Preservation Of Arbitration Subject Matter Was More Important: Bombay HC Condones 258-Day Delay In Arbitration Plea

The Bombay High Court has condoned a 258-day delay in filing a plea for appointment of an arbitrator, holding that efforts taken by a developer to prevent acquisition of a redevelopment project by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) constituted sufficient and exceptional cause. A bench of Justice Sandeep V. Marne allowed INFRA Poonam Developers LLP to initiate arbitration against Jasbir Singh and other partners, observing that the cause to seek arbitration arose only...

Madras High Court Quashes IT Case Against Gautham Vasudev Menon Over Non-Filing Of His Company's Returns

The Madras High Court on Monday quashed an income tax prosecution against filmmaker Gautham Vasudev Menon for failure to file the income tax returns of his company, Photon Kathaas Productions Pvt Ltd, for the assessment year 2013-14.Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan quashed the case pending against Menon before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate. The case against Menon was initiated under Section 276 CC read with Section 278B of the Income Tax Act for non-filing of the returns of the company...

Delhi High Court Grants Interim Injunction Preventing Bhopal Publisher From Using “The Pioneer” Trademark

The Delhi High Court on 1 April, granted an ex-parte, ad-interim injunction in favour of MS CMYK Printech Limited and restrained Ideal Multi Media Network from unauthorised use of the trademark and copyrighted material of the newspaper “The Pioneer”. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela held that a comparison of the plaintiff's and defendant's publications indicated deliberate copying, imitation, and publication of Pioneer's content by the defendant. He noted: “...the usage of the trademark 'The Pioneer'...

Delhi High Court Directs Sanjay Dutt-backed Entity To Halt 'Godfather Whisky' Social Media Posts Till Next Hearing

The Delhi High Court has recently directed Sanjay Dutt-backed Cartel Bros Private Limited not to release any fresh social media posts in relation to its “Glenwalk Godfather Whiskey” in a trademark suit filed by Devans Modern Breweries Limited. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela passed the interim direction on April 2, recording a statement made on behalf of Cartel Bros that the product was already in the distribution channel up to the stage of retailers in Mumbai and Thane, Maharashtra. The defendant...

Kerala High Court Quashes 25 kg Gold Confiscation, Holds Denial Of Cross-Examination Vitiates Proceedings

The Kerala High Court on 3 March quashed a customs confiscation order involving 25 kilograms of gold, holding that denying the petitioners an effective opportunity to adduce evidence and cross-examine witnesses caused prejudice and violated principles of natural justice. Justice Ziyad Rahman A A, sitting as a Single-Judge Bench, allowed writ petitions challenging the Order-in-Original passed by the Customs authority, which had confiscated the gold and imposed penalties. He observed: “The...

Delhi High Court Grants Temporary Injunction Against 'Bait-and-Switch' News Site Using TOI Mark

The Delhi High Court has restrained an infringing website (www.timesofindiaa.news & ors.) from using the “TIMES OF INDIA” and “TOI” marks, granting an ex-parte ad-interim injunction in favour of Bennett Coleman and Company Limited.On April 1, 2026, Justice Tushar Rao Gedela held that a prima facie case was made out in favour of the media house and that the balance of convenience lay in its favour. “The balance of convenience also appears to be tilted in favour of the plaintiff at this...

Manipur High Court Sets Aside E-Auction, Says Bank Can't Offer OTS And Deny Redemption On Same Day

The Manipur High Court has declared an e-auction illegal after finding that the bank offered a One Time Settlement (OTS) valid till March 31, 2018 and, on the very same day, denied the borrower's right of redemption without establishing that any revised deadline was communicated.A Division Bench of Chief Justice M. Sundar and Justice A. Guneshwar Sharma held that such conduct violated principles of natural justice and procedural fairness and that a bank cannot take inconsistent positions to the...

Delhi High Court Quashes ₹26.72 Crore GST Demand After Taxpayer Given Less Than One Working Day To Respond

The Delhi High Court has set aside a GST demand order of Rs 26.7 crore against a company engaged in the business of trading and export of branded mobile phones, holding that it was denied a meaningful opportunity of hearing by the tax authorities.A division bench of Justices Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Ajay Digpaul observed that the timeline granted to the petitioner to respond to the Department's queries and to appear for a personal hearing was inadequate and violative of principles of natural...

Himachal Pradesh High Court Quashes Distillery Licence Cancellation Over Lack Of Independent Application of Mind

The Himachal Pradesh High Court set aside the cancellation of distillery licences, holding that the decision was influenced by an unauthorised recommendation and lacked independent application of mind. It permitted fresh adjudication by the competent authority. Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua was dealing with a writ petition filed by a distillery licensee (Tiloksons Brewery & Distillery) challenging cancellation of its licences in Forms D-2 and L-11 under the Himachal Pradesh Excise Act, 2011.The...

Delhi High Court Denies Interim Injunction In 'NATRAJ' Trademark Dispute, Calls It Family Ownership Row

The Delhi High Court has refused to grant an interim injunction in a trademark dispute over the “NATRAJ” mark used for saffron and edible silver foil, holding that the case arises from a family ownership conflict requiring trial and that no prima facie case for exclusive rights was made out. In an order delivered on March 28, 2026, Justice Tejas Karia observed, “The present case is not one where a stranger or an undisputed infringer is misusing Subject Mark. The present dispute is a dispute...

Delhi High Court Warns News Channel Against Disparagement Over Unverified Britannia Claims

The Delhi High Court on 6 April warned Information TV Private Limited for airing segments criticising Britannia Industries' products without independent laboratory verification, noting that such reporting can appear prima facie disparaging.Justice Tushar Rao Gedela emphasised that relying solely on medical opinions cannot defend a disparagement claim. He observed:“We can understand if you're conducting some kind of a test... and you're giving credible actual test results.”The dispute arose...

Bombay High Court Grants Interim Injunction To Sun Pharma, Restrains Zawadi From Using “PANTOZED-40”

The Bombay High Court on 1 April, granted an interim injunction in favor of Sun Pharma Laboratories Limited, restraining Zawadi Healthcare Limited from using the trademark “PANTOZED-40” for pharmaceutical preparations. Justice Sharmila U. Deshmukh held that Zawadi's mark was structurally, phonetically, and visually similar to Sun Pharma's registered mark “PANTOCID”, which has been in use since 1998. The Court observed: “The Defendants cannot claim balance of convenience in their favour as the...