Calcutta High Court Sets Aside Patent Office Order Rejecting TopoTarget's Cancer Drug Patent Application

The Calcutta High Court has set aside a Patent Office order rejecting a cancer drug patent filed by TopoTarget UK Limited, observing that the decision was taken without a proper and independent assessment of the invention.A Single Judge Bench of Justice Ravi Krishan Kapur, in a judgment dated January 30, 2026, allowed TopoTarget's appeal and quashed an order dated November 29, 2019, passed by the Deputy Controller of Patents and Designs, Kolkata.The impugned order had rejected the patent...

Delhi High Court Temporarily Bars Dabur's Cool King Thanda Tael Over Navratna-Like Trade Dress

The Delhi High Court has temporarily restrained Dabur India Limited from selling its cooling oil product, “Cool King Thanda Tael,” after finding, at the interim stage, that its packaging is deceptively similar to the trade dress of Emami Limited's “Navratna” cooling oil.A Single-Judge Bench of Justice Tejas Karia, in an order dated January 31, 2026, allowed Emami's application for interim injunction in a passing off action against Dabur India. The Court held that Dabur's impugned packaging...

Delhi High Court Sets Aside Part Of Arbitral Award Over 'Cryptic Observations'

The Delhi High Court recently held that an arbitral tribunal cannot reject a claim through "cryptic" reasoning and that such an award is open to interference even within the limited scope of review under arbitration law. The matter was decided by Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, who emphasised that giving reasons is a core requirement of arbitral decision-making. “The insistence on reasons is not a mere empty formality,” the Court said, adding that reasons must show how the decision-maker...

IT Reassessment Notices Issued After Limitation Period Invalid Despite Ashish Agarwal Ruling: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court has recently held that reassessment proceedings initiated after the expiry of the statutorily surviving period of limitation under the Income Tax Act are invalid. This remains so even where the revenue seeks to sustain the reassessment notice on the basis of the Supreme Court's directions in Union of India v. Ashish Agarwal. In Ashish Agarwal, the Supreme Court protected reassessment notices issued under the old law during the transition to the new reassessment regime...

Customs Tribunal Must First Verify Cross-Examination Request Before Setting Aside Adjudication: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court at Lucknow has recently set aside a Customs tribunal order after finding that the tribunal failed to first examine whether the noticees (taxpayers) had actually sought cross-examination before holding that the adjudication proceedings stood vitiated for breach of natural justice.A bench of Justices Shekhar B. Saraf and Manjive Shukla ruled that the procedure under Section 138-B of the Customs Act, 1962, can be said to have been breached only if a specific request for...

Bombay High Court Says Award-Holder Has No Right to Retain Deposit After Arbitral Award Is Set Aside

The Bombay High Court recently held that Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited has no right to retain Rs 218.45 crore deposited by Thermax after the arbitral award in its favour was set aside, making it clear that the pendency of an appeal cannot be used to hold on to the money. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Gautam A. Ankhad said the legal position was straightforward once the award no longer existed. The court noted, “There is no arbitral award in...

Madras High Court Turns To AI Assistance For First Time In Arbitration Proceedings

The Madras High Court recently recorded that it will, for the first time, take the assistance of artificial intelligence in a case before it. The hearing was before Justice N. Anand Venkatesh in a batch of arbitration-related matters between Gammon-OJSC Mosmetrostroy JV and Chennai Metro Rail Limited When the matters were taken up, an algorithm named “Superlaw Courts” was demonstrated before the Court. The demonstration took place with the participation of counsel appearing for both sides,...

CESTAT Cannot Reject Taxpayer Appeals Below ₹2 Lakh On Monetary Limit Alone: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court recently held that the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal cannot mechanically reject a taxpayer's appeal on the ground that the amount involved is below ₹2 lakh. The Court said such appeals are maintainable as a rule and may be refused only in exceptional cases.The ruling was delivered by a Division Bench of Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh and Justice Indrajeet Shukla. Explaining the law, the bench said, "Thus, while appeals filed by the revenue, below the...

MSME Revival Benefits Depend On Loan Limit, Not Outstanding Dues: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court recently held that eligibility for benefits under the Reserve Bank of India's framework for revival and rehabilitation of MSMEs depends on the sanctioned loan limit and not on the outstanding amount. The court, thus, cleared the way for Union Bank of India to continue insolvency proceedings against Vardhan Agro Processing Limited. A Division Bench of Justice Manish Pitale and Justice Shreeram V. Shirsat heard the case. While explaining the scope of the RBI framework, the...

Arbitration Cases Weekly Digest [26th January - 1st February, 2026]

Nominal Index Jan De Nul Dredging India Pvt. Ltd. v. Tuticorin Port Trust, 2026 LLBiz SC 15Jagdeep Chowgule v. Sheela Chowgule and Ors, 2026 LLBiz SC 30 M/s Angel One Limited v. S.X.J. Vasan, 2026 LLBiz HC (MAD) 30M/s Ramacivil India Construction Pvt. Ltd. v. Central Public Works Department, 2026 LLBiz HC (DEL) 77Arun Mehrotra Versus Kishan Lal, 2026 LLBiz HC (DEL) 85 To ReaVedanta Limited v. Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Ltd., 2026 LLBiz HC (DEL) 88IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance...

Supreme Court Refuses To Entertain Ola Parent ANI's Plea Against Delayed Service Tax Order

The Supreme Court of India has declined to interfere with a Bombay High Court order directing ANI Technologies Private Limited, the parent company of Ola Cabs, to pursue a statutory appeal against a service tax demand. A Bench of the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi held that no valid ground was made out to disturb the High Court's decision. The court agreed that the writ petition was rightly not entertained. The dispute relates to a service tax adjudication order...

Commercial Courts Act | Institution Of Suit Means Presentation, Not Registration, For Mandatory Mediation: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court has held that the requirement of pre-institution mediation under Section 12-A of the Commercial Courts Act does not apply where a suit was instituted before the provision was declared mandatory, even if the suit was registered after that date. The court clarified that, for the purposes of Section 12-A, a suit is instituted when the plaint is presented before the court and not when it is subsequently registered by the registry. A Single Judge Bench of Justice Gauri...