N. Mala, Judge of the Madras High Court and Dr. Ishari K. Ganesh, Founder- Chancellor of Vels University, presented awards to winners at the 8th Thiru. Isari Velan Memorial Moot Court Competition
 

The prestigious national-level moot court competition witnessed participation from 22 teams representing prominent law colleges across India, reaffirming VELS University's commitment to promoting excellence in legal education and advocacy training.
 

The competition was inaugurated by A. Kulasekaran, former Judge of the Madras High Court, who encouraged students to cultivate strong legal reasoning, analytical thinking, and persuasive advocacy skills to succeed in the legal profession.
 

The final round, held on March 14, was presided over by N. Mala, Judge of the Madras High Court, along with R. Srinivasan, Professor at Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University.
 

Prof. Dr. S. Ambika Kumari, Dean of the Vels School of Law, presented the annual report and explained the rules and structure of the competition. The welcome address was delivered by Dr. T. Sasipraba Vice Chancellor VISTAS, who greeted the distinguished guests, faculty members, and student participants.
 

At the prize distribution ceremony, Dr. Ishari K Ganesh, Founder - Chancellor Vels University & Chairman Vels Group of Institutions & Companies, delivered the presidential address and distributed prizes to the winners.
 

In his speech, he remarked that law has always been very close to his heart and expressed pride in identifying himself as a lawyer in addition to being an educationist. He advised students to continuously develop their advocacy skills and legal knowledge to excel in the profession.
 

Dr. Ishari K Ganesh, Founder - Chancellor Vels University & Chairman Vels Group of Institutions & Companies also announced that from 2027 onwards the first prize amount for the competition will be increased from ₹50,000 to ₹1,00,000, which was warmly welcomed by the participants.
 

Justice N. Mala’s Inspiring Message

Delivering the special address, Justice N. Mala began her speech with the well-known quote:
 

“What we have learned is a handful; what we have not learned is the size of the world.”
 

She emphasized that young lawyers should listen carefully to senior advocates, learn through observation, and develop the ability to work independently. She also highlighted the importance of courage, dedication, discipline, and perseverance in building a successful legal career.
 

Winners of the Competition

The winners of the 8th Thiru. Isari Velan Memorial Moot Court Competition 2026 were:

• First Prize: Saveetha School of Law – Trophy, medals, and Rs. 50,000 cash prize

• Second Prize: Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College – Rs. 30,000 cash prize

• Best Memorial Award: Bharath Law School – Rs. 15,000 cash prize

• Best Speaker Award: Ms. S. Shalini from Saveetha School of Law – Rs. 15,000 prize money
   

The event concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Mr. Rohan Kumar, Head of Department at the Vels School of Law, marking the successful completion of the competition.
 

The event once again reflected the commitment of Vels Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies to nurturing future legal professionals and strengthening academic excellence in legal education.

About VELS University
VELS Institute of Science, Technology & Advanced Studies (VISTAS) continues to be recognised as one of the best deemed university in Chennai, distinguished by its prestigious NAAC A++ accreditation and UGC Category I status. Home to over 20,000 students and supported by a dedicated faculty strength of 1,220 members, VISTAS offers more than 150 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across a wide spectrum of disciplines. These include Medicine, Engineering, Nursing, Allied Health Sciences, Pharmacy, Management, Law, Mass Communication, Maritime Studies, Aviation, Physiotherapy, and Computing Sciences, among others. With its commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and holistic development, VISTAS remains a premier destination for quality higher education in India.

For more information, please visit www.vistas.ac.in.

Turning visions into ventures: DuDigital Global hosted an advisor-exclusive Delhi session on UAE company formation; strong turnout and new partner onboardings

Hosted in association with Meydan Free Zone, the session focused on actionable pathways for Indian advisors to expand client services into Dubai through streamlined licensing, compliant structures, and concierge-led execution. The discussions emphasized practical use cases, referral workflows, and go-to-market enablement for channel partners.

Manoj Dharmai, Group CEO, DuDigital Global, said, “We are delighted by the response from Delhi’s advisory community. The quality of discussions and immediate sign-ups validate our proposition of trusted execution, transparent processes, and measurable outcomes for clients expanding to the UAE.”

Shivaz Rai, Director, DuDigital Global, added, “This activation was designed for decision-makers like CAs, lawyers, and travel leaders who advise growth-focused clients. We’re pleased to have onboarded several partners and will continue to equip them with training, sales enablement, and on-ground support in Dubai.”

Mohammad Bin Humaidan, Director, Meydan Free Zone, commented, “Our collaboration with DuDigital Global is helping us engage India’s advisory community more effectively. The strong turnout in Delhi and multiple onboardings demonstrate the demand for a simplified, compliant, and growth-oriented pathway to establish businesses in Dubai.”

If you missed the session and would like to explore becoming a channel partner, please write to info@dudigitalglobal.com and a concerned associate will connect to guide you through program details and onboarding.

About DuDigital Global

DuDigital Global Limited (NSE: DUGLOBAL), established in 2015, leads digital transformation in global mobility—simplifying international travel, identity, and business establishment for individuals and enterprises. The company manages visa application centres and consular services, offers end-to-end UAE company formation (Free Zone and Mainland), and provides investment-led Residency and PR pathways. DuDigital is a trusted partner to embassies and tourism boards, including the Embassy of India in South Korea and the Korea Tourism Organization, and is the developer of DuVerify, a digital document authentication platform. DuDigital has a strong presence across India, South Korea, UAE, Thailand, and Bangladesh.

About Meydan Free Zone

Meydan Free Zone, centrally located in Dubai, provides entrepreneurs and businesses a premium platform with 100% foreign ownership, tax advantages, multi-activity licensing, and modern infrastructure, supported by streamlined setup and concierge services.

Nachiketa Singh and Sapan Parekh from Consentin by Leegality with Anupam Vassa, Raj Agarwal, and Kulin Dave from Paymentz

With the enactment of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and the forthcoming DPDP Rules, businesses handling personal data in India are mandated to establish systems for consent management, data processing, and governance.

Paymentz, known for its secure, scalable, and white-label digital payment solutions, is addressing these requirements by deploying Leegality's ConsentIn platform, which offers comprehensive solutions for consent lifecycle governance, data discovery and mapping, cookie compliance, data impact assessment, and audit-ready policy workflows.

The integration of ConsentIn will span Paymentz's core payment gateway services, including real-time payment processing, vendor payouts, and merchant onboarding, across its extensive network of MSMEs, startups, and enterprise clients.

“At Paymentz, we are committed to providing secure and seamless payment solutions to our clients,” said Anupam Vassa, CEO, Paymentz. “Partnering with Consentin to implement DPDP compliance across our platforms not only ensures regulatory adherence but also reinforces our dedication to safeguarding user data and enhancing trust in our services.”

Developed by Leegality, ConsentIn is designed to meet the full spectrum of DPDP compliance needs for privacy, legal, compliance, and IT teams. It consolidates various DPDP compliance functions into a single, secure, and easy-to-implement platform, streamlining the process for businesses to align with the regulations.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Paymentz in this pioneering initiative,” said Shivam Singla, CEO, Leegality. “Their commitment to integrating comprehensive DPDP compliance measures sets a benchmark in the digital payments industry for others to mirror.”

About ConsentIn:
ConsentIn is a DPDP compliance platform developed by Leegality. It assists enterprises in managing the full spectrum of DPDP requirements—including consent management, notices, data discovery and governance, risk management, audit trails, and regulatory reporting — through a unified platform. Leegality is a B2B SaaS platform that was established in 2016 and is well-known for its document infrastructure platform, currently in use by over 2000 Indian businesses. More than 120 million customer consents and eSignatures, along with 15 million stamping flows, have been digitised by Leegality’s document infrastructure platform.

About Paymentz:
Paymentz is an RBI-authorized payment aggregator based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Established in 2005, Paymentz offers state-of-the-art, white-label payment gateway solutions, serving as a vital infrastructural component in the card-not-present industry. With a focus on simplicity, security, speed, and scalability, Paymentz enables businesses to accept payments from customers anywhere, facilitating seamless transactions across various platforms.

Consilio’s new office in India, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka

Named “Taara”—meaning “star” in Hindi—the new Innovation Centre reflects Consilio’s ambition to serve as a guiding light for legal and technology professionals, and as a destination for top-tier talent. Taara will act as a multidisciplinary hub at the intersection of law and technology, with a special focus on artificial intelligence (AI). The center provides a collaborative environment where engineers, data scientists, and legal professionals come together to drive innovation and deliver solutions for some of the world’s most complex legal challenges.

Consilio’s expansion in Bangalore builds on years of strategic investment across India, complementing its established operations in Bangalore, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, and Pune. In 2025, the company has grown its India team by more than 250 professionals, now totalling over 1,400 employees—marking a significant expansion in Consilio’s growth trajectory. Of these, 500 talented individuals will be based at Taara, which features collaborative workspaces, training rooms, and amenities crafted to inspire and support teams as they develop innovative legal technology solutions.

Alongside other community investments, Consilio cultivates future talent through a campus program that recruits from top regional business schools to work with Fortune 100 companies and leading law firms, preparing participants with the professional, technology, and client-relationship skills they will need. Taara’s launch is marked by the graduation of its latest cohort, with leaders in India celebrating and welcoming the new graduates.

“Taara reflects our deep commitment to investing in local India and GCC communities,” said Brandyn Payne, Chief Employee Experience Officer at Consilio. “In recent years, we’ve welcomed more than 200 campus graduates across our four locations, and Taara provides a tech-forward, collaborative home where these young professionals can begin their career journeys and help build the future of legal services with global impact.”

With the launch of Taara, Consilio stands apart by offering professionals the unique opportunity to work on projects for numerous Fortune 100 companies and leading law firms—broadening experience and impact. This expansion affirms Consilio’s commitment to India as a vital hub for talent, innovation, and business growth, and invites the region’s best and brightest to join its journey. 

