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...

TEP-Based Income Tax Summons Can't Be Quashed Without Proof Of Mala Fide: Andhra Pradesh High Court

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has held that summons issued under Section 131(1A) of the Income Tax Act on the basis of a Tax Evasion Petition (TEP) cannot be quashed in writ jurisdiction in the absence of clear and convincing proof of mala fide, particularly where such allegations are raised belatedly and lack foundational pleadings or supporting material. A Division Bench of Justice Ravi Nath Tilhari and Justice Balaji Medamalli dismissed a writ petition filed by Koduru Picheswara Rao...

Andhra Pradesh High Court Holds State GST Cannot Assess IGST On Imports, Quashes Notice Against Avanti Feeds

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on 1 April set aside a show-cause notice issued to Avanti Feeds Limited, holding that State GST authorities have no jurisdiction to assess or recover Integrated GST (IGST) on imported goods. A Division Bench comprising Justice R. Raghunandan Rao and Justice T.C.D. Sekhar ruled that such powers vest exclusively with customs authorities under the Customs Act. The Bench observed: “Another aspect of this matter which would also require to be noticed is the language of...

Only NCLT Can Decide Premature Loan Repayment Disputes Under RBI Act: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court on 31 March held that under Section 45QA of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 read with Section 430 of the Companies Act, 2013, only the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has the jurisdiction to decide disputes regarding premature repayment of a loan. A Single-Judge Bench of Justice Sandeep Jain dismissed the appeal filed by Shivam Traders And Hire Purchase Pvt. Ltd. against Madhusudan Vehicles Pvt. Ltd., holding that the civil court had no jurisdiction over...

Arbitration Clause In Purchase Orders Enough to Appoint Arbitrator: Punjab & Haryana High Court

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on 19 March, held that an arbitration clause in purchase orders is sufficient under Section 11 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, to allow appointment of an arbitrator. A Single Judge Bench of Justice Jasgurpreet Singh Puri allowed a petition by Aditya Birla Real Estate Limited and appointed Justice Ajay Tewari (Retd.) as the Sole Arbitrator in disputes arising out of 20 purchase orders issued by Orient Craft Limited for the supply of fabric. He...

Orissa High Court Allows Copyright Suit To Proceed Without Pre-Institution Mediation In Continuing Infringement Case

The Orissa High Court has allowed a copyright infringement suit to go ahead without pre-institution mediation, brushing aside the defendant's argument that a year-long delay stripped the case of any real urgency. In an order, delivered on March 31, 2026, Justice Sashikanta Mishra dismissed a revision petition filed by Ele Animations (P) Ltd., which had sought to have the suit rejected at the outset. The dispute traces back to a suit filed by Satya Swagat Mohanty, who claims that his...

Delhi High Court Upholds Arbitral Order Allowing Affle To Inspect Talent Unlimited's Records As Shareholder

The Delhi High Court on Saturday upheld a SIAC Arbitral Tribunal's order granting interim relief to Affle India Limited, a listed mobile advertising technology company. The order permits inspection of the records and premises of Talent Unlimited Online Services Private Limited, developer of the “Bobble Keyboard” app. The court held that the arbitrator's interpretation of Affle's inspection rights as a shareholder of Talent Unlimited Online Services Private Limited under Clause 3.4 of the...

MSME Council Justified In Proceeding To Arbitration Without Fresh Notice When Party Skips Conciliation: Madhya Pradesh HC

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has held that where a party, despite being granted an opportunity, fails to file a reply and declines to participate in conciliation proceedings, the MSME Facilitation Council is justified in proceeding to arbitration without issuing a separate notice. A Division Bench of Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Pradeep Mittal observed, “Once the petitioner had declared that he was interested in participating in the conciliation proceedings, the Facilitation Council had no...

Calcutta High Court Upholds Injunction In Favour Of Exide Industries In Battery Trade Dress Dispute

The Calcutta High Court has upheld an interim injunction in favour of Exide Industries Limited, holding that Amara Raja Energy and Mobility Limited's red trade dress for automotive batteries is prima facie deceptively similar in overall get-up and likely to mislead consumers. A Division Bench of Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Md. Shabbar Rashidi, in a judgment delivered on April 02, 2026, dismissed an appeal filed by Amara Raja challenging the Single Judge's order granting interim relief in...

Delhi HC Temporarily Bars Use Of 'YESHA SANT' Trademark, Orders Takedown of Listings Using Kareena Kapoor Images

The Delhi High Court has granted an ex-parte ad-interim injunction in favour of Yesha Sant Designs Pvt. Ltd., restraining an e-commerce seller from using the registered trademark “YESHA SANT” and directing it to remove infringing listings and content across platforms. The court held that there was a prima facie case of unauthorised adoption and infringement of the registered trademark, noting that customers appeared to be confused about whether the defendants' products originated from or were...

Cheque Not Legally Enforceable For Full Amount If Part Payment Not Endorsed: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court has held that a cheque presented for its full value despite prior part payments without endorsement does not represent a legally enforceable debt, while upholding an acquittal in a cheque dishonour case. Justice A. Badharudeen, while dismissing an appeal filed by complainant Danikutti Philip, held, "However, when part payment(s) is/are made and the indorsement mandated under Section 56 of the NI Act failed to be recorded, presenting the cheque for the whole sum, of which a...