Encashing ₹18.64 Lakh Settlement Without Prior Objection Equals Acceptance: Bombay High Court In Reliance ARC's Plea

The Bombay High Court has held that Reliance Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd, having encashed Rs 18.64 lakh offered by borrowers towards full and final settlement without first communicating any objection, must be deemed to have accepted the settlement. It ruled that the company's subsequent claim that the amount was accepted “under protest” was not a valid revocation and that the arbitral awards stood satisfied. Justice Abhay Ahuja held that once the amount was encashed without prior protest,...

Delhi High Court Sets Aside ₹45 Lakh GST Demand Against HUF After Revenue Confirms ITC Reversal

The Delhi High Court has recently set aside a GST demand against a Hindu Undivided Family after revenue authorities confirmed before the Court that the disputed input tax credit had been reversed prior to the issuance of the show-cause notice.A Division Bench of Justices Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Ajay Digpaul was hearing a writ petition challenging orders that had disallowed ITC and raised a demand of over Rs 45 lakh for the financial year 2018–19.The demand stemmed from a show cause notice...

Karnataka High Court Upholds Injunction Against 'TULSI' Agarbatti Mark, Finds Prima Facie Infringement Of 'TULASI'

The Karnataka High Court has upheld an injunction restraining the use of the “TULSI” mark for agarbattis, holding that it is prima facie deceptively similar to the long-standing “TULASI” mark and not merely descriptive of fragrance.In a judgment delivered on March 25, 2026, Justice Ravi V. Hosmani held that Jallan Enterprises' use of the word “TULSI” was displayed in a trademark-like manner that prima facie infringed the long-standing registered mark “TULASI” of Sarathi International Inc.The...

DRT Cannot Condone Delay Beyond 45 Days In Pleas Challenging SARFAESI Recovery Measures: Karnataka High Court

Recently, the Karnataka High Court held that the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) cannot condone delays beyond the 45-day limit for filing applications under Section 17 of the SARFAESI Act, which allows borrowers to challenge a bank's recovery actions before the tribunal. The court clarified that Section 5 of the Limitation Act, 1963, which permits courts to excuse in case of sufficient cause, does not apply to such proceedings. The single-judge bench of Justice Lalitha Kanneganti observed...

'PILs Filed At Behest Of Rivals Harm Corporate Reputation': Bombay High Court Rejects FIR Plea Against Reliance Industries

The Bombay High Court on Friday expressed its concern that writ petitions masked as public interest litigations are often filed at the instance of a failed competitor or a rival business house while dismissing a petition seeking registration of an FIR against Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) over allegations of illegal extraction of gas from ONGC wells. A bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Suman Shyam noted that such petitions can cause serious harm to the reputation and...

Madras High Court Finds Geetham Restaurants Passed Off As Sangeetha For 17 Months, No Trademark Infringement

The Madras High Court has recently held that former franchisees of the Sangeetha restaurant chain were liable for passing off for about 17 months after ending their association but ruled that their use of the name “Geetham” did not amount to trademark infringement.In a judgment pronounced on March 25, 2026, Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy observed that the defendants had dishonestly adopted a trade dress identical to the plaintiff's iconic red-and-green color scheme to mislead the public...

Meghalaya High Court Strikes Down Excise Notification Cutting Liquor Retailers' Profit Margin From 20% to 15%

The Meghalaya High Court on Thursday struck down a state excise notification that reduced the maximum profit margin for liquor retailers from 20% to 15%, holding that the move unfairly burdened retailers while leaving other stakeholders unaffected, making it arbitrary and violative of Article 14.The court noted that while retailers' margins were reduced, other stakeholders such as Central Bonded Warehouses and Bonded Warehouses continued at existing margins. A coram comprising...

No 'Deemed Liability' For Company Directors Under Negotiable Instruments Act: Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court has recently held that there is no deemed liability for a director merely by virtue of his designation, emphasising that specific factual averments in a complaint linking a director to the day-to-day management of the company are a jurisdictional prerequisite under Section 141 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. The court said that silence in a complaint regarding a director's role constitutes a substantive failure to establish a prima facie case. Justice Uday Kumar,...

'Kaithi' Makers Move Bombay High Court Over 'Bholaa' Remake Rights Dispute

Chennai-based production house Dream Warrior Pictures has moved the Bombay High Court seeking a permanent injunction to restrain Reliance Entertainment Studios and others from further exploiting, streaming, or monetizing the Ajay Devgn-starrer 'Bholaa', after claiming that the underlying remake rights have reverted to it following the termination of remake rights agreements. During the hearing on Wednesday, Justice Sharmila U. Deshmukh heard arguments on the issue of jurisdiction and reserved...

Acceptance Of Insurance Claim Under Protest Not 'Accord And Satisfaction': Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court on 18 March held that when a claimant accepts the amount offered by an insurer under protest, such acceptance does not bar the claimant from seeking a higher amount before an arbitral tribunal. Justice Gauri Godse upheld an arbitral award enhancing the compensation payable to the insured after finding an error in the surveyor's assessment. The Court rejected the insurer's contention that the insured's acceptance of the amount amounted to accord and satisfaction. It...

Gujarat High Court Condones Delay In Filing Income Tax Return, Finds Accountant's Error Caused Genuine Hardship

The Gujarat High Court has held that a taxpayer's delay in filing its income tax return due to a bona fide misunderstanding of audit requirements under Section 44AB of the Income Tax Act, resulting in denial of a tax deduction under Section 80-IAB for Special Economic Zone developers, constitutes “genuine hardship” warranting condonation.The case arose from the petitioner firm's failure to file its return of income for Assessment Year 2023–24 within the prescribed due date of 31 July 2023. The...

Bombay High Court Dismisses Plea Seeking CBI Probe Into Reliance's Alleged $1.55 Billion Gas Theft From ONGC

The Bombay High Court on Friday (March 27) dismissed a plea seeking a CBI probe against Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani over alleged siphoning of natural gas worth over USD 1.55 billion from ONGC wells in the Krishna-Godavari Basin.The plea was filed by Jitendra P. Maru, an Indian citizen, urging the court to direct the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Union of India to take action. A bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Suman Shyam...