'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...

'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...

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...

After CIRP Begins, IRP Represents Corporate Debtor; Bombay HC Dismisses Suspended Director's Writ Over NCLT Order

The Bombay High Court on Thursday dismissed writ petitions filed by a suspended director of Gokul Sugar Industries Ltd and a financial creditor challenging an order of the National Company Law Tribunal refusing withdrawal of insolvency proceedings. The court held that after commencement of the corporate insolvency resolution process, the corporate debtor is represented by the interim resolution professional and not by the suspended management. The court held that no violation of principles of...

SARFAESI, RDB And PMLA Must Be Reconciled; Recovery Laws Cannot Prevail Over PMLA: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court at Nagpur recently held that the provisions of the SARFAESI Act and the Recovery of Debts and Bankruptcy Act do not override the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, observing that the statutes operate in different fields and must be interpreted so as to reconcile their provisions without defeating the object of the PMLA.A division bench of Justices M. S. Jawalkar and Nandesh S. Deshpande held, “The objective of the legislation in PMLA being distinct from the purposes of two...

Bombay High Court Quashes Patent Refusal To Medipack, Says Reasons Are 'Heart And Soul' Of Orders

The Bombay High Court on 23 March set aside the Patent Office's refusal to grant a patent for a single-use safety syringe to Medipack Global Ventures Pvt. Ltd., holding that the order was unreasoned and violated the principles of natural justice. A Single-Judge Bench of Justice Arif S. Doctor set aside the impugned order and remanded the matter for fresh consideration by a different Controller. It remarked: “Section 117A of the Patents Act specifically provides for an appeal against any order...

Bombay High Court Cancels “Tractorjunction” Trademark, Finds Registration Obtained In Bad Faith

The Bombay High Court has allowed a petition seeking cancellation of the trademark “TRACTORJUNCTION” registered in the name of Shivankar Gupta, holding that the registration was obtained in bad faith and was wrongly remaining on the register. In a judgment dated March 23, 2026, Justice Arif S. Doctor held that the impugned registration was liable to be removed under Section 57 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999.The court observed, “The Petition proceeds entirely on the basis that Respondent No. 1 has...

Right Of Redemption Ends Once Auction Notice Is Published Under SARFAESI: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday reiterated that once an auction notice is published under the SARFAESI Act, the borrower's right of redemption stands extinguished and the Debt Recovery Tribunal cannot set aside the auction sale in a manner that effectively permits redemption. The Court observed that passing such an order in the teeth of Section 13(8) of the Act and binding Supreme Court precedents constitutes a jurisdictional error. Relying on the precedents, the court reiterated that...

Technical Glitch On Portal Cannot Deprive Taxpayer Of Sabka Vishwas Scheme Benefit: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court on 11 March held that the benefit of the Sabka Vishwas (Legacy Dispute Resolution) Scheme, 2019 cannot be denied on mere technical grounds when a taxpayer is not at fault. A Division Bench comprising Justice G. S. Kulkarni and Justice Aarti Sathe allowed a writ petition by Himtaj Ayurved Pvt. Ltd and directed the authorities to issue it a discharge certificate, emphasising that the scheme is a one-time measure aimed at resolving legacy disputes and ensuring disclosure of...

Bombay High Court Allows Raj Kundra's Company To Challenge UK Anti-Suit Injunction In Rajasthan Royals Dispute

The Bombay High Court on Monday granted leave under Clause XII of the Letters Patent to Kuki Investments Limited, a company owned by Raj Kundra, to institute a suit challenging an anti-suit injunction passed by the High Court of England and Wales in a dispute relating to the affairs of IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals. Allowing the petition seeking permission to file the suit against Emerging Media Ventures Ltd. and others, Justice Abhay Ahuja observed that the court was satisfied that grounds...

Figures In Conciliator's Report Do Not Bind Arbitrator: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court on 17 March dismissed a petition filed by ICICI Securities Ltd, holding that the amount indicated in a conciliator's report does not constitute an award and does not bind the Arbitral Tribunal in determining the final claim. Justice Sandeep V. Marne upheld an arbitral award of Rs. 23.30 lakh passed in favour of Ridhi Siddhi Investment in a stock trading dispute arising out of margin trading transactions. The Court observed: “Thus, the amount indicated in the report of the...