For more information, visit: www.consilio.com/taara. 

About Consilio 

Consilio stands as the global leader in eDiscovery, document review, flexible legal talent, and legal advisory & transformation consulting services. With its Consilio Complete suite of capabilities, the company empowers multinational law firms and corporations using innovative software, cost-effective managed services, and deep legal and regulatory industry expertise. The company's AI portfolio includes Guided AI Review, Native AI Review, Aurora's AI investigation tools, and now TrueLaw's advanced narrative AI capabilities. ISO\IEC 27001:2022 certified, Consilio operates offices, document review, and data centers across Europe, Asia, and North America.

For more information, visit www.consilio.com. 

Legals365 Shields Borrowers Amid India's Debt Crisis, 3,000 Protected and Rs. 900 Crore Resolved
 

Under the leadership of Advocate B.K. Singh, the Legals365 has grown into far more than a legal service provider. It is a nationwide movement that combines strategic brilliance with human empathy, ensuring that borrowers are not only legally protected but treated with the dignity they deserve.
 

“At Legals365, we believe no borrower should ever feel alone in front of a financial giant. Each settlement we secure is proof that persistence, empathy, and the right legal strategy can dismantle even the toughest debt battles,” said Advocate B.K. Singh, Founder of Legals365.
 

What sets Legals365 apart is its ability to dismantle the asymmetry on which financial institutions thrive. Banks often depend on dense documentation, intimidation, and legal complexities to overpower borrowers. But when Legals365 intervenes, the balance shifts decisively. Recovery agents retreat the moment a notice is issued, court threats collapse when RBI directives and borrower protections are invoked, and lender negotiations are carried out with persistence that banks cannot ignore.
 

The firm’s record reflects its stature. More than 3,000 clients, ranging from daily wage earners to established corporates, have been safeguarded. Over Rs. 900 crore in liabilities have been dismantled, reduced, or lawfully extinguished. From tier-1 cities to tier-2 towns, its presence is felt nationwide, with countless MSMEs and enterprises revived from the verge of collapse. Beyond the statistics lies the deeper reality of stability restored and peace reclaimed by those who once stood at the edge of financial ruin.
 

Borrowers trust Legals365 because its expertise spans every aspect of debt resolution. From cheque bounce defence under the NI Act, to shielding directors from liability, to contesting unfair ECS prosecutions under Section 25, the firm’s lawyers deliver results. In Debt Recovery Tribunals, where banks push for fast-track recoveries, Legals365 flips the pressure with technical precision. When homes and assets are threatened under the SARFAESI Act, the firm stands firm against unlawful seizures.
 

From debt counselling and structured negotiations to decisive interventions that end harassment calls, Legals365 delivers tangible relief. Whether representing corporates in NCLT and DRT proceedings or protecting individuals from criminalization, every service is rooted in strategy, speed, and empathy.
 

As India’s debt burden tightens its grip, hesitation can be perilous. Every moment of delay strengthens the banks’ position while narrowing borrowers’ options. The time to act is now. Legals365 stands ready to ensure that no family, entrepreneur, or corporate entity faces the weight of financial distress alone.
 

About Legals365
Legals365 is India’s leading debt resolution and borrower protection firm, committed to safeguarding individuals, MSMEs, and corporates against financial distress. Founded by Advocate B.K. Singh, the firm has resolved over Rs. 900 crore in liabilities and protected more than 3,000 borrowers nationwide. With expertise spanning debt restructuring, cheque bounce defence, SARFAESI matters, and representation before DRT and NCLT, Legals365 combines strategic legal acumen with empathy to restore stability and dignity to borrowers. As a trusted ally against financial institutions, Legals365 stands unyielding in its mission: ensuring no borrower faces debt alone.

Dr Rashmi Singh, IAS, Dr Pink Anand, Sr Advocate, Supreme Court with Vishal Bhasin, Co-Founder POSH

Presented in association with Nestlé India, Steelcase, UCO Bank, Trilegal, Attero, Ferns N Petals (FNP), BIG FM, Yugank Media, and FITS (Federation of Industry, Trade & Service), the event brought together an unprecedented gathering of dignitaries, policymakers, legal experts, corporate leaders, HR heads, IC members, and DEI champions. It reaffirmed its status as India’s largest platform for dialogue on workplace safety, inclusion, and Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) compliance.

Panel discussion with Dr Pawan Duggal, Sr Advocate Supreme Court and RJ Nitin from Big FM with esteemed dignitaries

The event also featured the release of a landmark book authored by Vishal Bhasin, titled Objection Sustained, offering a comprehensive guide to top PoSH judgments and practical advice for IC members and HR leaders.

Esteemed Dignitaries and Guests of Honor

• Hon’ble Justice Prathiba M. Singh, High Court of Delhi (Valedictory Keynote)

• Ms. Rekha Sharma, Hon’ble Member of Rajya Sabha & Former Chairperson, National Commission for Women

• Dr. Rashmi Singh (IAS), Secretary, Department of Women & Child Development, GNCTD

• Dr. Pavan Duggal, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India & Cyber Law Expert

• Dr. Pinky Anand, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India & Former Additional Solicitor General of India (Guest of Honor)

• Mr. Ajay Chaudhry (IPS), Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic), New Delhi

• Mr. Amol Srivastava (IAS), District Magistrate, East Delhi & District Officer (PoSH)

• Ms. Suhela Khan, Country Programme Manager, UN Women

Agenda Highlights

The conclave, attended by over 200 delegates, featured:

• Keynote addresses & special sessions — Setting the tone for inclusive and future- ready PoSH practices.

• Book release: Objection Sustained — Unveiling top PoSH judgments and compliance guidance.

• Four power-packed panel discussions:   

1. Towards a Gender-Neutral PoSH Framework — Inclusion for all genders.

2. Leadership Accountability & Building a Safe Workplace Culture — Emphasizing organizational responsibility.

3. Compliance in Action — Role of Local Committees & District Officers, She-Box, and institutional collaboration.

4. PoSH in the Age of AI — Addressing digital-age challenges and opportunities.

Celebrating Excellence

The event concluded with the PoSH Excellence Awards 2025, recognizing individuals and organizations making exemplary contributions to safer, more inclusive workplaces.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Rekha Sharma, designation, "I am grateful to attend the POSH Conclave 2025 at The Lalit, New Delhi. This platform reinforces our shared commitment to safe, inclusive workplaces. Strengthening POSH implementation through awareness and accountability remains vital. I stand committed to supporting efforts that ensure dignity and more inclusive workplaces."

Gaurav Thakur from Steelcase expressed, "Through our Women of Steel initiative, we’re proud to champion strength, resilience, and equity at work — values that align beautifully with the vision of the PoSH Conclave to create safer, more inclusive workplaces."

Arti Bhardwaj expressed "At Nestlé, we believe that creating safer, more inclusive workplaces begins with dialogue and commitment — and the PoSH Conclave embodies both."

Vishal Bhasin, Co-Founder of NoMeansNo, remarked, “Workplace safety and inclusion are not just compliance checkboxes — they are cornerstones of human dignity. This Conclave is not only a dialogue but a call to action for organizations and individuals to move beyond policies and truly embody these values.”

About NoMeansNo

NoMeansNo is a Centre for Skill Development & Training initiative and India’s leading advocate for Total PoSH Compliance. It provides training, awareness, and resources to foster workplace safety and inclusion. Over three editions, the National PoSH Conclave & Excellence Awards has become the country’s most influential platform in this space.

Bajaj Finserv Lawyer Loan

For practising advocates or salaried legal professionals, access to a reliable and flexible source of funding can make this important decision more accessible. This is where the Bajaj Finserv Lawyer Loan proves to be an ideal solution.

Designed specifically for legal professionals, this offering provides up to Rs. 30 lakh in funding, with competitive interest rates starting at 11%* p.a.

How a lawyer loan supports your long-term goals

An LL.M is more than just an academic credential—it’s an investment in your future. Whether you aspire to specialise in corporate law, environmental law, or international arbitration, or you're planning to shift your practice to a new geography, a master of law opens doors.

A lawyer loan supports this ambition in the following ways:

• Immediate access to funds to pay tuition fees, travel bookings, visa applications, accommodation deposits, and more.

• Flexibility to focus on studies without worrying about monthly financial commitments.

• Opportunity to enhance professional credibility, making you eligible for senior roles in top firms, corporations, or global legal institutions.

Why choose a lawyer loan to fund your master of law?

Whether you’re running your own practice or employed as in-house counsel or a legal associate, the loan is structured to meet your financial profile and needs. Unlike general personal loans, a lawyer loan is tailored for professionals in the legal field, offering flexibility, convenience, and faster access to funds.

Here’s why the Bajaj Finserv Lawyer Loan stands out:

• Loan amount up to Rs. 30 lakh: Pursuing an LL.M from a reputed university often involves tuition, living expenses, travel, and other costs. A high-value loan ensures you have the financial freedom to cover all your expenses with ease.

• Low interest rates: Affordable interest rates starting at just 11%* per annum means lower EMIs and better cash flow management during or after your course.

• Quick online application and fast disbursal: The entire application process is digital, simple, and quick. Once approved, funds are disbursed directly to your account, allowing you to plan without delays.

• Minimal documentation: As a legal professional, you’re already managing a busy schedule. Bajaj Finance minimises paperwork, making the process efficient and time-saving.

• No collateral required: This is an unsecured loan, so you don’t have to pledge any personal or professional assets.

Who can apply?

To be eligible for the Bajaj Finserv Lawyer Loan, you must:

• Be an Indian citizen between the ages of 22 and 72 years*

• Hold a valid SANAD (Bar Council registration)

• Have a CIBIL score of 720 or above

You will need to provide standard KYC documents, PAN card, and proof of SANAD registration. The entire process is quick, secure, and completely online.

