Supreme Court Refuses To Interfere With NCLAT Order Upholding CIRP Against Air Travel Enterprises

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal filed by E.M. Najeeb Ellias Mohammed, promoter of Kerala-based travel agency Air Travel Enterprises India Ltd., declining to interfere with an NCLT order admitting insolvency proceedings against the company as a corporate guarantor A bench of Justices Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Vijay Bishnoi held that no error of law or fact was committed by the National Company Law Tribunal. “Having heard learned senior counsel appearing for the appellant...

Calcutta High Court Upholds Injunction Restraining Publisher From Using Cartoonist Narayan Debnath's Works

The Calcutta High Court has upheld an interim injunction restraining Dev Sahitya Kutir Pvt. Ltd., a Kolkata-based publishing house, from publishing, selling or distributing the literary and artistic works of late author and cartoonist Narayan Debnath, holding that no legal infirmity existed in the trial court's order granting protection to the author's legal heirs.A Division Bench comprising Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya and Justice Supratim Bhattacharya passed the order on January 21, 2026,...

Supreme Court Upholds Odisha Entry Tax Act, Dismisses Tata Sponge Iron's Challenge

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed Tata Sponge Iron Limited's challenge to the constitutional validity of the Odisha Entry Tax Act, 1999, and upheld the Orissa High Court's refusal to entertain the plea. The company had also sought a refund of entry tax collected by the State of Odisha. A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Prasanna B. Varale said there was no reason to interfere with the High Court's order. “We do not find any infirmity in the impugned order,” the court said. Tata...

US Class Action Lawsuit Alleges WhatsApp, Meta Can Access Encrypted Messages

A class action lawsuit filed recently in a US federal court in California accuses Meta Platforms Inc. and its subsidiary WhatsApp LLC of misleading users worldwide about the privacy of their messages. The case focuses on WhatsApp's repeated promise that messages sent on the platform are protected by end-to-end encryption and cannot be accessed by anyone other than the sender and the recipient, not even WhatsApp or Meta. The plaintiffs say that promise is false. According to the complaint,...

LiveLawBiz: Business Law Daily Round-Up: January 27, 2026

TAX Service Tax Paid by Mistake Not Eligible For Suo Motu Adjustment: CESTAT Chennai In TVS Motor CasePenal Interest On Delayed Loan EMIs Not Liable To Service Tax: CESTAT ChennaiBranding Structures Installed At Indian Oil Fuel Stations Not Liable To Excise Duty: CESTATAppellate Authority Cannot Enhance GST Liability Without Hearing Taxpayer: Calcutta High CourtJohnson Lifts Secures ₹1.24 Crore Relief As CESTAT Chennai Upholds Elevator Parts ClassificationSupreme Court Issues Notice In Appeal...

NCLAT Dismisses Insolvency Appeal Against Larsen & Toubro Over Dues Claimed By Former Employee

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) at New Delhi has recently dismissed an insolvency appeal filed against Larsen & Toubro Ltd by a former senior employee over alleged unpaid salary and service benefits.A Bench of Judicial Member Justice Mohd. Faiz Alam Khan and Technical Member Naresh Salecha upheld an order of the National Company Law Tribunal, Mumbai, which had rejected the employee's CIRP plea. The Appellate Tribunal held that disputes arising from employment...

Supreme Court Issues Notice In Appeal Against Order Quashing IT Assessments On Entities Merged Into Reliance Industries

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice on an appeal filed by the Revenue challenging a Bombay High Court ruling that had quashed income tax assessments against Reliance Polyethylene Ltd. and Reliance Polypropylene Ltd. following their merger with Reliance Industries Ltd. A Bench of Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Justice Vijay Bishnoi called for a response from Reliance Industries Ltd. and directed that the matter be listed for further hearing after completion of pleadings. The...

Direct Tax Weekly Round-Up: January 19 - January 25, 2026

SUPREME COURTSupreme Court Quashes Gujarat HC Order To Modify Income Tax Software To Prevent TDS-Default Demands Against DeducteeCITATION : 2026 LLBiz SC 16 Case Number : CIVIL APPEAL NO.197 OF 2026 Case Title : Income Tax Assessing Officer, Baroda & Ors. v. Shobhan Shantilal DoshiThe Supreme Court on January 12, 2026, set aside directions issued by the Gujarat High Court requiring the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to modify the income-tax department's software. The court, however,...

Indirect Tax Weekly Round-Up: January 19 - January 25, 2026

SUPREME COURTBooking Speakers For Events Is Not Event Management, No Service Tax Under That Head: Supreme CourtCase Title: HT Media Limited v. Principal Commissioner, Delhi South Goods and Services Tax Citation: 2026 LLBiz SC 14 Case Number: CIVIL APPEAL NOS. 23525 - 23526 OF 2017The Supreme Court has ruled that merely booking speakers through agents at an event does not amount to 'event management' and therefore cannot be subjected to service tax under that category The Court held that fees...

Supreme Court Refuses To Interfere With Kerala High Court Order Allowing CCI Probe Against Jiostar

The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to interfere with a Kerala High Court ruling that permitted the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to investigate allegations that Jiostar India Private Limited abused its dominant position through discriminatory pricing in the Kerala cable television broadcasting market, even though the sector is regulated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Sandeep Mehta dismissed a special leave petition filed by...

Following Earlier Rulings, ITAT Delhi Holds Air France Income Not Taxable Under India–France DTAA

The Delhi Bench of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) has recently held that Air France's income from technical handling services, interest on operational funds, and commission from domestic airlines was not taxable in India for the assessment years 2017–18 and 2018–19. The tribunal followed its earlier rulings and noted that there was no change in facts. The receipts were held to be covered under Article 8 of the India–France tax treaty. A coram of Judicial Member Vimal Kumar and...

Delhi High Court Orders Takedown of AI Deepfake Film Violating Personality Rights Of Pawan Kalyan's Son

The Delhi High Court on Friday ordered the immediate takedown of an AI-generated film and related deepfake content depicting Akira Nandan alias Akira Desai, son of Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, holding, prima facie, that the AI-generated use of his name, image, likeness and voice violated his personality and privacy rightsThe Court had earlier also protected Pawan Kalyan's personality rights in an interim order passed on December 22, 2025.In an order dated January 23, 2026,...