Personality Rights Cannot Extinguish Parody, Caricature Or Lampooning: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on 5 August held that personality rights cannot be used to extinguish entire genres of expression such as caricature, lampooning or parody, while granting PhysicsWallah founder and physics educator Alakh Pandey interim protection against three specific forms of misuse of his persona. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani was hearing a commercial suit filed by Pandey against social media accounts, sticker platforms, coupon websites and domain registrars accused of misusing his name,...

Closure of Interim Pleas for Non-Payment of Arbitral Fees Not Appealable: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on 18 August held that an arbitral tribunal's order closing a party's interim relief applications and counterclaim for non-payment of arbitral fees is procedural and does not amount to an order granting or refusing interim relief appealable under Section 37 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. Justice Om Prakash Shukla dismissed as non-maintainable the appeal filed by Orbit In-Te-Rio against American Epay Services Pvt. Ltd., while granting the former liberty to...

Delhi High Court Reserves Order On Jurisdiction In HUL's Disparagement Suit Against Beco

The Delhi High Court on Monday concluded hearing arguments on the preliminary question of territorial jurisdiction in Hindustan Unilever Limited's disparagement suit against Kwick Living (I) Private Limited, which runs the cleaning brand Beco.Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani reserved the order on jurisdiction after hearing both sides at length, while making it clear that no interim or ad-interim order would be passed before deciding the question of jurisdiction.The jurisdictional objection arose...

Delhi High Court Vacates RewireX Injunction Against Nugenesys, Finds Celagenex Wilfully Suppressed Facts

The Delhi High Court on 20 August allowed an appeal by Nugenesys Pharmaceuticals and vacated an ex-parte ad-interim injunction restraining it from selling nutraceutical products under the mark “RewireX”. A Division Bench of Justices V. Kameswar Rao and Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora held that Celagenex Research (India) had obtained the order by wilfully suppressing material facts and imposed costs of Rs. 2 lakh on it. The judges held: “The conduct of the Respondent in wilfully suppressing the...

Taxpayer Who Opts For Settlement Cannot Later Challenge Underlying SCN Through Writ: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on 21 August held that a taxpayer who voluntarily chooses to settle a dispute before the Settlement Commission cannot subsequently challenge the validity of the underlying show cause notice (SCN) through a writ petition. A Division Bench of Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar dismissed the writ petition filed by Nitco Ltd. challenging an order of the Customs, Central Excise and Service Tax Settlement Commission. The judges held: “Having consciously...

Delhi High Court Restrains 'ANANTARA SPA' From Using 'ANANTARA' For Spa And Wellness Services

The Delhi High Court on 13 August granted an ex-parte ad-interim injunction restraining a wellness and spa business operating as “ANANTARA SPA” from using the marks “ANANTARA”, “ANANTARA SPA” or similar mark in relation to spa, wellness, hospitality or allied services, in a suit filed by MHG IP Holding Singapore Pte Ltd and other entities of the Minor Hotel Group. Justice A. J. Bhambhani also noted that a domain name arbitrator had already found that the defendants' adoption and use of the...

Delhi High Court Holds ECIR Ends With Predicate Offence Closure, Quashes ED Case Against Prasad Family

The Delhi High Court on 19 August quashed proceedings initiated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against members of the family of late Aristo Group founder Dr. Mahendra Prasad and others, after finding that the predicate offence forming the basis of the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) had been closed. Justice Anish Dayal also set aside the ED's August 2025 addendum adding an earlier FIR to the existing ECIR. He observed: “The ED...

Judicial Review Cannot Re-Appreciate Settlement Commission Evidence: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on 21 August held that while exercising judicial review over orders of the Settlement Commission, it cannot re-appreciate evidence considered by the Commission or substitute its own assessment for that of the Commission. A Division Bench of Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora made the observation while dismissing a writ petition filed by Jindal Lifestyle Ltd. challenging the rejection of a claim for adjustment of Rs. 31.93 lakh towards reversal of CENVAT...

Delhi High Court Holds Varun Beverages' 'SMOOTH' Deceptively Similar To 'SMOODH', Restrains Use

The Delhi High Court on 18 August granted an ad-interim injunction restraining Varun Beverages Limited from using the mark “SMOOTH” for its dairy-based yoghurt drink, finding that the mark is prima facie deceptively similar to Parle Agro Private Limited's registered “SMOODH” trademark. Justice Jyoti Singh held that Varun Beverages had engaged in “smart copying” by substituting the letter 'D' in “SMOODH” with 'T' to create the mark “SMOOTH”. She observed: “Defendants have adopted the mark...

Lending Customs Broker Licence And Dongle For Money Prohibited Under CBLR: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on 21 August held that a Customs Broker cannot lend his licence and dongle to another person for monetary consideration, as such conduct amounts to impermissible transfer of the licence under the Customs Brokers Licensing Regulations, 2018 (CBLR). A Division Bench of Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Shail Jain upheld the revocation of the appellant, Pardeep Kumar Prashar's Customs Broker licence, forfeiture of his security deposit of Rs. 75,000 and imposition of a penalty of...

Delhi High Court Denies Anticipatory Bail In Fake GST Case Involving Misuse Of PAN Cards

The Delhi High Court on 20 August dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of a man accused of creating fake Goods and Services Tax (GST) entities by allegedly misusing the Permanent Account Numbers (PAN) cards and other credentials of unsuspecting individuals.Justice Girish Kathpalia observed that filing fake Goods and Services Tax (GST) returns by misusing the PANs and other credentials of innocent persons has serious consequences for victims and “tremendous ramifications” for the country's...

Delhi High Court Restrains 'HOTEL JEROME'S HOLIDAY INN' From Using 'HOLIDAY INN' Trademark

The Delhi High Court on 17 August granted an ex-parte ad-interim injunction restraining Jerome Fernandes, a hotel operator from using the name “HOTEL JEROME'S HOLIDAY INN” or any deceptively similar mark, after Six Continents Hotels, Inc., proprietor of the registered “HOLIDAY INN” trademark, alleged trademark infringement and passing off. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani directed Fernandes to remove advertisements and listings of the hotel from third-party online platforms, including Goibibo,...