Supreme Court Upholds Delhi High Court Ruling On Duty Drawback For Unlocked Mobile Phones

The Supreme Court has recently dismissed a Special Leave Petition filed by Customs, thereby letting stand a Delhi High Court ruling that unlocking or activating mobile phones prior to export does not disentitle exporters from claiming duty drawback. By an order dated January 30, 2026, a Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Joymalya Bagchi declined to interfere with the Delhi High Court's judgment, observing that it found “no good ground to interfere with the impugned order passed by the High...

Supreme Court Issues Notice On Challenge To Delhi HC View That Customs Need Not Communicate Adjudication Time Extension

The Supreme Court recently (February 6) issued notice in a challenge to a Delhi High Court ruling that held that customs authorities were not required to communicate an extension granted for completing adjudication proceedings and directed that the matter be heard along with a pending appeal. A bench comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe issued notice in the special leave petition filed by Pranij Heights India Pvt. Ltd. and directed that it be listed along with the pending SLP in...

Supreme Court Cuts Compensation Order Against ITC Maurya From ₹2 Crore to ₹25 Lakh In Botched Haircut Case

The Supreme Court on Friday clarified that compensation running into crores of rupees cannot be awarded on “presumptions or whims and fancies” of a complainant and must be founded on “trustworthy and reliable evidence”. The clarification came while the court was examining a consumer dispute arising from services rendered at the ITC Maurya hotel in New Delhi, where the complainant had alleged deficiency in service relating to a haircut and sought compensation running into crores of rupees. A...

Confiscation Under PMLA Cannot Proceed While Appeal Against Attachment Is Pending: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Friday (February 6) held that confiscation proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cannot be taken forward while an appeal against the confirmation of attachment is pending before the Appellate Tribunal. The Court clarified that once an attachment order passed under Section 8(3) of the PMLA is challenged under Section 26, a “deemed embargo” operates, preventing the Special Court from deciding confiscation proceedings under Section 8(7) until the...

Supreme Court Lets LG Electronics Withdraw Challenge To Rajasthan HC Entry Tax Ruling

The Supreme Court on Wednesday permitted LG Electronics India Pvt. Ltd. to withdraw its Special Leave Petitions challenging a Rajasthan High Court ruling on entry tax, granting it liberty to seek a review before the High Court as the constitutional validity of the provision remains pending. A Bench of Justices Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Alok Aradhe recorded the submission that the vires of the provision had not been examined in the proceedings leading to the impugned judgment, since...

Supreme Court Records Justice Abhay Oka–Mediated Settlement In Transcon–Anchor Point Insolvency Dispute

The Supreme Court of India has recently recorded a comprehensive settlement between Transcon Skycity Pvt. Ltd. and Anchor Point Developers Pvt. Ltd., bringing to an end a prolonged insolvency dispute arising out of a stalled real estate project. A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan noted that the mediation conducted by former Supreme Court judge Justice Abhay S. Oka was successful and that a comprehensive mediation report had been submitted and taken on record. “We had...

Supreme Court Issues Notice On Vedanta's Appeal Against Denial Of Interest On Delayed Export Duty Refund

The Supreme Court of India on Monday issued notice in a civil appeal filed by Vedanta Limited challenging a judgment of the Calcutta High Court, which denied interest on a delayed refund of export duty, holding that statutory interest under the Customs Act becomes payable only after a valid refund application is filed. A Bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Manmohan condoned the delay. It directed issuance of notice, returnable in six weeks. The order records: “Delay condoned. Issue notice,...

Mere Renting Of Residential Flat Does Not Take Away Buyer's Consumer Rights: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of India has clarified that the mere act of leasing or renting out a residential flat does not by itself take a homebuyer outside the protection of consumer law. The Court ruled that a buyer can be excluded from the definition of “consumer” only if it is established that the dominant purpose of purchasing the flat was commercial in nature. The ruling arose from a dispute relating to a residential project in Gurugram. A Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and N.V....

Supreme Court Refuses To Interfere With Delhi HC Ruling On CST Exemption For Inter-State Sales In Mitsubishi Case

The Supreme Court of India has refused to interfere with a Delhi High Court ruling that allowed a tax exemption claimed by Mitsubishi Corporation India for inter-state sales, rejecting the tax department's argument that the benefit was unavailable because an earlier sale of the goods was already exempt from tax. A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan said the case did not warrant interference. “We see no good reason to interfere in the impugned judgment and order passed by the High...

IBC Is Now Being Misused Like Anything": CJI Surya Kant Flags Pre-Planned Auctions and Asset Undervaluation

The Supreme Court recently flagged the issue of IBC provisions being misused by Insolvent Companies to stage pre-planned auctions and sell assets at undervalued rates. The Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant remarked on the gravity of instances where the IBC procedure is being misused, the CJI said :"Unfortunately, the IBC platform is now being misused like anything, you get the company's all assets undervalued, then you indulge in a kind of an auction, which is also a completely...

Parties Cannot Challenge Arbitration Clause After Accepting Court-Appointed Arbitrator Under Pre-2015 Regime: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (February 4) reaffirmed that parties who accept a court order appointing an arbitrator under the pre-2015 arbitration regime cannot later challenge the existence or validity of the arbitration clause while assailing the arbitral award. The ruling was delivered by a bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan. Under the law as it stood before the 2015 amendments, the Chief Justice or the designated judge exercising powers under Section 11 was...

Supreme Court Dismisses Law Firm's ₹1.08-Crore Claim Against Insolvency-Bound Realty Company

The Supreme Court of India has recently dismissed an appeal by a law firm seeking to recover more than Rs 1 crore in unpaid legal fees from a realty company undergoing insolvency, declining to interfere with findings that the claim was not backed by the record. The appeal was filed by Juristica Legal Services LLP against Three C Universal Developers Private Limited, which is undergoing a Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process. A Bench of Justices Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Alok...