How to apply for a lawyer loan

Applying for a lawyer loan with Bajaj Finance is simple, fully online, and hassle-free. Follow these steps:

1. Visit the official Bajaj Finserv website

2. Go to the Lawyer Loan page

3. Click on the ‘Apply’ button

4. Enter your 10-digit mobile number and verify it with the OTP

5. Fill in your basic personal and professional details in the application form

6. Click ‘Proceed’ to move forward

7. Upload your KYC documents

8. Schedule a convenient time for document verification

Once completed, your application will be reviewed, and eligible applicants can receive quick approval and disbursal.

Ready to move forward with your Master of Law?

Earning a Master of Law is a defining milestone in a legal career. It builds subject-matter expertise, opens global opportunities, and strengthens your position in an increasingly competitive profession. But like any worthwhile goal, it requires thoughtful planning—especially on the financial front.

With the Bajaj Finserv Lawyer Loan, you get a high-value, low-stress financial solution that empowers you to pursue your academic aspirations without delay.Apply for the Bajaj Finserv Lawyer Loan today and take the next step towards building a stronger, more specialised legal career.

*Terms and conditions apply

Bajaj Finance Limited

Bajaj Finance Ltd. (‘BFL’, ‘Bajaj Finance’, or ‘the Company’), a subsidiary of Bajaj Finserv Ltd., is a deposit taking Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC-D) registered with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and is classified as an NBFC-Investment and Credit Company (NBFC-ICC). BFL is engaged in the business of lending and acceptance of deposits. It has a diversified lending portfolio across retail, SMEs, and commercial customers with significant presence in both urban and rural India. It accepts public and corporate deposits and offers a variety of financial services products to its customers. BFL, a thirty-five-year-old enterprise, has now become a leading player in the NBFC sector in India and on a consolidated basis, it has a franchise of 69.14 million customers. BFL has the highest domestic credit rating of AAA/Stable for long-term borrowing, A1+ for short-term borrowing, and

CRISIL AAA/Stable & [ICRA]AAA(Stable) for its FD program. It has a long-term issuer credit rating of BB+/Positive and a short-term rating of B by S&P Global ratings. To know more, visit www.bajajfinserv.in. 

Launch of the APCL course by Dr. Smt Asmita Adwait Vaidya, Principal, Government Law College, Mumbai and Shuchi Nagpal, COO, Asian School of Cyber Laws
 

The APCL is designed for professionals ready to take on advanced responsibilities in the areas of tech regulation, fintech compliance, digital governance, cybersecurity law, and platform liability. Its launch reflects a growing demand for legal minds who understand the law not just in theory, but as it applies to complex and evolving digital ecosystems.
 

“We’re witnessing a shift where legal expertise in technology domains is no longer optional — it’s foundational,” said Gokul Narayan, CEO of ASCL. “The APCL course is a response to this shift, created to prepare legal professionals to lead the next decade of digital transformation and governance. Own the digital legal space — your expertise is needed now more than ever.”

“The Advanced Program on Cyber Law will offer our students and alumni a path to deepen their expertise in one of the most dynamic and evolving areas of law,” Dr. Smt Asmita Adwait Vaidya, Principal, Government Law College, Mumbai.
 

The program spans twelve intensive modules and covers a wide range of subjects, including global privacy laws, legal frameworks for blockchain and NFTs, social media and influencer liability, digital evidence, cybersecurity awareness for legal professionals, and core technology contracts. To supplement the structured course content, the program also includes eight live lectures delivered by leading experts from the fields of law and technology. These live sessions are intended to offer not just academic depth but also opportunities for networking and professional interaction.
 

The course is competitively priced at Rs. 8,850 (inclusive of GST). Enrollment is limited to 150 participants, with admissions on a first-come, first-served basis. With over 75,000 students having completed its Diploma in Cyber Law, ASCL now offers this specialised program as a natural next step for those seeking deeper expertise in the legal aspects of the digital world.
 

Eligibility: Applicants must hold a Diploma in Cyber Law from ASCL or another recognised institution (subject to approval).

Application Process: Prospective participants must email their Diploma certificate to cd@asianlaws.org. Upon approval, a payment link will be issued. Admission is confirmed upon successful payment.
 

For more information and to apply, visit: www.asianlaws.org/advanced-program-in-cyber-law.php.
 

About ASCL
Founded in 1999, the Asian School of Cyber Laws is India’s pioneer in the field of cyber law and digital legal education. It has trained over 75,000 law students, professionals, and government officials, and remains at the forefront of legal education in the digital era.
 

About GLC Mumbai
Established in 1855, the Government Law College, Mumbai, is India’s oldest and among its most respected law schools. It has produced generations of India’s leading lawyers, judges, and public servants.
 

Follow ASCL on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asian-school-of-cyber-laws.

ASCL-PACT Launch Certificate Course in Mediation Advocacy

ASCL and The PACT have trained nearly 100,000 young lawyers over the span over the last two decades, introducing them to various skills of an all-round modern-day lawyer in India. As India's legal landscape evolves with The Mediation Act 2023, mediation has become a crucial process to dispute resolution, with courts now referring parties to mediation as a norm and not just an alternative. The new course focuses on the practical aspects of client advocacy in mediation, including the art of preparing client’s for mediation, building a strategy, working with the mediator to break an impasse, drafting a settlement agreement, and more.

Key Features of the Course:

• Comprehensive Curriculum: Covering essential topics such as the fundamentals of mediation, the lawyer’s / advocate’s role, negotiation strategies, problem-solving techniques and settlement agreement drafting.

• Professional Development: Ideal for law students, young lawyers, and seasoned legal professionals looking to advance their mediation advocacy skills.

• Online, Self-Paced Learning: Flexible learning format that allows participants to study at their own pace while receiving high-quality training.

• Expert Faculty: The course is taught by experienced professionals and subject matter experts in the field of mediation and dispute resolution.

Course Details:

• Duration: 3 Months

• Fee: INR 3,500 + 18% GST (Special inaugural pricing)

• Mode: Online, Self-Paced Learning

• Starting Date: March 1, 2025

Lawyers play a crucial role in mediation, which is a process where a neutral third party (the mediator) helps disputing parties reach a voluntary settlement. From advising clients to attempt mediation to ensuring fairness in the process; from preparing and strategizing with clients to negotiating during the session; from drafting agreements to preserving confidentiality and ethical standards; from providing out-of-the-box solutions to objectively assessing risks and benefits, lawyers offer a unique expertise to the mediation process.  


In summary, lawyers bring their legal expertise, negotiation skills, and emotional intelligence to the mediation table, helping to guide the process toward a fair and effective resolution. Join the ASCL-PACT Certificate Course on Mediation Advocacy to be a better Mediation Lawyer. For more information, or to register, visit Asian School of Cyber Laws.

(L-R) Mr. Amul Kumar, Mr. Balendu Sharma, Mr. Girish Sharma, Mr. Raghuraj Rajendran & Mr. Amitabh Nag at Bhasha Bandhu launch, Bhopal
 

A Collaborative Vision Launched by Bhashini in collaboration with Microsoft, presented by ID8NXT, and powered by ID8DEVHUB, the hackathon embodies a collective commitment to inclusivity through technological advancements. It aims to dismantle language barriers in India's judiciary, creating a future where justice is not only delayed but also made seamless through AI and natural language processing (NLP).
 

The event followed a two-phase launch—an online soft launch on January 23, 2025, which drew over 1,347 viewers, and an in-person physical launch on January 24, 2025, with over 500 registered participants. From technologists and legal experts to policymakers and academic innovators, the hackathon united a vibrant community driven by the shared mission of transforming India's judicial landscape.
 

Powerful Opening Addresses

Shri Amitabh Nag, CEO of the Digital India Bhashini Division (DIBD), delivered an inspiring keynote at the soft launch, emphasizing the pressing need to bridge language barriers in legal systems.
 

“Justice should be universal, transcending linguistic and regional divides. The Bhasha Bandhu Hackathon provides a platform for innovation that will redefine accessibility and inclusivity in our judiciary,” said Shri Amitabh Nag.
 

Anand Raman, Partner Director for Microsoft AI Platforms, echoed this sentiment, urging participants to focus on user-centric solutions:
 

“Build with empathy, simplicity, and scalability in mind. Let your solutions be the bridge between citizens and justice,” he said, highlighting Microsoft’s commitment to leveraging cutting-edge AI to serve diverse linguistic communities.

Key Highlights

Inaugural Lamp-Lighting Ceremony The physical launch began with a ceremonial lamp-lighting by dignitaries, symbolizing hope and enlightenment. This was followed by a group photograph capturing the unity and enthusiasm that would define the event's spirit.
 

Showcasing AI for Justice The hackathon featured live demonstrations of Bhashini and Microsoft’s AI-powered tools, including machine translation, speech recognition, and text-to-speech technologies. These tools are designed to enable seamless multilingual interactions, empowering participants to develop pioneering solutions for India’s judiciary.
 

Amul Kumar, representing Microsoft, conducted an engaging session on the practical applications of AI in bridging linguistic gaps, offering insights into the transformative potential of these technologies.
 

Innovative Problem Statements for Real-World Impact Participants were challenged to address four key areas of need:

• Mediation Awareness: Developing gamified apps to promote mediation as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism.

• Simplified Legal Filings: Innovating speech-to-text tools to simplify legal form submissions in regional languages.

• Legal Literacy Ecosystem: Building multilingual platforms to educate citizens about their rights and legal processes.

• Rural Outreach: Expanding access to digital legal platforms for rural and underserved communities.
   

The event was hosted by Stanford Dsouza and Sarthak Jain from ID8NXT, leading interactive sessions to spark innovative thinking among participants. The collaborative spirit was palpable as developers, legal experts, and policymakers came together to co-create solutions that will redefine India’s legal landscape.
 

Attul Sreenath, CEO of ID8NXT, added, “The Bhasha Bandhu Hackathon is not just about technology; it’s about transforming lives by ensuring justice speaks in every language. Together, we are helping shape a new era for India’s judiciary.”

