Trademark Registrar Can Be Court Subordinate To HC For Rectification Proceedings Transfers: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court has recently held that the Registrar of Trade Marks can be regarded as a court subordinate to the High Court for the purpose of transferring pending trademark rectification proceedings. The ruling came while allowing the Institute for Technology and Management Trust (ITM) to transfer three rectification proceedings pending before the Registrar to the High Court, where a trademark suit between ITM and Samata Lok Sansthan Trust and 17 connected rectification proceedings are...

ED Can Share Information With Concerned Agencies On Violations Of Other Laws Under PMLA: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday held that information uncovered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) during an investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) can be shared with other agencies if it discloses violations of another law. It ruled that such information is not confined to proceedings under the PMLA alone. Justice M. Nagaprasanna made the observations while refusing to quash an FIR registered against Micah Mark and five others over allegations that they were...

Earlier Reassessment Regime Applies To Non-Searched Taxpayers In 2021-24 Searches: Gujarat High Court

The Gujarat High Court has held that the earlier reassessment regime can apply even where the assessee was not the person searched, provided the reassessment is founded on incriminating material recovered during a search conducted within the statutory transition period. Applying that principle, the court quashed reassessment proceedings against a transporter after holding that the reopening notice had been issued beyond the applicable limitation period. A division bench of Justice A.S....

Limitation Began On Refusal To Perform: Karnataka HC Upholds Arbitral Award In Housing Society's Favour

The Karnataka High Court has upheld an arbitral award directing a landowner to execute sale deeds for the remaining sites under a development agreement. It held that the society's claim was not barred by limitation because the agreement did not prescribe a fixed date for execution of the remaining sale deeds, and limitation began only when performance was refused. A division bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice K.S. Hemalekha dismissed an appeal by landowner A.R. Abdul Razak...

Politicians Must Tolerate AI Satire, But Not Vulgar Deepfakes: Delhi High Court In Raghav Chadha Case

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday partly allowed Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha's plea for interim relief against AI-generated deepfake content. It directed Meta Platforms and another platform arrayed as a defendant to take down URLs corresponding to six of the 52 impugned posts after finding them to contain "explicit content" that was "profane and vulgar in nature." The court declined to restrain the remaining content, holding that most of it amounted to political satire rather than defamation. ...

Expeditious Arbitration Alone Does Not Establish Arbitral Award Was Procured By Fraud: Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court recently held that the mere expeditious conclusion of arbitral proceedings, by itself, does not establish fraud vitiating an award. Fraud must be demonstrated through cogent attending circumstances and cannot be inferred from speed alone. The bench of Justices Debangsu Basak and Shabbar Rashidi set aside an order passed by the executing court in an award arising from a sale dispute, holding that no case of fraud had been made out. The court held, “Simplicitor on the...

Mere Exchange Of Letters Cannot Extend Limitation For Plea For Appointment Of Arbitrator: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday held that mere exchange of letters or representations between parties cannot extend the limitation period for filing an application seeking appointment of an arbitrator under Section 11 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. Justice S. Manu observed that once limitation begins to run, recurrent communications between parties cannot stop or stretch the statutory period. “If a party waits indefinitely, without seeking reference by approaching the Court...

Interim Order Directing Release Of Award Amount Not Appealable Under S. 37, Arbitration Act: Gauhati High Court

The Gauhati High Court recently observed that an order directing the release of a deposited award amount during the pendency of a Section 34 challenge cannot be appealed under Section 37 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The bench of Justice Robin Phukan held an appeal filed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) against an interim order directing the release of the award amount to a landowner to be non-maintainable. The court held, “The upshot of aforesaid discussion...

Himachal Pradesh Water Cess Revived? PSPCL Says Yes; High Court Stays Coercive Action On ₹16.32 Crore Demand

The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has approached the Himachal Pradesh High Court, challenging the constitutional validity of the Himachal Pradesh Land Revenue (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, the Himachal Pradesh Land Revenue (Special Assessment) Amendment Rules, 2025, and consequential actions, including a demand of ₹16.324 crore raised on the Corporation.Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Ranjan Sharma on Tuesday, while issuing notice to the State and other respondents,...

Delhi High Court Confirms Order Directing Kannada Film Mask Makers To Remove 'Naguva Nayana' Or Deposit ₹30 Lakh

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday made absolute an earlier ex parte ad-interim injunction in a copyright suit filed by Saregama India Ltd. against Black Madras Films. The suit concerns the unauthorised use of the classic Kannada song Naguva Nayana in the Kannada film Mask. By doing so, a single-judge bench of Justice Tushar Rao Gedela confirmed its earlier direction requiring the makers of Mask to either remove the song from the film before its OTT release or deposit ₹30 lakh with the court as...

Delhi High Court Rules Ilaiyaraaja Cannot License Songs From 134 Films Pending Saregama Copyright Suit

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday made absolute an ad interim injunction restraining composer Ilaiyaraaja from exploiting or licensing music composed for 134 films in a copyright suit filed by Saregama India Limited, claiming ownership over the works.The list includes iconic films such as 'Pallavi Anu Pallavi', '16 Vayathiniley', 'Mullum Malarum', 'Nizhalgal' and 'Moodu', all bearing Ilaiyaraaja's compositions.Justice Tushar Rao Gedela delivered the ruling today, which upheld the ex-parte...

SARFAESI Auction Purchasers Cannot Be Thrown On Streets On Account Of Dispute Between Banks: Bombay High Court

Successful auction purchasers holding a registered sale certificate under the SARFAESI Act cannot be thrown on the streets because of an inter se dispute between two secured creditors, the Bombay High Court held on Tuesday. "The petitioners, who are successful auction purchasers having registered sale certificate in respect of the said flat in their favour and who have been in valid and legal possession of the aforesaid flat for more than eight years, cannot be thrown on the streets, on the...