Supreme Court Seeks Union's Stand On Customs' Power To Question AIFTA Benefit Claims Despite Valid Origin Certificates

The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Union Government's stand in a dispute where importers have challenged customs authorities' jurisdiction to question preferential duty claims under the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement (AIFTA) despite valid Certificates of Origin issued by the exporting country. The Court also directed that no final adjudication order be passed in the matter for now. A Bench of Justices K.V. Viswanathan and Manmohan was hearing special leave petitions filed by importers,...

Party Cannot Invoke HC's Supervisory Jurisdiction After Withdrawing Arbitral Award Challenge: Punjab & Haryana HC

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday held that a party that withdraws its challenge to an arbitral award cannot later use the High Court's supervisory jurisdiction to reopen the same dispute through a different route. “The supervisory jurisdiction under Article 227 being discretionary and equitable ought not to be exercised in favour of a litigant who has by withdrawing the objections abandoned the statutory remedy and now seeks to circumvent the consequences of that withdrawal." ...

Delhi High Court Sets Aside 'Rubber-Stamped' PRC Orders Rejecting Exporter's Duty Relief Claim

The Delhi High Court has set aside three Policy Relaxation Committee orders rejecting O.C. Sweaters LLP's request to count two export shipments under the Advance Authorisation Scheme. The court held that the authorities mechanically rejected the case without meaningfully considering the exporter's contention that a technical glitch prevented it from availing the scheme benefit. “the orders passed by the concerned authorities are merely mechanical in nature and amount to rubber-stamping,...

Delhi High Court Restrains Use Of Protex, Protrilex Marks In Danone's Protinex Trademark Suit

The Delhi High Court has decreed Danone's trademark infringement suit against Rockwell Pharmaceuticals, Deepali Enterprises, Vikas Nutrisciences Private Limited, Ankit Arora, and Deepak Arora, holding that their use of the marks 'Protex' and 'Protrilex' for nutritional products infringed Danone's registered 'Protinex' trademark. Justice Tejas Karia, by a judgment dated May 8, 2026, allowed Danone's plea for a summary ruling, holding that the five parties had no real prospect of successfully...

Supreme Court Refuses Banmeet Singh Bail In Money Laundering Case Linked To Alleged Dark Web Drug Trafficking

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to interfere with the Uttarakhand High Court's order denying bail to alleged dark web drug trafficking accused Banmeet Singh in a money laundering case, but allowed him to seek bail again if the trial is delayed for reasons not attributable to him. “We do not find any ground to interfere with the impugned order passed by the High Court. However, liberty is given to the petitioner to renew the prayer for bail in the event that the trial does not proceed and...

Supreme Court Refuses Flipkart Relief In MARQ Trademark Dispute, Gives 8 Weeks To Clear Stock

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to interfere with orders restraining Flipkart from using the 'MARQ' trademark in its dispute with Marc Enterprises, but gave the company eight weeks to sell off existing products bearing the markThe Delhi High Court on April 10, 2026 had dismissed Flipkart's appeal and upheld the injunction in favour of Marc Enterprises. It held that “MARC” and “MARQ” were phonetically, structurally, and visually similar and likely to cause confusion among consumers.A Bench of...

Rajasthan High Court Denies Bail In Rs 2.67 Crore Franchise Fraud, Cites Pattern Of Misconduct

The Rajasthan High Court denied bail to the director of Taskar Global Pvt Ltd, accused of inducing people to invest large sums in a franchise business by falsely promising high returns and a profitable business model. Justice Praveer Bhatnagar was hearing bail applications filed by the accused in connection with two FIRs registered over allegations that he, along with others, persuaded complainants to invest money by promising franchise rights in a healthcare business. The prosecution argued...

Patna HC Quashes FIR Against Prashant Kishor Over Alleged Theft Of INC's 2020 Bihar Campaign Intellectual Property

The Patna High Court has quashed an FIR against political strategist Prashant Kishor in a case over allegations that he used campaign materials claimed as intellectual property by Shashwat Gautam, a data analytics professional associated with the Indian National Congress.The court held that criminal law cannot be invoked merely by invoking the phrase “intellectual property” where the allegations do not disclose any offense. The bench further found that the material claimed by Gautam was...

Rajasthan High Court Stays Parallel GST Proceedings, Says Only One Officer Can Initiate Action on Same Matter

The Rajasthan High Court has stayed parallel GST proceedings and recovery action against a Jaipur-based exporter after finding prima facie that tax authorities may have initiated duplicate proceedings for the same financial year. A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Bipin Gupta issued notice to the department and observed that under the GST law, only one proper officer can initiate proceedings on the same subject matter. “Considering the provisions of...

Party Cannot Indirectly Secure Unilateral Arbitrator Appointment By Choosing Arbitration Institution: Calcutta HC

The Calcutta High Court has recently held that a party interested in the outcome of an arbitration dispute cannot indirectly control the appointment of a sole arbitrator by unilaterally approaching an arbitration institution of its own choosing. “The law does not permit such a stratagem. The prohibition engrafted by Section 12(5) and the judicial decisions thereunder is directed not merely at the formal act of appointing an arbitrator, but at the substance of the process, the unilateral control...

Supreme Court Stays ₹400 Crore GST Demand Proceedings Against Kubera Fantasy, Awaits Gameskraft Ruling

The Supreme Court on Friday stayed further proceedings arising out of a nearly ₹400 crore GST demand raised by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) against Kubera Fantasy Pvt Ltd over allegations that its online fantasy sports platform amounted to betting/actionable claims liable to 28% GST. A Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi adjourned the matter to await the Supreme Court's decision in DGGI (HQS) v. Gameskraft Technologies Pvt. Ltd where the court is...

Bombay High Court Flags 'Industrial Scale' Bank Recovery Proceedings Through Self-Chosen ODR Platforms

The Bombay High Court recently cautioned that banks conducting recovery proceedings “at an industrial scale” through self-chosen Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platforms risk concentrating multiple disputes before the same arbitrator. The court held that banks cannot sidestep the requirement of independent arbitral appointments by offering borrowers a purported choice from a list of ODR platforms curated by the bank itself. “In any case, for a bank to conduct recovery proceedings at an...