A historic moment and a milestone

“Participating in the Bhasha Bandhu Hackathon is a unique opportunity to not only innovate but also contribute to a cause that will shape the future of India’s judiciary. I encourage all participants to push the boundaries of technology and come out as champions, creating solutions that will truly make justice accessible to everyone,” Raghuraj Rajendran, Secretary, Technical Education, Skill Development, and Employment, Government of Madhya Pradesh.
 

The Bhasha Bandhu Hackathon is more than an event; it is a movement to democratize access to justice. The solutions developed during this initiative will have a far-reaching impact, addressing linguistic and digital divides that hinder legal access for millions of Indians.
 

With over 1,000 AI-trained language models and tools provided by Bhashini and Microsoft, participants are empowered to create prototypes that enable real-time translations, legal literacy platforms, and voice-to-text aids.
 

“Bhashini’s efforts are contributing towards an AI powered and empowered Bharat where AI is accessible to every voice in every language,” said a representative from Microsoft in his address.
 

As the hackathon progresses toward its March 2025 goal of 10,000+ registrations, 1,000+ submissions, and 100+ prototypes, it is set to redefine legal accessibility for generations to come.
 

For more details and updates, visit www.bhashabandhu.com.

L to R: Dr Aseem Chawla; Dr Lalit Bhasin; Mr R Venkataramani, Attorney General; HMJ Ujjal Bhuyan; HMJ Yashwant Varma & Dr Manoj Kumar, Addl. Secretary, Ministry of Law

At the outset, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, Judge, Supreme Court of India shared an interesting perspective on the transfers of judges from one High Court to another. According to him, transfer of judges is a necessity & an important cog in the wheel in the administration of Justice, although with room for considerable improvement.

As a vital suggestion, the Hon’ble Judge felt that the Judges may be informed in advance about their impending transfer with some heads up so that the same can be taken in stride well in time.

As an instance, his own transfer from Guwahati High Court to Bombay High Court leaving a tremendous impact on his progression as a judge, as it had helped him becoming an All-India Judge from a Provincial Judge.

He further advised, based on his personal experience in order to become a better judge, one ought to move out of his/her comfort zone, and therefore, should be willing to move to a different High Court.

With the above brief remarks, he delivered his theme address on “Taxpayers' Expectations vis-a-vis Revenue: Judicial Intervention - Balancing the Scales” and highlighting the complexity in the language of tax laws and felt that it was the primary reason behind the surge in tax litigation. In his theme address, the Role of Standing Counsel(s) was also highlighted and it was emphasized that they not only represent the Revenue, but they also need to ensure that there is no miscarriage of justice.

Hon’ble Justice Bhuyan underscored the book for its detailed observations on the important topics ranging from money laundering, benami transactions, demonetization, crypto currency, facets of GST, visualization of the author’s perspective of the Indian Economy in 2047.

Hon’ble Justice Bhuyan opined that the book aptly reflects the hard work of Author, which will prove to be a useful guide for both Bar and Bench and remarked that Dr. Chawla is not only an astute lawyer but also a serious observer of Tax, Business & Commercial Laws.

In his address, Justice Bhuyan reflected into history and apprised as to how the mutiny of 1857 ultimately led to the eventual enactment of the present Income Tax Act. He reiterated that Article 265 of the Constitution of India is the flag post of tax laws in India. The Hon’ble Judge also raised concerns on the pending tax litigation ranging across Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (“ITAT”), High Courts & Supreme Court.

Justice Bhuyan touched upon an interesting topic on co-relation between Economic Development & Rise in (Tax) Litigation. To elucidate the same, he cited an article titled “LITIGATION AS A MEASURE OF WELL – BEING”, which suggests that that higher litigation rates are not necessarily the evidence of an overly litigious society or a drain on the economy. In fact, they can be a natural consequence of economic development and improved human well-being.

Justice Bhuyan concluded by underlining that while courts need to respect the rights of the assessees, simultaneously, the judiciary also has to maintain a delicate balance between taxpayers’ expectations and the Government’s legitimate revenue generation. Since taxation is an important source of revenue for the nation, one cannot turn a blind eye to the same.

Hon’ble Mr. R. Venkataramani, Attorney General for India (“AG”), by delivering his Keynote address, “Administration of Justice: Duty of the State” remarked that writing & sharing are twin elements of a book launch & commended the author for his industrious work. It was further stated by the AG that law as a protective phenomenon could not have happened without the idea of the constitution. Quoting ‘No man is an island’ by John Donne, the AG emphasized that liberty & freedom are non-negotiables. AG further expressed that an idea is an asset, and it is intrinsically linked with individual liberty, which continues to play a pivotal role in the formulation of policy process.

The Hon’ble AG mentioned that the book navigates through rigors of ever-evolving tax landscape, with useful insights on burgeoning levels of Tax Litigation plaguing the administration of justice.

Hon’ble Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma, Judge, High Court of Delhi, Guest of Honour, in his special address noted that Dr. Chawla with his years of experience has managed to establish himself as a leading practitioner in International Tax & allied issues, Exchange Control, Prevention of Money Laundering Act (“PMLA”), etc.

Hon’ble Justice Varma went on to narrate that the level of sincerity, which the author exhibits as an advocate, always reflects in his work.

He commented that the book deals with complicated tax legal landscape and believed that the observations made by the author on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (“BEPS”) to act as a guiding light for legal practitioners and policy makers.

Justice Varma congratulated Dr. Chawla for succinctly capturing the complexities of interplay between National Sovereignty and International Taxation & praised the brilliant analysis. 

Dr. Manoj Kumar, Addl. Secretary, Ministry of Law & Justice, Government of India, shed light on the cardinal exercise of drafting of laws by the legislature & emphasized on the streamlining of drafting process. Dr. Kumar also urged the audience to assist the lawmakers by giving their valuable inputs whenever any draft is circulated for inviting public comments and highlighted that the statutes must be in simple language and, in turn, the same shall help in making Bharat a more resilient & vibrant democracy.

The Welcome Address and the Opening Remarks of the Book Release event was delivered by Dr. Lalit Bhasin, an eminent figure in the field of law, who is the President of the Society of Indian Law Firms and observed that the book helps demystifying the rigmarole of tax laws.

From Classroom to Courtroom - Saveetha School of Law Celebrated Judicial Achievers

The alumni honoured were Ms. B. Sandhiya Devi, Mr. N. Thishonanth, Mr. Asif Mohamed, Mr. R. Suresh Kumar, Mr. Gokulmithun Kumar, and Ms. S. Sozhiya. Their dedication and hard work had earned them prestigious positions in the judiciary.

This celebration marked a significant milestone, coinciding with the crystal year of the college. Since 2019, 19 alumni from Saveetha School of Law, SIMATS, had qualified as civil judges and were serving as Munsiffs and Magistrates in various courts across Tamil Nadu. Hon'ble Justice V. Bhavani Subbaroyan, Judge of the Madras High Court, was the chief guest at the ceremony to felicitate the alumni who had been appointed as judges.

Dr. NM Veeraiyan, Founder and Chancellor, and Dr. Deepak Nallaswamy Veeraiyan, Pro Chancellor, SIMATS, along with faculty and students, congratulated the young judges. This achievement reflected the commitment and excellence of the graduates and the comprehensive legal education they had received at Saveetha School of Law, SIMATS. The management, staff, and teachers congratulated the newly appointed civil judges and wished them continued success in their judicial careers.

For more details, please visit: www.saveethalaw.com

SNG & Partners Collaborates with Singapore-based ESG Firm Snowkap
 

SNG & Partners has meticulously analysed over 4,000 ESG-related data points from Indian laws and statutes. By integrating this extensive knowledge with Snowkap’s advanced ESG analytics and data capabilities, this collaboration has developed a comprehensive platform that is ready to support global organizations in their sustainability journey.
 

The partnership will provide a range of sector-agnostic services focusing on Manufacturing & Consumer Businesses and Financial Institutions. Leveraging their tech-enabled products and managed services, the partnership will assist businesses with Carbon Accounting, Supply Chain GHG Analysis, Product Carbon Footprint, ESG Reports, Supply Chain ESG Analysis, Pre-Deal Assessments and Post-Deal ESG Monitoring.

Commenting on the synergy, Rajesh Gupta, Chairman of SNG & Partners shared, “The collaboration between SNG & Partners and Snowkap marks a significant milestone in our journey towards driving sustainable business practices. By combining our legal expertise with Snowkap's advanced technological solutions, we are poised to offer unprecedented support to organizations striving to meet their ESG goals. This synergy will undoubtedly be a game changer, setting new standards for innovation and accountability in the ESG sector. This goes beyond mere compliance as it will position companies to become ESG leaders, not just in India, but on the global stage.”
 

Adding to the above, Rajesh Patel, Co-founder & CEO and Giri Krishnaswamy, Co-founder of Snowkap jointly shared, “Partnering with SNG & Partners allows Snowkap to expand our reach and impact within the ESG landscape. Together, we will disrupt traditional methods and introduce cutting-edge tools and strategies that empower businesses to achieve greater transparency and sustainability. This combination is not just a strategic alliance; it's a transformative force that will reshape the way ESG commitments are approached and fulfilled across industries.”
 

The team from SNG & Partners who will be assisting Rajesh Narain Gupta in this collaboration include Associate Partner Jahnavi Dwarkadas, Senior Associate Rachit Munjal and Associate Manan Pant. The team from Snowkap who will be working with Rajesh Patel and Giri Krishnaswamy will include Principal Sustainability Architect Martin Malmros and VP – Sustainability Ambalika Gupta.
 

About SNG & Partners
Established in 1962, by the Late Mr. S. N. Gupta, an acclaimed banking lawyer, jurist and writer, SNG & PARTNERS (“SNG”) is a second-generation full-service law Firm which has acquired an enviable reputation for sophisticated legal work PAN India. Notably, the firm had announced Amit Aggarwal as Managing Partner Non-Contentious Practice in April this year and had also announced the official launch of its dedicated Japan Desk earlier in February.
 

