SEBI Notifies 2026 Amendment Regulations Defining 'Retail Individual Investors'

On 20 January, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) notified the SEBI Issue and Listing of Non-Convertible Securities (Amendment) Regulations, 2026, to formally define “retail individual investors” and allow issuers to offer incentives to such investors in debt issuances. The amendment introduces a new definition into the 2021 regulations, classifying a retail individual investor as an individual who applies or bids for debt securities for a value of not more than Rs. 2 lakh. SEBI...

Minimum Import Price On Steel Notification Enforceable Only From Gazette Publication, Not Website Upload: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has ruled that a notification imposing a Minimum Import Price (MIP) on steel products becomes legally enforceable only from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette and not from the date it is uploaded on a government website.Allowing a batch of appeals filed by Viraj Impex Pvt. Ltd. and other steel importers, a Division Bench comprising Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe set aside the Delhi High Court judgment, which had upheld...

RBI Tweaks Reference Date For Fortnightly Reporting By Scheduled Banks

The Reserve Bank of India has tweaked the cut-off date for fortnightly reporting by scheduled banks, without changing the reporting frequency itself. The change has been brought by the notification of the Reserve Bank of India Scheduled Banks' (Amendment) Regulations, 2025.Banks, which were already filing returns on a fortnightly basis, will now report their statement of position as on the last day of the fortnight, instead of the earlier practice of reporting figures as on a Friday. The change...

RBI Issues New Internal Ombudsman Rules For Credit Bureaus, NBFCs And Prepaid Payment Companies

The Reserve Bank of India has rolled out a fresh set of rules that make it mandatory for several financial sector players to appoint an internal ombudsman, a senior, independent official who will review certain customer complaints before they are finally rejected. Through three separate notifications issued on January 14, 2026, the RBI notified the Internal Ombudsman Directions for Credit Information Companies, eligible Non-Banking Financial Companies, and large non-bank Prepaid Payment...

CCPA Imposes Rs.10 Lakh Penalty On Flipkart And Meta For Misleading Listings Of Walkie-Talkies

The Central Consumer Protection Authority has, in two separate orders, imposed a penalty of Rs.10 lakh each on Flipkart Internet Private Limited and Meta Platforms Inc for indulging in misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices by permitting the listing and sale of walkie-talkies on their platforms without mandatory disclosures required under law.A coram of Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra was dealing with matters relating to the sale of walkie-talkies on...

CBIC Revises Tariff Values For Gold, Silver, Edible Oils And Brass Scrap

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has updated tariff values for edible oils, brass scrap, gold, silver and areca nuts. By a notification issued on 15 January 2026, the CBIC notified revised tariff values effective from 16 January 2026, fixing the tariff value of gold at USD 1,483 per 10 grams and silver at USD 2,950 per kilogram. The CBIC has also notified that there is no change in the tariff value of areca nuts falling under tariff item 080280. Further, revised tariff...

DGFT Restricts Import Of Low-Ash Metallurgical Coke For Six Months

In a recent notification, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) tightened norms for the import of low-ash metallurgical coke, placing it under the “Restricted” category for a six-month period from 1 January 2026 to 30 June 2026. During this period, such imports will be allowed only with approval under Policy Condition No. 08 of Chapter 27 of the import policy.Low-ash metallurgical coke refers to coke with an ash content of below 18%. It is a key raw material used in steel and...

Reference To Arbitration Requires Independent Application, Cannot Be Inferred From Plea To Reject Plaint: Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court recently rejected a Master's summons application filed by M/s Samman Capital Limited, that sought stay of a commercial suit on the grounds of an existing arbitration clause.Master's summons under the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC) refers to a court order (summons) compelling a party to appear, often to provide documents or information relevant to an insolvency proceeding or specific case issues.The Court emphasised that for a dispute to be referred to arbitration, the law...

CCPA Fines China Gate ₹50,000 For Service Charge Automatically Levied At Bora Bora Mumbai

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has recently levied a penalty of Rs 50,000 on China Gate Restaurant Private Limited for automatically adding a service charge to restaurant bills and charging GST on it, calling the practice unfair to consumers. The order relates to the company's “Bora Bora” outlet in Mumbai. The order was passed by a coram comprising Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra. The Authority said the service charge was not optional in...

Calcutta High Court Sets Aside Patent Office Order Rejecting US Company's Glass Fibre Patent

The Calcutta High Court has set aside a Patent Office order rejecting a patent application filed by OCV Intellectual Capital LLC, a subsidiary of Owens Corning. The court held that the refusal was passed without proper analysis of novelty and inventive step. A single-judge bench of Justice Ravi Krishan Kapur, in a judgment dated January 6, 2026, held that the Patent Office rejected the application without engaging with the technical submissions made by the company or recording clear reasons...

Blue Jays' Global Reputation Alone Not Enough To Cancel Indian 'BLUE-JAY' Trademark: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has held that mere global reputation of a trademark, without proof of spillover of goodwill into India, is insufficient to cancel a registered Indian trademark.A Division Bench of Justices C Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla thus set aside a single judge order cancelling the 'BLUE-JAY' mark used by an Indian partnership firm (Appellant-Defendant) on its apparel.The mark was cancelled in a trademark infringement suit filed by the IP holding company (Respondent-Petitioner) of...

Accused Cannot Demand Company and Bank Records During Investigation To Answer Queries: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has held that an accused cannot invoke Section 91 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to seek production of company and bank records during an ongoing investigation merely to help him answer questions during interrogation, ruling that such a demand would amount to allowing the accused to interfere with the investigation. Dismissing a petition filed by Shantanu Prakash, former director of Educomp Infrastructure and School Management Limited, Justice Neena Bansal Krishna said, ...