Supreme Court & High Courts
Interrogatories Maintainable In Oppression & Mismanagement Cases Before Company Law Board: Delhi High Court
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday held that interrogatories are maintainable in oppression and mismanagement proceedings before the Company Law Board (now NCLT), observing that such discovery mechanisms help elicit material facts and shorten prolonged trials.A coram of Justice Anish Dayal held that interrogatories cannot be rejected merely on the ground of delay if they are relevant to the issues in dispute and are neither vexatious nor oppressive.Interrogatories are a set of written questions...
EPF Dues Get Priority Over Establishment Assets, Not Partner's Personal Property: Karnataka High Court
The Karnataka High Court has recently held that while the statutory first charge under the Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 takes priority over competing claims against the assets of an establishment, it does not automatically extend to the separate property of a partner of a partnership firm. Justice Anant Ramanath Hegde said Section 11(2) of the EPF Act expressly creates a first charge only over the assets of the establishment and not over the separate assets...
Delhi HC Holds Online Marketplace Access Creates Jurisdiction, Restores Radhey Krishna Trademark Suit
The Delhi High Court on 1 July restored a trademark infringement suit over the “RADHEY KRISHNA” agarbatti mark, holding that a Trial Court had wrongly returned the plaint for want of territorial jurisdiction despite evidence that the goods in question were listed on IndiaMart. A Division Bench of Justices C. Hari Shankar and Justice Om Prakash Shukla restored the suit filed by Rukhmani Keshwani, trading as “Vishwas Agarbatti Store,” against Raju Agarbatti Works, for adjudication on merits. It...
Calcutta High Court Quashes Property Tax Hike Based On Undisclosed Policy, Says It Lacks Statutory Basis
The Calcutta High Court on 15 June held that municipal authorities cannot enhance property tax liability through undisclosed administrative policies lacking statutory backing, and set aside the enhancement of annual valuation imposed on Popat and Kotecha Property along with consequential tax demands. Justice Rai Chattopadhyay observed that fiscal measures must rest on clear statutory authority and cannot be justified through internal administrative arrangements. He said: “The respondent has...
Delhi HC Holds Name Change Doesn't Nullify Arbitration Clause, Refers Newgen Dispute To Arbitration
On 1 July, the Delhi High Court referred a trademark infringement dispute between Newgen Software Technologies Ltd and Newgen IT Technologies Ltd, formerly known as Vcare Infotech Solutions and Services Pvt Ltd, to arbitration. A Division Bench of Justices C. Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla set aside a Commercial Court order that had refused to refer the parties to arbitration, holding that a mere change in corporate name does not extinguish an arbitration clause in a subsisting agreement....
Former Reliance Power CFO Moves Supreme Court Against Bail Denial In ₹68.20 Crore PMLA Case
Former Reliance Power Ltd Chief Financial Officer Ashok Kumar Pal has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court's refusal to grant him regular bail in the Enforcement Directorate's money laundering case.The case arises from the alleged submission of forged bank guarantees worth ₹68.20 crore for a Solar Energy Corporation of India battery energy storage project.The special leave petition filed on June 30, 2026 is yet to be listed before the apex court. The case arises from an...
No Statutory Limit On Amending Pleadings Before Trial In Commercial Suits: Calcutta High Court
The Calcutta High Court has recently held that litigants in commercial suits are free to seek amendment of their pleadings at any stage before commencement of trial. There is no statutory limit on the number of amendment applications, provided the proposed amendments are otherwise permissible in law. Justice Aniruddha Roy delivered the ruling while allowing an application filed by Mackintosh Burn and Northern Express Consortium and another to amend their written statement in a commercial suit...
Counter-Claims Must Ordinarily Comply With Section 12A Pre-Institution Mediation: Delhi High Court
On 1 July, the Delhi High Court held that a defendant filing a counter-claim in a commercial suit must ordinarily comply with the mandatory pre-institution mediation requirement under Section 12A of the Commercial Courts Act, unless the disputes forming part of the counter-claim had already undergone mediation. A Bench of Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Amit Mahajan dismissed Vijay's appeal against the order rejecting his counter-claim under Order VII Rule 11 of the Civil Procedure Code for...
Market Value Determines Specified Value In Commercial Property Disputes: Calcutta High Court
The Calcutta High Court on 22 June held that in commercial disputes arising from construction and infrastructure contracts involving immovable property, the “specified value” under the Commercial Courts Act must be determined solely on the market value of the property. A Division Bench of Justices Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya and Supratim Bhattacharya clarified that valuation cannot depend on the nature of the relief claimed in the suit and dismissed appeals filed by landowners against developer...
Delhi High Court Orders Takedown Of AI Deepfakes, Cloned Voice Ads Targeting Actor Ravi Kishan
The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed multiple online intermediaries, including Google, YouTube and X, to take down deepfake videos, AI-generated content, and cloned-voice advertisements that infringe the personality rights of actor-politician Ravi Kishan.During the hearing today, Justice Jyoti Singh drew a line between content amounting to unauthorised use of the actor's persona through artificial intelligence, which was ordered to be taken down immediately, and content alleged to be merely...
Bombay High Court Says Proof Of Dishonest Asset Transfer Not Needed To Secure Assets Pending Arbitration
The Bombay High Court has held that a party seeking interim protection before arbitration need not prove that the opposite side has dishonestly transferred or concealed its assets. A strong possibility that the assets may diminish before an arbitral award is enforced is sufficient to justify protection. Justice Amit Borkar observed, "The expression 'a strong possibility of diminution of assets would suffice' does not mean that the applicant must prove that the respondent has dishonestly...