Unstamped Arbitration Agreement Survives; Objection Must First Be Raised Before Arbitrator: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Wednesday held that non-stamping or insufficient stamping of an agreement does not invalidate it and that the arbitral tribunal must decide such objections in the first instance, discouraging High Court interference in ongoing arbitration proceedings. A bench of Justice J.K. Maheshwari and Justice Atul S. Chandurkar held “The agreement survives non-stamping or insufficient stamping, and the defect can be cured by getting the agreement sufficiently stamped at any stage,...

Winding Up Of Company Will Not Automatically Stay Arbitral Proceedings Against Promoters: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court has held that a company's winding up does not automatically halt arbitral proceedings or shield its promoters from contractual obligations undertaken in their personal capacity. Justice T.R. Ravi held, “Sections 278 and 279 of the Companies Act can have operation only with regard to claims against the Company and a winding up order will not automatically operate as a stay of further proceedings before the Arbitrator. ” It added, "The petitioner sought to place reliance on...

Bombay High Court Temporarily Restrains Use Of 'Kranti Kamat' Mark In Kamats Worldwide Trademark Suit

The Bombay High Court on May 13, 2026, granted an ex-parte ad-interim injunction in a trademark infringement suit filed by Kamats Worldwide Food Services Private Limited. It restrained Musa Bhai Nadaf, who runs a restaurant under the mark 'Kranti Kamat', from using the mark 'Kranti Kamat', any other mark containing the word 'Kamat', or any mark identical or similar to 'KAMATS'. Justice Advait M. Sethna, sitting in vacation court, passed the order after finding that the plaintiff had established...

Delhi HC Quashes ₹3.20 Crore Customs Communication Against Vivo India After Customs Agrees To Issue SCN

The Delhi High Court on May 20 quashed a customs communication issued to Vivo Mobile India Pvt. Ltd. indicating differential duty liability of ₹3.20 crore, after the Customs Department stated that it would issue a show cause notice within four weeks.A Division Bench of Justices Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Ajay Digpaul noted, “In consideration of the statement made by Mr. Naushad for issuance of a show cause notice within four weeks, we quash and set aside the impugned communication dated...

Supreme Court Declines Ex-NCLAT Member's Plea Challenging Post-Retirement Practice Restriction Before NCLT, NCLAT

The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to entertain a writ petition filed by former National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) Technical Member Vijai Pratap Singh challenging the statutory restriction prohibiting former tribunal members from appearing before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and NCLAT after retirement.Appearing in person, Singh argued that an absolute prohibition was excessive and suggested that a cooling-off period could instead be introduced. A Bench comprising...

Look-Out Circular Cannot Bar Bankrupt Guarantor's Travel For Official Duties: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court on 30 April held that a Look-Out Circular (LOC) cannot operate as an absolute bar on a bankrupt guarantor's overseas travel where such travel is required to discharge professional obligations, and that authorities must balance such restrictions against constitutional protections and employment needs. Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum passed the order while disposing of a writ petition filed by Aditya Arora challenging an LOC issued at the instance of Bank of Baroda. He...

Supreme Court Upholds Tamil Nadu, Karnataka Online Betting Laws; Skill Game Betting Not Protected

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the constitutional validity of the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka laws regulating and prohibiting online betting and wagering, while setting aside the Madras High Court and Karnataka High Court judgments that had struck down portions of the legislation.A bench of Justices J. B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan was hearing appeals arising from challenges to the Tamil Nadu Gaming and Police Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021 and the Karnataka Police (Amendment) Act, 2021. The...

Crypto Fraud Allegations Disclose Triable Issues, No Quashing At FIR Stage: Orissa High Court

The Orissa High Court on 15 May declined to quash criminal proceedings arising out of an alleged cryptocurrency investment scam, holding that allegations of false representations, fictitious entities, and dishonest inducement of investors disclose triable issues that require examination at trial rather than interference at the FIR stage. A Bench of Dr Justice Sanjeeb K Panigrahi observed: “Allegations involving organized financial fraud, systematic inducement of multiple investors, and...

Tenancy Disputes Under 2001 Act Non-Arbitrable, Rent Tribunal Has Exclusive Jurisdiction: Rajasthan HC

The Rajasthan High Court on 22 May held that landlord–tenant disputes governed by the Rajasthan Rent Control Act, 2001 are non-arbitrable and fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Rent Tribunal, even where the lease agreement contains an arbitration clause. A Division Bench of Justices Arun Monga and Sandeep Shah, however, set aside the Commercial Court's order and restored the arbitral award in favour of the legal representatives of late Ramesh Chandra Patel against City Pulse...

Supreme Court Declines To Entertain Western Digital Challenge Over Refurbished Hard Drive Sales

The Supreme Court on Tuesday, 27 May declined to interfere with the Delhi High Court ruling permitting the sale of refurbished hard disk drives bearing Western Digital's trademarks, holding that removal of the original marks before resale does not amount to trademark “use” under Section 29 of the Trade Marks Act. A Bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan dismissed the Special Leave Petition challenging the Delhi High Court's 9 March 2026 judgment. The dispute arose from hard disk...

Supreme Court Refuses To Set Aside “Patently Illegal” Arbitral Award, Modifies Relief Instead

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to set aside an arbitral award despite finding it to be patently illegal, choosing instead to modify the award itself to bring finality to a dispute that has been pending since 2012. A Bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice K. Vinod Chandran observed that sending the parties back into fresh litigation would cause further hardship and delay. “Though the award, being patently illegal, deserves to be set aside under Section 34(2A) of the Arbitration Act, we...

Supreme Court Stays SEBI Dividend Default Prosecution Against Former Zylog Systems Executive Till Next Hearing

The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the Madras High Court's April 6, 2026 order refusing to quash criminal proceedings initiated by SEBI against Parthasarathy Srikanth, former Executive Director of Zylog Systems Ltd. The proceedings are pending before the Principal Sessions Court, Chennai, over the alleged failure to disburse Rs. 16.44 crore in declared dividends to shareholders. A Bench of Justices P.K. Mishra and N.V. Anjaria, while issuing notice, stayed further proceedings in the...