News Updates
Income Tax Disputes Before HCs Doubled In Value Over Past Four Financial Years: Govt Tells Rajya Sabha
A sharp escalation in the value of income tax disputes pending before High Courts has emerged from fresh data placed before Parliament, with the total disputed amount nearly doubling between FY 2020-21 and FY 2024-25. The figures were disclosed in a reply tabled in the Rajya Sabha by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, capturing year-wise pendency and amounts locked at each appellate stage.The numbers paint a split-screen picture of India's tax dispute system. At...
Centre Defends Onion Export Ban, Says MEP Was 'Temporary' & Needed To Protect Consumers Amid Price Spikes
The Centre has clarified on Onion export ban and imposition of Minimum Export Price (MEP), were 'temporary' and 'necessary' to protect consumers, especially low-income households, during years when adverse weather conditions and lower arrivals led to sharp spikes in retail prices. On fair-farmer remuneration, the Centre explained that it balanced consumer price stability and farmer remuneration by monitoring availability, arrivals, buffer stock position and price trends of Onions...
MCA Redefines Small Company Criteria, Raises Paid Up Capital Cap To Rs 10 Crore and Turnover Cap To Rs 100 Crore
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has revised the definition of small companies by increasing the turnover ceiling from Rs 40 crore to Rs 100 crore and the paid-up capital threshold from Rs 4 crore to Rs 10 crore.The notification was issued on December 1, 2025 which took effect immediately. The amendment updates the Companies (Specification of Definition Details) Rules, 2014. These rules were first notified in March 2014 and last revised in September 2022. Only private companies that are...
Employment Cases Cannot Be Characterised As Commercial Disputes Under Commercial Courts Act: Delhi High Court
The Delhi High Court on Monday held that disputes arising out of employment agreements cannot be treated as commercial disputes under the Commercial Courts Act merely because they contain business related clauses. The court categorically stated that “any dispute relating to an employment agreement cannot be treated to be a commercial dispute within the purview of Section 2(1)(c) of the CC Act."A single bench of Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav made the observation as it...
Supreme Court Upholds View That Eden Gardens Not A 'Public Place' For Levy Of Advertisement Tax
The Supreme Court today dismissed a challenge to the Calcutta High Court order which held that Eden Gardens stadium was not a "public place" for the purpose of levying advertisement tax under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act.A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta heard the matter. Senior Advocate Jaideep Gupta appeared for petitioner-Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Senior Advocate Rajiv Shakdher appeared for respondents.Gupta argued that every bit of the Eden Gardens stadium can...
Justice Ashok Bhushan Appointed As NCLAT Chairperson For Second Term
The Central Government has approved the re-appointment of Justice Ashok Bhushan, former Judge of the Supreme Court of India, as Chairperson of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). The re-appointment will be effective from the date he assumes charge and will continue until he attains the age of 70 years, i.e., till July 4, 2026.Justice Bhushan was earlier appointed as the NCLAT Chairperson on October 29, 2021, shortly after his retirement from the Supreme Court, and took charge on...
Delhi High Court Restrains Entity From Infringing Tata's Vivanta Trademark
The Delhi High Court has restrained an entity from infringing the trademark of Tata Group's Indian Hotels Company Limited which runs and operates hotel brand 'Vivanta'.Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora passed an ad-interim injunction restraining the use of 'Vivanta Stays' or any other mark deceptively similar to Vivanta.The development comes in a trademark infringement suit preferred by IHCL.Significant to note that VIVANTA was declared as a well-known trademark by the High Court back in 2022....
Delhi High Court Ends 25-Year Mars v. Cadbury Trademark Dispute, Orders Them To Distribute Sweet To Schoolchildren On Diwali
The Delhi High Court has ended the 25 year long battle between Mars and Cadbury over infringement of “Celebrations” trademark, followed by mutual settlement between the two confectionery companies. Bringing a sweet truce to the issue, Justice Sanjeev Narula directed both the companies to distribute sealed units of their respective confectionery assortments like chocolates, cookies etc to schoolchildren enrolled in government and government-aided schools in the national capital. This was after...
Delhi High Court Grants Interim Injunction To 'WOW MOMO' In Trademark Infringement Suit Against 'WOW BURGER'
The Delhi High Court has granted interim injunction in favour of “WOW MOMO”, an Indian quick-service restaurant chain, in its trademark infringement suit filed against a Hong Kong-based company “WOW BURGER.”A division bench comprising Justice C Hari Shankar and Justice Om Prakash Shukla overturned a single judge ruling of September 12 declining interim injunction to Wow Momo. The Court said that the impugned judgement failed to notice the aspect of infringement of Wow Burger word mark by Wow...
“Descriptive & Generic”: Kerala High Court Sets Aside Injunction Granted Over Use Of 'Metal Industries' Trademark
The Kerala High Court has recently set aside an injunction granted to government company Metal Industries Limited against use of trade mark 'Metal Industries' after noting that the words metal and industries are generic and descriptive.Even though the company was the registered owner and long-term user of the trade mark 'Metal Industries', Justice C. Pratheep Kumar found that there was no ground to grant relief to it under infringement or passing off.The 1st respondent/plaintiff is a company...
Delhi High Court Restrains Alchem International From Infringing Trademark Of Alkem Labs, Explains Concept Of Acquiescence
The Delhi High Court has restrained Alchem International Pvt. Ltd., incorporated in the year 1982, from infringing the trademark of Alkem Laboratories Ltd., a company engaged in manufacture and sale of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products.Justice Amit Bansal observed that it cannot be said that Alkem slept over its rights while the defendant invested in the growth and expansion of its business inasmuch as— initially, Alchem was only dealing with bulk drugs and it emerged as Alkem's...