Competition is an essential component of a healthy and dynamic market economy. It encourages businesses to innovate, improve quality, offer competitive prices and develop better products and services. At the same time, businesses operating in India are required to ensure that their commercial strategies and market practices remain consistent with the applicable competition law framework.
The Supreme Court of India, in Ramkrishna Chauhan v. State of Uttar Pradesh &Anr., delivered an important ruling on the scope and applicability of Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (“SC/ST Act”).
In an important judgment concerning the evidentiary requirements in bribery prosecutions, the Supreme Court has acquitted a former Talati-cum-Mantri and a Peon attached to a Gram Panchayat, holding that mere recovery of a tainted currency note cannot, by itself, sustain a conviction under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (PC Act), when the prosecution fails to establish the foundational fact of demand of illegal gratification beyond reasonable doubt.
Joint ventures (“JVs”) have emerged as an important mechanism for businesses seeking to enter new markets, combine technological capabilities, access established distribution networks, share capital expenditure and leverage complementary commercial expertise. By bringing together two or more independent business entities, a joint venture can create substantial commercial value while enabling the participants to distribute investment, management responsibilities, operational risks and economic returns through a negotiated legal framework.
In today’s technology-driven commercial environment, intellectual property (“IP”) has evolved from being a conventional legal asset into a central component of enterprise value. Businesses increasingly derive substantial commercial value from software, mobile applications, websites, algorithms, databases, artificial intelligence (“AI”) models, digital content, domain names, trademarks, proprietary technologies, confidential business information and other intangible assets.In The New India Assurance Company Limited & Ors. v. M/S Louis Dreyfus Commodities India Pvt. Ltd., a Bench comprising Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh allowed the appeals filed by The New India Assurance Company Limited and set aside the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission's direction requiring the insurer to pay a fire-loss claim assessed by its own surveyor.
The Supreme Court has delivered an important judgment on the limits of an insurer's liability under a turnover-linked insurance policy, holding that an insurer cannot be made liable for a risk that arose after the insured amount had been exhausted where the additional premium necessary for extending the coverage had not been paid or validly guaranteed in accordance with law. In The New India Assurance Company Limited & Ors. v. M/S Louis Dreyfus Commodities India Pvt. Ltd., a Bench comprising Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh allowed the appeals filed by The New India Assurance Company Limited and set aside the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission's direction requiring the insurer to pay a fire-loss claim assessed by its own surveyor.
SPEEDY TRIAL IS ALSO A RIGHT OF THE VICTIM SUPREME COURT HOLDS ACCUSED CANNOT STALL OTHER CRIMINAL TRIALS BY RELYING ON PENDING GANGSTERS ACT PROCEEDINGS
In today’s highly regulated commercial environment, regulatory investigations have become an increasingly significant risk for companies operating across financial, corporate, employment, technology, environmental, consumer and other regulated sectors. A regulatory inquiry may arise from suspected statutory violations, whistleblower complaints, consumer grievances, accounting irregularities, market conduct concerns, data breaches, tax discrepancies, corporate governance failures or allegations of fraud.
Family-owned enterprises constitute a significant component of India's commercial landscape and frequently combine business ownership, management, family relationships and inter-generational wealth within a single organisational structure. While such enterprises may benefit from long-standing relationships, concentrated ownership and a strong entrepreneurial legacy, the absence of a structured succession mechanism can create substantial legal and commercial uncertainty when ownership or management passes from one generation to another.In Sameem Begum and Others v. K. Venkat Swamy and Another, decided on 14 August 2026, the Supreme Court examined the relationship between the concepts of legal representation, financial dependency and consortium in motor accident compensation claims. The Court held that legal representatives are entitled to maintain a claim for compensation even in the absence of actual financial dependency. The extent of dependency may have a bearing upon the quantum of compensation under particular heads, but it does not extinguish the right to maintain the claim.
The Supreme Court of India, in Balku Oram v. State of Odisha, delivered a strong constitutional and social message while dismissing an appeal against a conviction for murder arising from an allegation of witchcraft. While upholding the life sentence imposed on the appellant, the Court expressed deep concern over the continuing prevalence of witch-hunting and the manner in which superstition, prejudice and irrational fear can override the principles of constitutional morality and the rule of law.