About Snowkap

With a mission to measure and eliminate 1 GT/year Emissions by 2035, Snowkap is a company focused on making businesses sustainable, at scale. Founded by a team of sustainability and technology veterans, Snowkap provides service-enabled, platform-based solutions across the sustainability journey, with a core focus on & expertise in Scope 3. 

The Court granted interim relief to Malabar Gold Limited and directed the opposite party to immediately remove the defamatory content from the defendant’s Twitter handle and restrain the person from issuing further defamatory statements.

The Court also directed social media platforms X (Twitter), Instagram, and META Platforms Inc. to take down any posts or comments related to the defamatory content and prohibited the uploading of similar content in the future from specified URLs.

The Court criticised the defendant/opposite party for selectively choosing one photograph that captures scholarships extended to girls from a particular community while ignoring the broader initiative of empowering girls through education. The Court also emphasised that this selective posting is damaging the reputation and goodwill of Malabar Group, with the potential to create divisions in society. Moreover, the dissemination of misleading information on various social media platforms is an intentional effort to harm the Malabar Group’s reputation, the court opined.

Malabar Gold Limited is a prominent company engaged in the manufacturing and retail of jewellery and other articles crafted in gold, silver, precious stones, diamonds and premium watches, under the brand name “Malabar Gold & Diamonds.”

The court emphasised that Malabar Group's philanthropic endeavours, particularly its provision of scholarships to young girls regardless of their caste, creed, or religion, should be acknowledged. Unlike discriminatory practices, the scholarships are awarded based on the girls' talent and potential rather than their religious or caste affiliations, the court noted.

The court acknowledged the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives undertaken by the Malabar Group, including the provision of scholarships to over 77,000 girls nationwide, along with substantial spending totalling Rs. 246 crore on various social welfare activities, notably women's empowerment.

The presiding judge of the Bombay High Court underscored that the actions of the defendants have tarnished the reputation of the global brand- Malabar Group, known for its philanthropic endeavours benefiting the impoverished and marginalised. The verdict highlighted the Group's ongoing charitable efforts for societal welfare. Adv. Lawyers, led by Karl Tamboli, represented the Malabar Group in the proceedings. 

MP Ahammed, Chairman of Malabar Group, stated that the Bombay High Court has issued a strong order against those who defame activities aimed at the larger benefit of society and misuse them for hate propaganda. He emphasised that the Malabar Group will take stronger action against those involved in such activities.

About Malabar Gold & Diamonds

Malabar Gold & Diamonds is the flagship company of Malabar Group, a leading diversified Indian business conglomerate. Established in 1993 in Kerala, Malabar Gold & Diamonds today has a strong retail network of over 350 stores spread across 13 countries and 14 wholesale units, in addition to offices, design centres, and factories across India, Australia, Canada, U.K., USA, the Middle East, and the Far East. With an annual turnover of $5.2 billion, the company currently ranks 6th among the largest jewellery retailers globally.

For more information, email: minakshi@p4c.in.

SNG & Partners Expands Reach with Inauguration of Japan Desk. In photograph - Mr. Rajesh Narain Gupta, Managing Partner and Ashish Kumar, Partner & Head of Japan Desk, SNG & Partners

The commitment of the Firm to Japan is clearly visible from the impressive Board of Advisors which forms an integral part of the Japan Desk. Members of the Board of Advisors are established and well recognized and respected figures in the domain of diplomacy and business, possessing deep understanding of both Japan and India. Apart from the Board of Advisors, the Japan Desk will have a dedicated team comprising of lawyers, interpreters and other professionals. The cumulative expertise of the Japan Desk will ensure that clients receive tailored solutions that align with the nuances of the Japanese and Indian business environment. Members of the Japan Desk also possess a deep understanding of the cultural nuances of both countries which will further enhance communication, relationship-building and overall client experience.

The Board of Advisors of the Japan Desk at present comprise of Mr. Kenji Hiramatsu, Former Ambassador of Japan to India, who acts as Senior Advisor on the Board. Mr. Naoyoshi Noguchi, the Executive Managing Director of the Institute for International Trade and Investment (ITI), Japan and former Executive Vice President of Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO); Mr. Kojiro Honda, a renowned entrepreneur and founder of several companies in Japan, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, are two other prominent members of the Board of Advisors; and Mr. Yoshio Watanabe an experienced banker formerly associated with ANZ Grindlays Bank and then IHI Infrastructure Systems Ltd.

Speaking on the development, Rajesh Narain Gupta, Managing Partner of SNG & Partners said, “I am excited on the Japan opportunity and firmly believe that two countries will continue to co-operate, collaborate and grow together in several areas of trade and commerce. I am sure SNG & Partners, along with the eminent Board of Advisors from Japan, shall be able to significantly contribute in the areas of Fintech, Health, Banking and Finance, Cyber Security, ESG, Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity. Our recent visit to Kyoto to attend the annual meeting of the Science & Technology in Society Forum (STS Forum) which was graced by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of Japan was a great learning experience and while at Kyoto I strongly felt that there are many untold stories about Japan to the Indian legal community. I thank my Partner and head of Japanese practice Ashish Kumar, who worked relentlessly to make this happen.”

Amit Aggarwal, Senior Partner and Head of Corporate Practice, further added, “The combined synergies the collaboration of our lawyers and the Board of Advisors from Japan will ensure seamless coordination and efficient resolution of legal matters for clients operating in both jurisdictions. I am sure that clients will benefit from personalized attention, timely communication, and strategic legal advice tailored to their specific needs. Both India and Japan have complementary economies, committed to strengthening their economic ties through initiatives like Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPA) and the Vision 2025 Special Strategic and Global Partnership. This impetus for trade growth in the coming years will pave way for enhanced opportunities for lawyers. With this background, our goal is to build an enduring partnership that contributes to the success of businesses in India and Japan.”

Ashish Kumar, Partner & Head of Japan Desk said, “India and Japan have much in common. Amongst other things, both countries are guided by common cultural traditions and commitment to democracy. Both countries have resolved to transform the Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership into a deep, broad-based and action-oriented partnership with long-term political, economic and strategic goals. With continued Official Development Assistance (ODA) being provided by Japan for various projects in India and the trade between the two countries steadily growing, 2022-23 saw trade at around 22 billion US dollars. We at SNG understand not only the significance of this relationship but also what the Japanese expect. The Japan Desk at the Firm is another step in our efforts of ‘Kaizen’ in order to better and more effectively cater to our Japanese clients. The expertise of our Japan Desk will include its eminent Board of Advisors, legal and domain experts as well as interpreters. With the Firm’s vast knowledge of doing business in India, we hope to be the single point advisory and legal representation firm for not only the sogo soshas or other established Japanese companies in India but for the micro, small and medium Japanese enterprises who are looking towards India and vice versa. Through the Japan Desk the Firm will also act as window for Indian businesses wanting to expand their foot print in Japan. We are proud of our association with Japan”.

Kenji Hiramatsu, Former Ambassador of Japan to India and the Senior Advisor on the Firm’s Board of Advisors, also expressed enthusiasm on the new venture and said, “In an increasingly interconnected global economy, cross-border transactions are common. With SNG & Partners, we are looking to facilitate smoother handling of legal aspects in transactions involving businesses from both countries. This is particularly important in complex areas such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and international trade. With this as the first step, we are looking to open doors to new opportunities, referrals, and strategic partnerships with other firms in Japan. We are also looking to enhances cultural understanding, relationship-building, and successful collaboration between clients from different cultural backgrounds of both countries.”

About SNG & Partners

Established in 1962, by the Late Mr. S. N. Gupta, an acclaimed banking lawyer, jurist and writer, SNG & Partners (“SNG”) is a second-generation full-service law Firm which has acquired an enviable reputation for sophisticated legal work in India, in the national capital, New Delhi, the business capital, Mumbai, and the IT capital, Bengaluru. Last year, the firm collaborated with R&P Partners through an exclusive alliance, taking the consolidated strength of the firms to over 120+ lawyers (including Partners), operating out of 9 cities – New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Cochin, Madurai, and Singapore.

Adv. Prerna Oberoi, Founder of ContractBazar

On the launch of ContractBazar, Adv. Prerna Oberoi, Founder of ContractBazar said, “Embracing the dynamic shifts in the legal and market landscapes, we ventured into the realm of Legal Tech with Lex Mores Tech Pvt. Ltd. This avant-garde initiative focuses on disseminating knowledge about corporate law, particularly among startups and MSMEs. The culmination of this visionary endeavor is ContractBazar - a revolutionary platform designed to streamline proactive legal services through transparent pricing and standardization, tailor-made for the unique needs of startups and MSMEs. This platform is a game-changer, simplifying the journey of building resilient and strong businesses in India.”

Adv. Prerna's international experience, coupled with her insights gained on Indian soil, led to a profound realization: the criticality of legal awareness in business operations. This realization fuelled her mission to make startups and MSMEs aware of the importance of legal counsel from the inception of their ventures. Thus, Lex Mores, her brainchild, was born as a global law practice with the primary goal of empowering businesses with the legal insights necessary for building well-structured enterprises and reducing litigation in India.

“The path to ContractBazar is a narrative of leveraging technology and empathy to render legal services more efficient, cost-effective, and accessible. Our innovative approach and experiences stand as a testament to the dedication to transforming the legal sector for the betterment of businesses in India. With the launch of ContractBazar, a significant stride has been made in our ongoing crusade for justice and empowerment,” added Ms. Oberoi.

“Knowledge is not just power – it's empowerment! Once our nation, encompassing businesses, law students, and the very tools of our trade, fully embraces the power of proactive legal measures, we will be on the path to forging a stronger nation with significantly reduced litigation. It's about equipping every facet of businesses in our society with the understanding and capability to anticipate and navigate legal complexities, thereby fostering a more resilient, informed, and just India,” added Ms. Oberoi.

