Delhi High Court Orders Takedown Of AI Deepfakes Misappropriating Shashi Tharoor's Personality Rights

The Delhi High Court on Friday granted an interim injunction to Congress MP and former diplomat Shashi Tharoor, restraining unknown parties from using artificial intelligence and related technologies to create and circulate deepfake videos falsely attributing politically sensitive statements to him. Justice Mini Pushkarna on May 8 directed X (formerly Twitter) to forthwith take down and block access to the infringing content identified in the suit while directing Meta to ensure that the...

Bombay High Court Quashes GST Action Over Infra Company's Corporate Guarantees Issued Without Consideration

The Bombay High Court has held that D.P. Jain & Co. Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. cannot be subjected to GST for corporate guarantees it issued to State Bank of India and Bank of Maharashtra to secure loans granted to its group companies, as the company received no consideration for furnishing those guarantees. A Division Bench of Justice Urmila Joshi-Phalke and Justice Nivedita P. Mehta observed: “There was no flow of consideration for the rendering of services. Therefore, taxability does not...

Rajasthan VAT Act Permits Search Of Residential Premises In Tax Evasion Cases: Rajasthan High Court

The Rajasthan High Court has recently held that the Rajasthan Value Added Tax Act does not prohibit searches at residential premises, provided the statutory requirements for search and seizure are strictly fulfilled. A Division Bench of Justice Arun Monga and Justice Sunil Beniwal referring to Section 75 of the Rajasthan Value Added Tax Act, 2003 observed, “Thus, the statute does not prohibit search of residential premises as such; however, the exercise of such power is conditioned upon strict...

Education Consultancy Services To Foreign Universities Not 'Intermediary Services' Under GST: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on Friday reiterated that education consultancy, marketing, and recruitment support services rendered by an Indian entity to foreign universities would not qualify as “intermediary services” under the Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act and would instead constitute export of services eligible for GST refund.A division bench of Justices Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Ajay Digpaul passed the ruling while allowing a writ petition filed by Fateh Education Consulting Private Limited,...

Mumbai High Project Dispute: Bombay High Court Orders L&T To Keep ₹150 Crore Bank Guarantee Alive

The Bombay High Court has directed Larsen & Toubro Ltd. to continue renewing and keeping alive bank guarantees worth approximately ₹150.34 crore furnished to ONGC Ltd. in a dispute over liquidated damages arising from the Mumbai High North redevelopment project. The court held that ONGC, though largely unsuccessful in the arbitration after the tribunal awarded higher claims to L&T, could still seek interim protection under Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act in a rare and...

ONGC Cannot Seek Re-Deposit Of ₹42.89 Crore Withdrawn With Its “No Objection”: AP High Court

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on 7 May held that Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. (ONGC) cannot compel Deep Industries Ltd. (DIL) to re-deposit Rs. 42.89 crore or furnish security for amounts withdrawn in arbitration proceedings, particularly since ONGC had earlier given a written “no objection” permitting withdrawal without any condition. A Division Bench of Justices Ravi Nath Tilhari and Balaji Medamalli dismissed ONGC's interim application in its pending Section 37 appeal against an...

Delhi HC Questions Trimurti Films Over Not Pursuing 2016 'Oye Oye' Copyright Row During Plea Against Dhurandhar 2

The Delhi High Court on Friday sharply questioned Trimurti Films on Friday over its nearly decade-long inaction after objecting in 2016 to the same alleged copyright infringement, asking why it had kept quiet for years before seeking to restrain the OTT release of Dhurandhar: The Revenge over the use of the iconic Tridev song Oye Oye. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela was openly skeptical of the plaintiff's case and remarked, “In spite of sending a notice in 2016 in respect of Azhar, you are keeping...

Non-Signatory Collaborator Whose Role Was Essential To Contract Can Invoke Arbitration: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has held that a collaborator whose technical expertise was essential for a contractor to qualify for a project bid can invoke the arbitration clause in the principal contract.This would apply where the collaborator's role makes it effectively a party to the agreement.“The meetings convened between the Employer, the Contractor and the Collaborator, after delay in execution of the contract, the tripartite agreement entered into between them and the further communications...

Section 9 Relief Cannot Restore Ousted LLP Partner Or Confer Final Control: Rajasthan High Court

The Rajasthan High Court on 30 April held that a Commercial Court exercising interim powers under Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996 cannot grant relief that effectively restores a removed partner or confers operational control over an LLP, as such directions would amount to granting final relief prior to the commencement of arbitration. A Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Shubha Mehta set aside the Jaipur Commercial Court's directions...

Delhi High Court To Pass Interim Orders In Universal Studios' Suit Against PlayIMDb's Piracy Mechanism

The Delhi High Court on Friday indicated that it would pass orders in a copyright infringement suit filed by Universal City Studios Productions LLLP against PlayIMDb.com and several other alleged rogue streaming platforms. During the hearing before Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, Universal City Studios detailed what it described as an “ingenious” piracy mechanism through which rogue websites exploit IMDb's infrastructure to facilitate unauthorized streaming of films, including Fast X, the tenth main...

Confirming Party Cannot Invoke Arbitration Clause Without Express Contractual Right: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on 4 May held that a party described only as a “Confirming Party” or merely having signatory status in an agreement cannot invoke the arbitration clause unless the contract expressly grants such a right. Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar dismissed petitions filed by The Atlas Electric Industries Pvt. Ltd. seeking interim protection and appointment of an arbitrator in a dispute concerning an industrial plot in Haryana. He held: “The arbitration clause, in express terms,...

Bombay HC Waives Re-Verification Of Amended Pleadings Challenging Section 147A IT Act After SC Ruling

The Bombay High Court has waived re-verification of amended pleadings in pending writ petitions challenging income tax reassessment notices, where assessees now seek to challenge the newly inserted Section 147A following the Supreme Court's ruling in Income Tax Officer, Ward 2(1), Chandigarh v. Tej Pratap Singh. A Division Bench of Justice G.S. Kulkarni and Justice Aarti Sathe said re-verification need not be insisted upon, noting that a large number of similar reassessment matters were pending...