New Insights

In a significant ruling clarifying the scope of “proof of right” under the Indian patent regime, the Delhi High Court has set aside an order of the Patent Office refusing a patent application filed by Nippon Steel Corporation. The rejection was based on the Patent Office’s insistence that an employment agreement could not serve as valid proof of right, particularly when one of the inventors had passed away.

In a far-reaching and precedent-setting judgement, the Delhi High Court has fundamentally altered the legal position of Domain Name Registrars (DNRs) in India. Holding that DNRs can no longer shelter behind the “intermediary” safe harbour when they enable trademark abuse and online fraud, Justice Prathiba M. Singh issued an exhaustive 248-page order laying down binding directions for DNRs, registry operators, banks, government authorities, and law-enforcement agencies. The ruling arose from a series of frauds involving fake websites impersonating Dabur India Limited, but the judgement goes well beyond the facts of the case, addressing systemic weaknesses in India’s domain-name governance ecosystem.

In a significant ruling clarifying the law on usufructuary mortgages, the Supreme Court has reaffirmed that the right of redemption remains alive until the mortgage money is actually paid or adjusted, and limitation does not begin merely from the date of execution of the mortgage. The judgment settles a recurring legal controversy where mortgagees attempt to defeat redemption claims by invoking limitation, especially in long-standing agricultural and rural mortgages. The Court decisively held that mere lapse of time does not convert a mortgagee into an owner in usufructuary mortgage arrangements.

In mid-December 2025, India witnessed one of the most controversial episodes involving a sitting Chief Minister in recent years - an incident that sparked outrage across legal, political, social, and human-rights circles. On the evening of 15 December 2025, a video went viral showing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar interacting with a newly appointed AYUSH doctor during an official function in Patna. What followed would become a flashpoint in national discourse. The footage shows the Chief Minister receiving an appointment card from the doctoridentified in multiple reports as Dr. Nusrat Parveen and upon noticing her headscarf/niqab (also described as a hijab), he gestured at it and pulled it down from her face. The moment, captured on camera, quickly spread on social media and news networks, triggering widespread condemnation, debate, and political unrest.

In a deeply disturbing case involving the rape and murder of a fiveandahalf-year-old child, the Punjab and Haryana High Court commuted the death sentence awarded to the convict, Virender alias Bholu, to rigorous imprisonment for life with a minimum of 30 year’s actual incarceration without remission, along with a fine of ₹30 lakhs payable to the victim’s family. While affirming the conviction of Virender beyond reasonable doubt, the Court declined to uphold capital punishment, emphasizing reformative justice, proportional sentencing, and the constitutional mandate to prefer life over death where two views are possible.