Adv. Prerna's legal journey began in India, where she encountered the challenges of a patriarchal society and recognized the importance of having a voice for justice. Her passion for advocacy and her desire to articulate herself intelligently led her to pursue a Master's in Law at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, in Toronto, Canada. This global perspective has been instrumental in her mission to deliver comprehensive legal solutions to clients across both developed and emerging economies.

Chief Justice of India, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, presents the Certificate of Honour to Advocate Dr. Vivek Singh in the distinguished presence of Mr. Arjun Ram Meghwal, the Union Minister of Law and Justice, Senior Advocate R. Venkataramani, the Attorney General of India, esteemed Supreme Court judges, and Senior Advocate Adish Aggarwala, the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association

In attendance were also thousands of dignitaries from the legal fraternity, alongside other luminaries hailing from the realms of law and justice. Chief Justice of India, Dr. Justice D.Y Chandrachud, conferred a Certificate of Honour upon Dr. Vivek Singh, an advocate of Supreme Court of India, marking a significant moment of recognition for Dr. Singh's impactful contributions through his book, "The Conflict of Supremacy & Judicial Reforms".
 

Honorable Supreme Court judges, eminent Senior Advocates, and other Advocates of Supreme Court graced the event with their presence

The Conflict of Supremacy & Judicial Reforms” delves into crucial aspects of the legal landscape in India. These insightful works offer a comprehensive analysis of the complexities surrounding the conflict of supremacy and propose constructive solutions for judicial reforms. Widely acclaimed within the legal fraternity, this book is seen as invaluable resources that contribute to the on-going discourse on legal reforms and the enhancement of the justice system. This literary work extensively explores pressing concerns pertaining to the collegium system, Public Interest Litigation (PIL), and the intricate dynamics surrounding the conflicts between Parliamentary and Judicial Supremacy.

“The app will help in disposing of around 70 percent new cases,” he added.
 

Former Chief Justice of India Hon'ble Justice M. N. Venkatachaliah launching India Legal App with other eminent personalities from legal industry

Attorney General R. Venkataramani hailed the India Legal app, saying “Endeavours such as these will go a long way in understanding the needs of justice for different sections of the community."

"It is important to reach out to the most deprived sections of the society and translate the access to justice for those who need it the most,” he added.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that it was a “momentous occasion for the judiciary and the people at large." “The app will complement the Government’s vision for E-court, ensure justice for the masses and further prove to be a window for access to justice,” he added.

National Law University Delhi Vice Chancellor Prof (Dr) GS Bajpai said “Both India Legal and ILRF have done a stellar job in the legal field so far. This India Legal app was a much-needed initiative, which will contribute to a much larger discussion on the legal profession and technology,” he added. 

“The shape of legal profession is going to change drastically with innovative technological developments, which will also free it from the physical computer. More such tools are needed for people seeking justice since around 40 percent of people are unable to enjoy the protection of law,” he added.

Former IIM Bangalore Dean Prof Trilochan Shastry, while showering praises on the India Legal team, especially its Managing Director Rajshri Rai for the novel initiative, said he was not very knowledgeable on legal issues, but would like to extend all possible help for the app.
 

Former Chief Justice of India Hon'ble Justice M. N. Venkatachaliah launched India Legal App on Saturday, 10th June, 2023 at Bengaluru
 

He hailed the app for providing the services in six languages, saying that majority of people in India could not avail legal aid since they did not know English and also due to various other reasons.

Senior Advocate and Indian Legal Research Foundation Chairman, Pradeep Rai said, "The app is close to my heart. It will provide access to justice to many people, who were either underprivileged or do not know how to seek justice for themselves."

“The Preamble of India mentioned securing social, economic and political justice for all of its citizens. This can be achieved by bringing equality before law. The App will surely help the young students, lawyers and even senior Advocates such as Justice Venkatachaliah,” added the Senior Advocate. 
 

The Senior Advocate further mentioned a case taken up by the app. He said, “Around 10-15 people from Azamgarh, who had been declared dead on papers, were running from pillar to post to prove themselves alive. The app successfully took up this case and managed to get justice for them.”

“The aim of this app is to ensure that nobody is left behind in getting access to justice due to lack of resources or other reasons,” he added.

Editor-in-Chief of APN News and Managing Director of India Legal Rajshri Rai said language barrier was one of the reasons for limited access of the common man to justice. The multilingual app will provide access to justice to people in their own language. She said the inspiration behind the app was the common man, and his need for justice.

Editor-in-Chief of India Legal, Inderjit Badhwar, said that in 2016, the ILRF conducted its first conclave, which was chaired by President Draupadi Murmu and the entire Jharkhand High Court attended the event. Calling it a ‘rare’ app that translated into reality all in the quest for justice, Badhwar said the endeavour would go from strength to strength thus, benefitting the common man.

The India Legal App is a path-breaking legal helpline that allows every citizen of India to access high calibre legal help from the safety of her/his home at the touch of a button.

The app can be used in 6 Indian languages, including English, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali and Punjabi.

Slowly, this facility will extend to even those without mobile phones. They can avail of this service through their nearest common service centres, or Jan Suvidha Kendra/Setu/e-Seva Kendra/Pragya Kendra.

About India Legal Research Foundation

India Legal Research Foundation (ILRF) is a Non-Profit Organisation, equipped with senior lawyers and devoted to bringing justice to those who deserve it, but cannot afford it. There are many ways in which India Legal Research Foundation (ILRF) is providing free legal aid to the deserving ones.

Advocate & Standing Counsel for the National Highway Authority of India & Tirumala Tirupati Devastanams Adv. Padma Rao Lakkaraju today took part in the prestigious ICC Moot Court competitions organised by the International Crinal Courts & International Bar Association (IBA), as an acting Judge at Hague, Netherlands. He is among the only two Indians invited to the competitions which are being organized in-person after a gap of more than two years. This week-long competition is being organised between June 2nd to 9th, at the Leiden University Campus, at The Hague, The Netherlands.

Padma Rao Lakkaraju represents India at the prestigious ICC Moot Court organised by the International Bar Association & International Criminal Court

The International Bar Association (IBA) is the world’s leading organisation of international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. The IBA influences the development of international law reform and shapes the future of the legal profession throughout the world. It has a membership of more than 80,000 individual legal professionals in 170 countries and 190 bar associations and law societies spanning all continents and has considerable expertise in providing assistance to the global legal community.

Commenting on his participation, Adv. Padma Rao Lakkaraju said, “A total of 400 future legal eagles (students) from 63 countries are participating in this week-long event. And a total of 40 Judges from around the World have been invited to speak and adjudicate at various sessions. I am very happy to have received this rare honour of representing India at such a prestigious platform, along with a fellow legal profession from Chandigarh.”

All educational institutions offering a degree, or similar graduate or postgraduate qualification or training, in law or in a field related to international law, or in international relations, are eligible to participate in the competition. Each participating institution is allowed to enter one team, regardless of the number of colleges, departments, faculties, or schools within that institution, and the team may include students from one or more of its colleges, departments, faculties, or schools.

Adv. Padma Rao in the past represented the All-India Prosecutors Association (AIPA) which inked a pact with the International Association of Prosecutors (IPA). That agreement between AIPA and IPA opened doors for a greater international collaboration between the legal professionals from India and those from around the World. The pact provided an opportunity for young and experienced Indian law students and legal professionals to gain from the vast knowledge available around the World.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds, the 6^th largest jewellery retailer globally with 317 retail outlets across the Middle East, the Far East, the USA & India, has won a major legal battle against brand impersonation in Islamabad, Pakistan. The case was filed by the brand against Mr. Muhammad Faizan, a Pakistani national, who was operating a jewellery store illegally in the name of Malabar Gold & Diamonds in Islamabad, Pakistan. In addition to using the brand name and other trademarks of Malabar Gold & Diamonds to operate his jewellery store, Mr. Faizan also managed social media pages in Pakistan using the brand name, brand ambassadors, and product images of Malabar Gold & Diamonds.
 

Before and after pictures of the fake showroom

Upon the filing of the civil case by the legal team of Malabar Gold & Diamonds, the Pakistani court immediately ordered the takedown of all “Malabar Gold & Diamonds” sign boards and to stop all usage of the brand name and trademarks. As the accused refused to abide by the court orders, Malabar Gold & Diamonds filed a contempt petition in court, resulting in the accused being arrested, imprisoned, and presented in the Court. Since jail imprisonment was an assured outcome of the civil case, Mr. Faizan approached Malabar Gold & Diamonds for a settlement and subsequent agreement to the conditions put forth by the brand. This included the withdrawal of the trademark application filed by the accused for registering ‘Malabar Gold & Diamonds’ under his name, and publishing confession and declaration in all editions of major English and Urdu newspapers chosen by Malabar Gold & Diamonds; all of which Mr. Faizan agreed to and complied.
 

“Ours is a business that has been established on the foundation of trust. The brand value that we have painstakingly built over the years is very dear to us and any attempts to exploit the goodwill and reputation of the brand will be prevented. I sincerely assure our loyal customers that as is evident from this case, Malabar Gold & Diamonds will do all that is possible to prevent and discourage any such activities to protect the trust placed in us by our customers”, commented Malabar Group Chairman, Mr. M.P Ahammed.
 

Any and all signboards carrying the Malabar Gold & Diamonds brand name and other trademark assets have since been removed by Mr. Faizan, who has admitted to exploiting Malabar Gold & Diamonds’ global presence and brand recognition to mislead customers into thinking that his jewellery store was an authorized franchisee of Malabar Gold & Diamonds and draw advantage from their misconception.
 

About Malabar Gold & Diamonds

Malabar Gold & Diamonds was established in 1993 and is the flagship company of Malabar Group, a leading diversified Indian business conglomerate. With an annual turnover of $5.2 billion, the company currently ranks as the 6th largest jewellery retailer globally and today has a strong retail network of 317 outlets spread across 10 countries in addition to multiple offices, design centres, wholesale units and factories spread across India, Middle East, Far East & USA. The group, owned by more than 4,000 shareholders, has more than 18,500 professionals from over 26 countries working towards its continued success.
 

