Kerala Court Grants Temporary Injunction Against Reporter TV In Kitex MD's Defamation Suit

A court in Perumbavoor, Kerala has recently passed an ad-interim injunction restraining Reporter TV, its directors, and reporters from publishing or republishing defamatory content against Sabu M. Jacob, Managing Director of Kitex Garments Limited.A coram of Civil Judge (Senior Division) Annie Varghese observed that a prima facie case had been made out and held that issuing notice would delay and defeat the purpose of the petition.“ I am satisfied that a prima facie case had been made out that...

Former District Judge Deep Chandra Joshi To Serve As Acting President Of NCLT

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs on Friday has notified that Shri Deep Chandra Joshi, Former District Judge, has been appointed as the Acting President of the National Company Law Tribunal with effect from 14 February 2026. He is currently the senior-most member of the NCLT.As per the notification, this follows after the tenure of Justice (Retired) Ramalingam Sudhakar as President of NCLT on 13 February 2026. Invoking Section 415 (1) of the Companies Act, 2013, the Ministry clarified that Deep...

SAFEMA Tribunal Sets Aside Forfeiture Of Property Bought Nine Years Before Smuggling Offence

A property purchased nine years before a smuggling offence cannot be forfeited on mere assumption that it was funded through illegal earnings, the Appellate Tribunal under SAFEMA has held, setting aside a 2023 forfeiture order against a Karaikal resident. The tribunal held that the competent authority failed to establish any “link or nexus” between the 1990 purchase of the property and a 1999 smuggling case. Member V. Anandarajan observed that the authority had acted on assumption without...

Telangana High Court Restrains Ex Karix Mobile Employees From Sharing Trade Secrets With Competitor

Holding that the sudden loss of a major client gave rise to an “unshakable inference” of breach of confidence, the Telangana High Court has set aside a trial court order and granted interim protection to Karix Mobile Private Limited against its former senior employees who joined competitor OneXtel Limited. A Division Bench of Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya and Justice Gadi Praveen Kumar allowed the appeal and overturned the October 6, 2025 order of the trial court, which had rejected Karix's...

CA Prasanna Kumar Becomes 74th President Of ICAI

CA Prasanna Kumar D has assumed office as the 74th President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) for the council year 2026-27.A Fellow Member of ICAI, CA Prasanna Kumar qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1984 and brings over four decades of professional experience to the role. He previously served two consecutive terms on the Central Council (24th and 25th Councils) and continues as a member in the 26th Council.He has held several leadership positions within ICAI,...

New RBI Directions Raise Collateral-Free Loan Limit For MSEs From ₹10 To 20 Lakh

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently doubled the collateral-free loan limit for Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 20 lakh.This change was made through the Lending to Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) Sector (Amendment) Directions, 2026, and the revised limit will take effect from 1 April 2026.The move aims to strengthen last-mile credit delivery to smaller businesses with limited assets. By raising the ceiling to Rs. 20 lakh, the RBI aims to ease access to...

Belagavi Court Refuses Ex Parte Injunction Against US AI Company Anthropic In Trademark Dispute

A Commercial Court in Belagavi, Karnataka has refused to grant an ex parte interim injunction to an Indian company in a trademark dispute over the mark “Anthropic” against a US AI company Anthropic PBC. The court held that there is no “imminent threat” of infringement at this stage. The court, however, issued summons to the San Francisco-based defendant and directed that emergent notice be sent in accordance with the applicable guidelines The suit was filed by Anthropic Softwares Private...

DGFT Invites Comments On Draft Digital Trade Facilitation Bill, 2026

On Monday, 9 February, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued a trade notice inviting stakeholder comments on the draft Digital Trade Facilitation Bill, 2026, which aims to give statutory recognition to electronic trade documents and regulate digital identity and trust services for cross-border trade. The notice follows the Union Budget announcement on implementing BharatTradeNet as a digital public infrastructure for trade. The Ministry of Commerce noted that the current legal...

Bombay High Court Upholds NMC Regulation Allowing Only Non-Profit Companies To Set Up Medical Colleges

The Bombay High Court at Aurangabad recently upheld Regulation 6 of the Establishment of Medical Institutions, Assessment and Rating Regulations, 2023, which allows only non-profit companies to establish new medical colleges and hospitals. A division bench of Justices Sandipkumar C. More and Abasaheb D. Shinde held that the rule is a valid exercise of regulatory power and is consistent with the National Medical Commission Act, 2019. The regulations were framed by the National Medical...

Managing Director Liable For Dishonoured Company Cheques Where He Ran Its Day-to-Day Affairs: Kerala High Court

A Managing Director who was in charge of a company's day-to-day affairs and who signed its cheques can be held vicariously liable for cheque dishonour, the Kerala High Court has held, dismissing a revision plea by a company's former head. Justice M.B. Snehalatha upheld the conviction of V.J. Joseph, the former Managing Director of J and A Foundations Pvt. Ltd., in a cheque dishonour case under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. It involved three cheques issued by the company. The...

CBDT Issues Draft Income Tax Rules And Forms For New Act With 34% Fewer Rules [Read Draft Rules Here]

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has released the draft Income Tax Rules, 2026 along with the draft forms, in connection with the Income Tax Act, 2025, which is scheduled to come into force from April 1, 2026. The draft rules and forms have been placed in the public domain to invite comments and suggestions from stakeholders and the general public.As per the CBDT, the draft Income Tax Rules, 2026 will remain open for public feedback for a period of 15 days, up to February 22,...

“Additional Notices” Now Merged With Main “Notices and Orders” Tab On GST Portal

The Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) has merged the “Additional Notices & Orders” tab with the main “Notices and Orders” section on the GST Portal, consolidating all issued notices and orders into a single interface. Taxpayers can now view all notices and orders on the portal by navigating to Dashboard → Services → User Services → View Notices and Orders.Also Read: Not Reasonable To Expect Taxpayer To Check Every Tab On GST Portal: Calcutta High Court Orders Appeal To Be Heard...