Karnataka High Court Appoints Arbitrator In ₹2.53 Cr. Dispute Concerning Military Engineer Services

The Karnataka High Court on 8 October appointed retired District Judge Prabhavathi Hiremath as the sole arbitrator to resolve contractual disputes between Varsha Constructions and the Military Engineer Services over the construction of an Academic Block at the Air Force Technical College in Jalahalli, Bengaluru.A Single Judge Bench of Justice H.T. Narendra Prasad observed: “Having regard to the existence of the arbitration clause contained in the Construction Agreement, which provides for...

Sikkim High Court Quashes Zydus Healthcare Reassessments, Says Audit Objection Isn't New Evidence

The Sikkim High Court on 14 October quashed income tax reassessment proceedings against Zydus Healthcare Limited for three assessment years, holding that an audit objection expressing a contrary opinion on an issue examined during the original assessment cannot, by itself, justify reopening the assessment. Justice Bhaskar Raj Pradhan observed that the language used in Section 149(1)(b) of the Income Tax Act “clearly contemplates new evidence and not new opinion.” The Income Tax Department...

Arbitration Act Interim Relief Unavailable In Electricity Disputes When Commission Can Grant Similar Relief: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has recently held that it cannot entertain a plea seeking interim relief in an electricity dispute when the State Electricity Regulatory Commission is empowered to grant similar relief under the Electricity Act, 2003. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela dismissed a petition filed by Enerica Infra 3 Private Limited seeking to restrain NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited and Uttar Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation Limited from encashing bank guarantees worth ₹52.20 crore. “It is...

Rejection Of Correction Plea Cannot Be Challenged In VAT Revision: Himachal Pradesh High Court

The Himachal Pradesh High Court on 12 October held that Section 48 of the Himachal Pradesh VAT Act does not permit a revision petition against an order rejecting a correction application under Section 47(1). A Division Bench of Justices Ajay Mohan Goel and Romesh Verma dismissed a revision petition filed by Super Power Steels against the Tax Tribunal's rejection of its application to correct an earlier order. They held: “No revision is maintainable under Section 48 of the Act against such an...

Madras High Court Sets Aside Refusal To Register Exponent Energy's 'EXPONENT' Trademark

The Madras High Court has set aside the Trade Marks Registry's refusal to register “EXPONENT” as a word mark for Exponent Energy Private Limited. The court ruled that the Registrar failed to explain why the mark could cause confusion and did not consider a statutory exception under the Trade Marks Act, 1999.Justice A.D. Maria Clete declined to direct acceptance of the mark for advertisement. The court remitted the application to the Registrar for fresh consideration within three months of the...

Kerala HC Sets Aside NCLT Order Refusing To Implead Alleged Share Transferees In Company Mismanagement Case

The Kerala High Court has set aside an order of the National Company Law Tribunal, Kochi Bench, refusing to implead two alleged share transferees in a company petition alleging mismanagement, holding that their presence was necessary for effective adjudication of the dispute over the original petitioners' shareholding.Justice Harisankar V Menon held that the alleged transferees were proper parties even though no specific relief had been sought against them, as their presence was necessary to...

Delhi High Court Denies SpiceJet More Time To Deposit ₹144.51 Crore Interest In Dispute With Kalanithi Maran

The Delhi High Court has recently refused to grant SpiceJet Limited more time until December 2026 to deposit ₹144.51 crore towards outstanding interest under an arbitral award in its dispute with Kalanithi Maran and Kal Airways,The Court rejected the airline's request to furnish title documents of its Gurugram property as security instead.Justice Vinod Kumar dismissed SpiceJet's application, observing that although the Gurugram property was now unencumbered, the airline's failure to deposit the...

'Or Otherwise' Clause In Contract Bars Arbitral Interest Awards Beyond Delayed Payments: Supreme Court

On 15 October, the Supreme Court held that the expression “or otherwise” in a contractual clause prohibiting interest claims extends the bar to all circumstances in which interest may be claimed against the contracting party, preventing an arbitral tribunal from awarding pre-reference and pendente lite interest. A Division Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M. Pancholi dismissed an appeal filed by Sharma Enterprises against National Building Construction Corporation Limited (NBCC),...

Single Business Transaction Cannot Justify Income Tax Case Transfer: Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court on 13 October held that a single business transaction, without evidence establishing a link between a taxpayer's business activities and a group under investigation, cannot justify transferring an income tax case to another city. Justice Smita Das De allowed a petition filed by Loknath Prasad Gupta challenging the transfer of his income tax case from Kolkata to Delhi for a coordinated investigation into his alleged links with the NML Group. The Bench held: “...The...

Delhi High Court Says Incomplete Address Cannot Prove Award Service, Rejects GAIL's Limitation Plea

The Delhi High Court on 14 October dismissed GAIL Gas Limited's petition challenging a trial court order that held Saraswati Concast Pvt. Ltd.'s objections to an arbitral award were within time, finding that postal delivery to a locality without the company's complete address did not establish service of the award. Justice Ajay Digpaul held that the postal receipt's omission of the premises number from Saraswati Concast's registered-office address prevented the presumption of service from...

Delhi High Court Restrains FSSAI From Acting Against Emami Over 'Healthy & Tasty' Brand Name

The Delhi High Court has directed that no precipitative action be taken against Emami Agrotech Limited over its “Emami Healthy & Tasty” brand of edible oils until the next hearing, after Emami challenged a food regulator's show cause notice that said the brand name was misleading.Justice Amit Mahajan observed that, prima facie, “no reason has been given why the petitioner's referring the term 'Healthy and Tasty' is misleading.”The dispute began with a show cause notice dated June 5, 2026,...

Bombay High Court Imposes ₹5 Lakh Costs On Man For Police Complaint Against Court Officers In Data Theft Case

The Bombay High Court has imposed costs of ₹5 lakh on a former employee for filing a “plainly vexatious” police complaint against court officers, a forensic agency, and an advocate involved in executing an order to mirror his electronic devices.Justice Arif S. Doctor observed that the complaint was “really in the nature of a counterblast against those executing the Order of this Court”.The court dismissed Arun Kumar Arjunan's plea to set aside an order appointing a Court Receiver and forensic...