Malabar Gold & Diamonds also features an online store www.malabargoldanddiamonds.com providing customers the opportunity to purchase their favorite jewelry at any time and on any day from the comfort of their homes.
 

The group also operates MGD - Lifestyle Jewellery, a retail concept offering trendy and light weight jewellery that represents the independent and the modern woman through its designs and collections.
 

ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) has been the primary commitment of the group since its inception. The key ESG focus area of Malabar Group are Health, Housing, Hunger Free World, Education, Environment and Women empowerment. Integrating the principles of responsibility and sustainability into its core business, Malabar Group periodically strengthens its ESG goals to remain a socially conscious and responsible organization. The group contributes 5% of its profit to such initiatives in the same country of operation.

A Live Online Course by EBC Learning

The Supreme Court's AOR or Advocate-on-Record examination is one of the toughest exams. A committee of three Supreme Court judges appointed by the Chief Justice of India holds the AOR exam.

After the successful completion of the seven batches of EBC Learning’s Live Online Course for the Advocate-on-Record exam, EBC Learning is proud to present its upcoming batch of the much-awaited revision course on How to Crack the AOR Exam. The course comprises 5 online live classes covering all four papers by Dr. Charu Mathur, AOR, Supreme Court of India, 32 pre-recorded videos from their rich video library, delivered by Mr. Namit Saxena (2nd Rank Holder in the AOR Exam 2019), access to 64 leading cases, and much more.

EBC Learning has had phenomenal success with the previous batches. More than 50% of the aspirants from the last batches (3, 4, 5, and revision batches of 2022) have cleared the AOR exam.

There are less than 3000 advocates on record in India. To practice before the highest court of the land, i.e., the Supreme Court of India, is a privilege and one that does not come easy. It is a process that requires rigorous effort, attention, and structured preparation. The revision course is designed to enable professionals to improve, retain, and enhance their knowledge and exam preparation skills.

"The EBC Group has worked to help law professionals drive their careers forward. We are excited to extend these opportunities online now with EBC Learning. The revision course on How to Crack the AOR Exam is especially a goldmine for Advocates aspiring to become an AOR. We have a curated course designed by our experts and industry veterans, building on 80 years of trusted innovation for legal information in India," shared Mr. Raghunandan Malik, Director of EBC Learning.

EBC Learning is India’s one of the leading providers of online courses in law. EBC Learning endeavours to provide Law Students, Legal Councils, and Lawyers with a parallel education ecosystem, so as to ensure tier-1 Law School education is available with a practical, market-ready approach.

“Enterprises and law firms want a partner they can work with on a global scale. The opening of our India office is an exciting next step in our evolution that will allow us to provide a 24/7 customer service and support model to clients worldwide. DISCO’s mission is to assemble a team of world-class talent with a deep love and respect for the law, and we look forward to welcoming new team members who share our same values. Our track record of product innovation, including the recent introduction of DISCO’s AI chatbot Cecilia, is changing the industry’s expectations about what legal technology can do. With our team in India, we will be able to accelerate innovation, expand our global reach, and continue delivering exceptional value to our customers," said Kiwi Camara, Co-founder and CEO of DISCO. 

"The legal sector is finally starting to embrace innovation, and we expect that the current demand for cloud-based solutions and productized legal services will continue to increase. Opening an office in India is a strategic move that we believe will enable DISCO to accelerate growth. This office will also allow DISCO to tap into a new global pool of diverse professionals who share the vision of transforming the legal industry through advanced software and cutting-edge technology,” said Krishna Srinivasan, Chair of the Board of Directors and Director at DISCO. 

DISCO’s India employees will join a global workforce of approximately 600 DISCOvians, and the new office will be driven by the same values the company has become known for. This includes encouraging diversity and inclusion, and creating an environment that promotes personal and professional growth and fosters creativity and innovation.

“India has become a major technology talent hub and our expansion is not just a geographic move, but a strategic one that aligns with our goal of building a strong and diverse global team. DISCO is committed to optimizing and engaging talent from around the world, as well as creating an environment that values and celebrates our collective differences. We are excited to welcome our new colleagues at DISCO India, who we know will be invaluable to our future success," said Jignasha Amin Grooms, Executive Vice President and CHRO. 

About DISCO

CS Disco, Inc. (NYSE: LAW) provides a cloud-native, artificial intelligence-powered legal solution that simplifies ediscovery, legal document review and case management for enterprises, law firms, legal services providers and governments. Our scalable, integrated solution enables legal departments to easily collect, process and review enterprise data that is relevant or potentially relevant to legal matters.

For more information, visit www.csdisco.com.‍

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, among other things, statements regarding the impact of DISCO’s expansion into India and its ability to innovate and transform the legal technology industry. Words such as “may,” “should,” “will,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “target,” “project,” and similar phrases that denote future expectation or intent regarding DISCO’s financial results, operations, and other matters are intended to identify forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events.

The outcome of the events described in these forward-looking statements is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause DISCO’s actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially, including (i) our history of operating losses; (ii) our limited operating history; (iii) our ability to maintain and advance our innovation and brand; (iv) our ability to effectively add new customers; (v) our ability to effectively increase usage and penetration with our existing customer base; (vi) our ability to expand our sales coverage and establish a digital sales channel; (vii) our ability to expand internationally; (viii) our ability to extend and strengthen our channel partnerships and integrations; (ix) our ability to expand our offering portfolio to a wider range of legal processes outside of our current core offerings; (x) our dependence on revenue from customer usage, which fluctuates based on the timing of and activity driven by legal matters for which our solution is used, and any shortfall of large matters on our platform; (xi) our ability to pursue strategic acquisitions and strategic investments to expand the functionality and value of our solution; (xii) our ability to comply or remain in compliance with laws and regulations that currently apply or become applicable to our business in the jurisdictions in which we operate; (xiii) the potential that our computer or electronic systems, applications or services, or those of any third parties on whom we depend, fail or suffer security or data privacy breaches or other unauthorized or improper access to, use of, or destruction of our proprietary or confidential data, employee data, or personal data; (xiv) our ability to compete effectively with existing competitors and new market entrants; (xv) the impact of fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions, such as the current inflationary environment and rising interest rates; and (xvi) the impact that global events, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including variants of COVID-19 or other public health crises, the Russian military operations in Ukraine and any related economic downturn could have on our or our customers’ businesses, financial condition and results of operations.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to additional risks, uncertainties, and factors, including those more fully described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on February 24, 2023. Further information on potential risks that could affect actual results will be included in the subsequent periodic and current reports and other filings that we make with the SEC from time to time.

Forward-looking statements represent DISCO’s management’s beliefs and assumptions only as of the date such statements are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. 

Online portal for applications under RTE 12 (1)(C) in Private Unaided schools is open from 22 March-10 April this year

This initiative is aimed at promoting socially inclusive access to education for all children in the state, irrespective of their socioeconomic backgrounds. Implementation of this education policy has been challenging, but the A.P. Government hopes to address key issues by leveraging technology to ease the administrative burden. The RTE Section 12(1)(c) admissions were initiated in AP from the academic year 2022-23 onwards and are in their second year of implementation. This announcement is regarding starting the admission process for the academic year of 2023-24.

Enabling the process of RTE 12(1)(c) admissions online is in line with the Government’s track record of adeptly using technology for seamless access to other welfare initiatives. Indus Action partnered with the government to support its digital approach and eliminate any difficulties both for parents and government officials during the admissions cycle using its experience of implementation of Section 12(1)(c) both in offline and online formats in 19 other states. 

Spokespersons from Indus Action, who were involved in extending support through policy, governance, technology, and community engagement, expressed their thoughts on the launch milestone.

Ra Shhiva, Lawyer and Public Partnerships, Indus Action, commented that, “Section 12(1)(c) RTE Act in A.P. is a work in progress. It is the A.P. government's due recognition of the worldwide expectation of a future progressive society that is fair, inclusive, and egalitarian.”

"Having grown up in Andhra Pradesh, I genuinely feel that Section 12(1)(c) of the Right to Education Act, 2009 is a wonderful step for parents and children in terms of access to their choice of school and for improving social inclusion. Through my work with Indus Action, I am trying to ensure maximum applications so that marginalized communities can benefit greatly from this programme," said Siva Karthik Valaparla, Lead Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Indus Action.

The applications for admissions in private schools under RTE 12(1)(c) will be open from 22nd March to 10th April in A.P. The applications can also be submitted online at Village and Ward Secretariats for free.  For applying and learning about eligibility criteria and other guidelines for applications please call the helpline number 14417 or go to: cse.ap.gov.in.

About Indus Action

Indus Action is a New Delhi-based public policy ‘do-tank’ that builds civic-tech solutions and mobilizes communities to enable policy implementation. Its mission is to help vulnerable families in India get sustainable access to legislated rights, including education, healthcare, and social security. Their vision is to lift 1 million+ vulnerable families out of poverty by 2025.

For more information, visit: www.indusaction.org.

R to L: Mr. Aseem Chawla, Justice V. Ramasubramanian, Judge, Supreme Court of India and Dr. Lalit Bhasin
 

The event was inaugurated with the Welcome Address & Opening Remarks by Dr. Lalit Bhasin, an eminent figure in the field of law and is the President of the Society of Indian Law Firms.
 

Justice V. Ramasubramanian, Judge, Supreme Court of India delivered the Memorial Lecture on the theme, “Rule of Law as a Catalyst of Economic Prosperity in a Welfare Democracy”.  
 

Justice Ramasubramanian besides being a noted Jurist is also a scholarly author par excellence. He has authored a book in Tamil on the Principles of Law and Justice.
 

