Delhi High Court Allows L'Oreal To Amend 'Garnier Bright Complete' Suit To Add Trademark Infringement Plea

The Delhi High Court has set aside a Saket District Court order that refused L'Oréal SA permission to amend its passing-off suit over the 'GARNIER BRIGHT COMPLETE' mark to include a claim of trademark infringement.Justice Jyoti Singh on July 13, 2026 observed that the Trial Court erred in treating the subsequent registration of the mark as giving rise to a fresh cause of action barring amendment.L'Oréal had moved for a permanent injunction against Vekariya Nikunj Arvindbhai and others, alleging...

Income Tax Order Not Invalid If DIN Is Communicated Later Through Separate Intimation: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court has held that an income tax order initially communicated without a Document Identification Number (DIN) does not become invalid merely because the DIN is communicated later through a separate authenticated intimation letter. The court held that the procedure substantially complied with CBDT Circular No. 19/2019 as it maintained the audit trail and authenticity of departmental communications. A Division Bench of Justice S.G. Pandit and Justice K.V. Aravind allowed two...

SARFAESI Action Against Personal Guarantors Can Continue Without No Pending IBC Case: Telangana High Court

The Telangana High Court has held that a secured creditor is not barred from proceeding against personal guarantors under the SARFAESI Act merely because insolvency proceedings are pending against the corporate debtor. It observed that where no insolvency proceedings have been initiated against the guarantors before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), there is "no legal argument against a secured creditor proceeding against personal guarantors for realization of its dues" under the...

Delhi High Court Cancels 'ZORA' Trademark, Holds It Deceptively Similar To Well-Known ZARA Mark

The Delhi High Court has cancelled the registration of the trademark 'ZORA', holding it to be deceptively similar to the Spanish fashion company ZARA's well-known mark. Justice Jyoti Singh set aside an order of the Registrar of Trade Marks that had dismissed ZARA owner Industria De Diseno Textil S.A.'s opposition to the mark. The court directed the Registrar to rectify the Register of Trade Marks by removing the trademark ZORA within two months. The appeal arose from an order dated February...

KVAT Revision Orders Must Be Passed Within Five Years Of Order Sought To Be Revised: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court has held that tax authorities cannot keep suo motu revision proceedings under the Karnataka Value Added Tax (KVAT) Act pending indefinitely after initiating them within the statutory four-year period. While the authority validly initiates revision by calling for records within four years of the order proposed to be revised, the final revisional order must also be passed within a reasonable time, the court ruled. A division bench of Justice S.G. Pandit and Justice K.V....

Madras High Court Holds 'KONGU ELITE MATRIMONY' Infringes 'ELITE MATRIMONY' Mark, Grants Injunction

The Madras High Court on 8 July held that a matchmaking service using the trade name “KONGU ELITE MATRIMONY” and an identical domain name can be restrained where the mark is visually and phonetically similar to the registered “ELITE MATRIMONY” mark, granting an interim injunction in favour of Matrimony.com Limited. Justice K. Kumaresh Babu observed: “The applicant had been benefitted with the registration of a Trademark of the words 'ELITE MATRIMONY' for providing online match making...

Kerala High Court Warns Against Misuse Of Writ Petitions By “Money Mule” Account Holders

The Kerala High Court on 10 July cautioned against the misuse of writ petitions seeking the unfreezing of bank accounts allegedly used as “money mule” accounts in cyber fraud cases, observing that account holders were increasingly filing such petitions to obtain orders allowing them to continue operating accounts used to facilitate fraudulent transactions. Justice M.A. Abdul Hakhim dismissed a writ petition seeking the unfreezing of a bank account and directed the Station House Officer, Tanur...

Madras High Court Holds Lease Area Reduction Cannot Attract Fresh Stamp Duty, Orders ₹1.15 Cr Refund

The Madras High Court on 13 July held that an amendment agreement executed only to reduce the leased area of a property does not create a fresh lease and cannot be subjected to a fresh levy of stamp duty. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan dismissed the State's appeal and upheld the order directing refund of over Rs. 1.15 crore collected as stamp duty from Tata Communications Data Centers Pvt. Ltd. (now STT Global Data Centres...

GST Adjudicating Authority Not Bound To Seek Additional Documents Before Passing Order: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has held that an adjudicating authority under the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 is not obliged to call for additional documents or clarifications from a business merely because it finds the material placed on record to be insufficient to determine tax liability.A Division Bench of Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Shail Jain dismissed a writ petition filed by Sodexo India, challenging a GST demand of around ₹8.75 crore.The Court rejected Sodexo's contention that the...

Bombay HC Restrains Use Of 'LAVIE LUXURY' Mark For Perfumes Over Similarity With Bagzone's 'LAVIE'

The Bombay High Court on 7 July 2026 granted an ex parte ad-interim injunction restraining Shweta Agrawal, a seller from using the mark “LAVIE LUXURY” for perfumes and colognes, holding that it was deceptively similar to the registered “LAVIE” family of marks owned by Bagzone Lifestyles Pvt Ltd. Justice Madhav J. Jamdar passed the order after the defendant failed to appear or file a reply despite being served and granted an additional opportunity to contest the proceedings, and appointed a...

Article 227 Cannot Be Used To Bypass NCLAT Remedy Against NCLT Orders: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court on 14 July held that parties cannot invoke the High Court's supervisory jurisdiction under Article 227 of the Constitution to challenge orders passed by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) when the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 provides an effective statutory appellate remedy before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). Justice T.R. Ravi dismissed a petition filed by Erattupetta Municipality, observing: “When a person chooses not to take any...

MODVAT Credit On Furnace Oil Cannot Be Denied For Exempt Intermediate Goods: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court has held that MODVAT credit availed on furnace oil used to manufacture exempt intermediate goods need not be reversed where such goods are captively consumed or transferred within the same company for manufacturing dutiable final products. A Division Bench of Justices Dr. G. Jayachandran and R. Sakthivel upheld Tata Refractories Ltd.'s claim for MODVAT credit on furnace oil used in manufacturing Dead Burnt Magnesite (DBM), holding that the credit could not be denied merely...