LiveLawBiz Arbitration Cases Quarterly Digest: January - March 2026

Supreme CourtDecrees Cannot Be Turned into “Paper Tigers” by Permitting Post-Award Property Transfers: Supreme CourtCase Title : R. Savithri Naidu v. The Cotton Corporation of India Ltd. & Anr.Case Number : Civil Appeal No. 1602/2026 [Special Leave Petition (Civil) No. 19779 of 2024]Citation : 2026 LLBiz SC 66The Supreme Court has reaffirmed that a person who purchases disputed property after the passing of an arbitral award cannot obstruct its attachment in execution proceedings. A Bench of...

Orissa High Court Allows Copyright Suit To Proceed Without Pre-Institution Mediation In Continuing Infringement Case

The Orissa High Court has allowed a copyright infringement suit to go ahead without pre-institution mediation, brushing aside the defendant's argument that a year-long delay stripped the case of any real urgency. In an order, delivered on March 31, 2026, Justice Sashikanta Mishra dismissed a revision petition filed by Ele Animations (P) Ltd., which had sought to have the suit rejected at the outset. The dispute traces back to a suit filed by Satya Swagat Mohanty, who claims that his...

Delhi High Court Upholds Arbitral Order Allowing Affle To Inspect Talent Unlimited's Records As Shareholder

The Delhi High Court on Saturday upheld a SIAC Arbitral Tribunal's order granting interim relief to Affle India Limited, a listed mobile advertising technology company. The order permits inspection of the records and premises of Talent Unlimited Online Services Private Limited, developer of the “Bobble Keyboard” app. The court held that the arbitrator's interpretation of Affle's inspection rights as a shareholder of Talent Unlimited Online Services Private Limited under Clause 3.4 of the...

MSME Council Justified In Proceeding To Arbitration Without Fresh Notice When Party Skips Conciliation: Madhya Pradesh HC

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has held that where a party, despite being granted an opportunity, fails to file a reply and declines to participate in conciliation proceedings, the MSME Facilitation Council is justified in proceeding to arbitration without issuing a separate notice. A Division Bench of Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Pradeep Mittal observed, “Once the petitioner had declared that he was interested in participating in the conciliation proceedings, the Facilitation Council had no...

Calcutta High Court Upholds Injunction In Favour Of Exide Industries In Battery Trade Dress Dispute

The Calcutta High Court has upheld an interim injunction in favour of Exide Industries Limited, holding that Amara Raja Energy and Mobility Limited's red trade dress for automotive batteries is prima facie deceptively similar in overall get-up and likely to mislead consumers. A Division Bench of Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Md. Shabbar Rashidi, in a judgment delivered on April 02, 2026, dismissed an appeal filed by Amara Raja challenging the Single Judge's order granting interim relief in...

Delhi HC Temporarily Bars Use Of 'YESHA SANT' Trademark, Orders Takedown of Listings Using Kareena Kapoor Images

The Delhi High Court has granted an ex-parte ad-interim injunction in favour of Yesha Sant Designs Pvt. Ltd., restraining an e-commerce seller from using the registered trademark “YESHA SANT” and directing it to remove infringing listings and content across platforms. The court held that there was a prima facie case of unauthorised adoption and infringement of the registered trademark, noting that customers appeared to be confused about whether the defendants' products originated from or were...

Cheque Not Legally Enforceable For Full Amount If Part Payment Not Endorsed: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court has held that a cheque presented for its full value despite prior part payments without endorsement does not represent a legally enforceable debt, while upholding an acquittal in a cheque dishonour case. Justice A. Badharudeen, while dismissing an appeal filed by complainant Danikutti Philip, held, "However, when part payment(s) is/are made and the indorsement mandated under Section 56 of the NI Act failed to be recorded, presenting the cheque for the whole sum, of which a...

Delhi High Court Rejects Sujata Home Appliances Plea To Use 'SUJATA' As Corporate Name

The Delhi High Court has refused to allow Sujata Home Appliances (P) Ltd. to use the mark “SUJATA” as its corporate identity, holding that a limited exception granted in 2020 for specific products did not dilute the broader restraint under earlier orders. The suit was filed by Mittal Electronics, the registered proprietor of the “SUJATA” trademark. Sujata Home Appliances had approached the court seeking clarification of a September 9, 2020 order to permit use of “SUJATA” as its trade and...

Delhi High Court Pulls Up Income Tax Department For Pursuing Tax Dues After Nine-Year Slumber, Quashes Notice

The Delhi High Court has recently pulled up the Income Tax Department for waking up after nine years to pursue tax dues, calling it “difficult nay impossible” to believe such prolonged inaction, and quashed the notice issued to APS Hydro Private Limited. A division bench of Justice Dinesh Mehta and Justice Vinod Kumar was dealing with a writ petition against a notice dated February 16, 2022, and a follow-up communication issued on May 12, 2022, by the Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax, which...

Delhi High Court Bars Sale Of Water Purifiers Infringing 'KENT' Trademark And Design

The Delhi High Court has ruled in favour of Kent RO Systems Ltd., restraining several entities from making or selling water purifiers that infringe its “KENT” trademark and registered design. In a judgment delivered on March 13, 2026, Justice Jyoti Singh recorded that the defendants did not appear to contest the case and were proceeded against ex parte. The material placed on record, the Court noted, showed that the plaintiffs' marks and design had been copied. The court pointed out that...

Bombay High Court Sets Aside ITC Block On Suspicion Of Ineligible Credit, Says It Ceases After One Year

The Bombay High Court has recently set aside the blocking of Input Tax Credit (ITC) of NZS Traders Pvt. Ltd., holding that such a restriction made on apprehension of fraud cannot continue beyond one year and ceases to operate by law. A Bench of Justice G. S. Kulkarni and Justice Aarti Sathe explained that Rule 86A empowers GST authorities to block a taxpayer from using the credit available in its electronic credit ledger if they have reasons to believe that the credit has been wrongly or...

Delhi High Court Denies Plea to Sell 'OLD FORESTER' Whiskey Seized For Trademark Infringement, Terms It Counterfeit

The Delhi High Court has refused to permit the sale of seized whiskey stocks bearing the trademark “OLD FORESTER”, holding that goods found in violation of trademark rights fall within the definition of “counterfeit liquor” under excise law. In an order delivered on April 2, 2026, Justice Tushar Rao Gedela dismissed an application by Brewholik Private Limited seeking to release 3,464 boxes of seized inventory and complete the importation of an additional 2,600 boxes to fulfill government...