Ji DUKK' Mark, Finds It Similar To Dux Naturals' 'DUX DARLING'

The Delhi High Court has temporarily restrained Babu G Store and Co. from using the mark “Babu ji DUKK Darling” or any deceptively similar trademark, label, packaging, or trade dress for cosmetic products in a suit filed by Dux Naturals. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela noted that the defendants' mark and overall packaging closely mirrored Dux Naturals' registered “DUX DARLING” brand. The way the logo was positioned at the centre, along with the styling and design, was such that an average buyer...

Bombay High Court Restores Interim Injunction Against 'ESIRAFT', Finds Similarity With Sun Pharma's 'RACIRAFT'

The Bombay High Court has restored an interim injunction restraining Meghmani Lifesciences Ltd. from using the trademark “ESIRAFT”, finding it too similar to Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.'s drug brand “RACIRAFT”. A Division Bench of Justice Bharati Dangre and Justice Manjusha Deshpande, in its April 8, 2026 order, allowed Sun Pharma's appeal and set aside a single judge's December 23, 2025 decision that had refused interim relief. The court held that the rival marks were deceptively...

Delhi High Court Grants Dassault Relief Against SOLIDWORKS Piracy, Awards Rs 64.7 Lakh

The Delhi High Court has ruled in favour of Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corporation, passing a permanent injunction against the unauthorised use of its “SOLIDWORKS” software, a computer-aided design (CAD) program used to create 3D models and engineering designs, and holding that a group of businesses and individuals accused of using pirated copies failed to contest the case. By its order dated April 8, 2026, Justice Tushar Rao Gedela held that the company had established copyright infringement...

Approved Resolution Plan Binding On Revenue, Stamp Authorities; Mutation Cannot Be Denied: MP High Court

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has held that an approved resolution plan under Section 31 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code is binding on all authorities, including revenue and stamp authorities, and that refusal to carry out mutation in land records would be contrary to the statutory mandate.A single-judge Bench of Justice Sandeep N. Bhatt, while allowing an interim application, observed that the inaction of revenue authorities in mutating the petitioner's name despite an approved resolution...

Excise Duty Recovery During Stay On Demand Treated As 'Under Protest'; Refund Not Time-Barred: Madras HC

The Madras High Court has held that where the Department appropriates amounts during the pendency of an appeal against a Excise duty demand despite a subsisting stay order, such amounts must be treated as paid under protest, and a refund cannot be denied on the ground of limitation.The bench stated that "If the revenue is permitted to adopt such novel ways to adjust the amounts by getting over an order of stay and thereby indirectly recovering the money, it cannot be construed as a duty payable...