Justice Ramasubramanian divided his discourse in five parts: Meaning of Law, Rule of Law, Democracy & Welfare State, Economic Prosperity and the correlation between Rule of Law, Economic Prosperity and Welfare Democracy. He emphasized on the efficacy of Rule of Law, by stating that “Rule of Law is recognized by the system which begets three things, first - it ensures equality of all citizens before law, to the extent that the law makers are themselves bound by law, second- it ensures non arbitrary form of government, third it prevents arbitrary exercise of power.”
 

Justice V. Ramasubramanian, Judge, Supreme Court of India, delivering the lecture on “Rule of Law”
 

Justice Subramanian explained that “The underlying theme of Rule of Law is Equality and Equal Protection of Law.”
 

His Lordship concluded his keynote address by asking the people to reflect on what they want through Rule of Law, whether it is prosperity, or happiness or peace. This is the question that we must ask ourselves.
 

Rule of Law is the backbone of a welfare state and enforcement of the Rule of Law is directly related to the economic development of a country.
 

India as a “Welfare State” provides for the welfare, or the well-being, of its citizens. The Constitution of India, 1950 embodies the modern concept of the Rule of Law with the establishment of a judicial system, working impartially & free from all influences and ascertaining good governance in the country, governed by the Rule of Law.
 

Efficient judicature is the most vital factor of the Rule of Law and more broadly for economic development. The judiciary has always been a proactive catalyst in ensuring that the social and economic well-being of a citizen is taken care of. Judicial efficiency is closely associated with the accessibility to Justice and the presence of an efficient system raises the confidence of people.

ESE systems have been used in India for more than 20 years, with thousands of ESE installations to protect numerous government and private sites. ESE terminals have been installed in many of India’s historical structures including The Red Fort, The Parliament House, Town Hall of Bangalore and in Mysore Palace. With millions of sites worldwide, the ESE efficiency and reliability to protect human beings and assets is proven and well admitted.

Background

In 2016, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) circulated The National Building Code of India (NBC) wherein it was mentioned that ESE (Early Streamer Emission), a world-famous lightning protection technology, is banned in India with words, 'Shall not be acceptable.' In the draft circulated in 2014 by BIS nothing adverse against ESE was mentioned, quite in contrast to the final version published in 2016.

The writ petition was filed by LPIA before the Karnataka High court, against BIS, questioning the ban on ESE.

Ruling

The effect of the judgment is that there is no specific ban on the manufacture, production, distribution, and usage of ESE technology in India. The Honorable High Court also clarified that the NBC lacks enforceability on its own and it is merely a ‘voluntary model code’ and ‘a guiding document’. Resultantly LPIA need not have any apprehension regarding its business.

Speaking about the verdict, Mr. Vinod Viswanathan, President, Lightning Protection India Association said, “This has been a momentous decision for the ESE lightning protection engineering community in India. The ban described in NBC affected the bulk of our operations, making the last few years quite challenging. However, in the light of the Court verdict, now that the consumer has the liberty to choose their lightning protection system without any bias or influence, we are optimistic and hopeful for a better future. “

About Lightning Protection India Association

Lightning Protection India Association (LPIA) is an organization that represents the world’s foremost names of Lightning Protection systems. The body welcomes all scientific & practical views, relevant to conditions of India.

Mr. Raman Aggarwal, Founder and CEO, Jupitice

The forum registered participation from various countries, including Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The event also addressed the regional rule of law issues, including judicial independence, healthy information ecosystems, and access to justice. Elizabeth Andersen, Executive Director of the World Justice Project, Mr. Syarifuddin, Chief Justice of Indonesia, and Prof. Margaret Satterthwaite, UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, were among the key speakers.

While addressing the issue of lack of access to justice, Mr. Aggarwal highlighted, “Over 5.1 billion people, which is 2/3rd of the world population, have unmet justice needs. The poor quality of justice services has severed people’s trust in the existing judicial system worldwide. In India alone, 97% of the justiciable problems, which is approximately between 5 million & 40 million cases, never reach the Courts.”

He added that the emergence of Cyber Society and minimal use of technology in the existing justice system are key issues hindering access to justice worldwide. He suggested that there is an immediate need to transform the existing archaic technology infrastructure of the justice system to narrow the justice gap.

While briefing the audience on the technology developed by Jupitice, he said, “Jupitice is the world’s first Justice Technology (JusTech) Company. Jupitice’s foundation is embedded with the vision that ‘Justice is a Service’ that should reach the doorsteps of every citizen (Nyaya Ghar Ghar). Our citizen-centric technology has created a conducive environment for a ‘New Justice Order’ where justice comes to you and not the other way around.”

Jupitice has recently garnered headlines for successfully hosting the first-ever Digital Lok Adalat in the states of Rajasthan and Maharashtra. The platform managed over 1.35 crore cases during the first and second Digital Lok Adalat while settling a record amount of over 8,000 crore. The platform also registered over 2 crore people during the first and second Digital Lok Adalat, which took place on August 13 and November 12, respectively.

“The United Nations e-Governance Survey, 2022 emphasizes the whole-of-Government approach, policy integration, and use of Big Data Analytics to provide better governance to citizens. It is highly recommended that governments adopt Enterprise Architecture Framework for designing a Single Platform to provide integrated end-to-end services,” he added.

About Asia Pacific Justice Forum

The Asia Pacific Justice Forum is part of the World Justice Project (WJP)’s mission in the Asia Pacific region is to create knowledge, build awareness, and stimulate action to advance the rule of law as the foundation of communities of justice, opportunity, and peace. The two-day event is taking place on December 8 and 9, 2022, in Jakarta, Indonesia, and online. The event will focus on building partnerships for the rule of law and address regional rule of law issues, including judicial independence, healthy information ecosystems, and access to justice. According to the WJP Rule of Law Index 2022, 71% of countries in the Asia-Pacific region experienced a decrease in the rule of law. India, with a score of 0.50 on the 'rule of law’ index, has ranked 77 out of 140 countries.

At the same event, a new book on '5 Years of The Cob (Web) on GST - Threading the Needle" is going to be released by the Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu, Dr P Thiaga Rajan; Member of the Rajya Sabha, Mr Sushil Modi, former Judge of Supreme Court of India, Justice A K Patnaik and the former Finance Minister of Punjab, Mr Manpreet Singh Badal. The book has been authored by the Founder & CEO of www.taxindiaonline.com, Mr Shailendra Kumar who has also authored two more books in the past - "COVID-19 - Genocide Without Parallel" and 'It's Raining Black' on the issue of black money and tax havens.
 

TIOL Tax Congress 2022 will have four Technical Sessions in which global experts will be joining Indian experts to deliberate key taxation challenges roiling the Indian and global economies. The Secretary of the UN Tax Committee, Mr Michael Lennard, will be joining the session on Digital Economy which has speakers from the CBDT, Jio Platforms, noted senior advocate, former Member of CESTAT and partners of Deloitte which is the knowledge partner for the event. What makes this session relevant for the 'Digital India' driven economy is - with market potential running in trillions of dollars across the world, businesses are poised to be transformed by portals and apps that replace the in-person sales model in favour of digital sales. This has thrown innumerable issues that policy-makers, tax payers and professionals in the arena of both direct and indirect taxes, need to grapple with.
 

The second technical session is on the New Income Tax Code - Is India running behind the clock? Though the DTC report has been put in the cold storage but the general perception about the Income Tax Act is that it has outlived its utility and the shelf life. Six top experts are going to deliberate on various chapters of the Act and take a comprehensive look at the capital gains regime; personal income tax; business income; NRI taxation and many others.
 

The third session is going to be - Automated Tax Compliance - Managing Bid Data. A senior speaker from the World Bank will join the CEO of the GST Network and other experts from the industry and trade and the CBDT to look into the AI and blockchain-driven tools which are being deployed not only to prevent tax evasion but also facilitation of taxpayers. Data analytics has come to play a critical role for all the stakeholders.
 

The fourth session is going to look at the next frontiers of GST which has entered into a critical phase of reforms. The experts, including an international speaker, would be touching on issues relating to the excluded sectors, in particular the energy sector; input tax credit; compliance etc.

About Taxindiaonline.com

Taxindiaonline.com ("TIOL"), established in May 2000, is a reputed and FIRST Govt. of India (Press Information Bureau) recognised ONLINE MEDIA and resource company providing business-critical information, analyses, expert viewpoints, editorials and related news on developments in fiscal, foreign trade, and monetary policy domains. Our business has enabled our growing audience and subscriber-base, comprising of multinational and domestic corporations; service providers such as lawyers, consultants, and accounting firms; Governmental ministries and departments; officials connected to revenue, taxation, and commerce; and a growing number of foreign users who are active or keen to do business with India, to have access to accurate, and understandable analyses of essential but otherwise complicated and difficult-to-obtain information. 
 

TIOL’s salient feature has been its ability to bridge ongoing communication gaps that exist between policymaking, policy interpretation, and policy application. We interpret, simplify, and effectively disseminate in-depth analyses of not only policies and notifications from the various fiscal departments of the Government, but also of precedent-setting tax and trade case judgments from the various courts and tribunals in the country. Due to the widening net of taxation and compliance, ongoing modifications in trade policies, and onerous penalties for non-compliance, the durability of our core business proposition continues to be strengthened. Our business is positioned to grow in tandem with the urgent requirements of a rapidly enlarging audience not only in India, but abroad as well.
 

We are the acknowledged pioneers in our field, regarded as the legitimate online resource provider in our domain. Our credibility and leadership position has been steadily earned almost twenty years since we commenced operations in year 2000, and has been achieved through our proven ability to deliver resource information on a timely basis, along with meaningful editorial content which includes commentaries by a number of high-ranked experts available on TIOL Panel. Our approach emphasizes good ethics, characterized by its neutrality and fairness; this key ingredient has contributed to our loyal viewer-ship, our growing base of customers, and our overall business reputation.
 

Underscoring the value of our business premise is the fact that we have amongst the active users of our services, the Ministry of Finance which sets the fiscal policies for the country, The Ministry of Commerce which sets the trade policies for the country, the Reserve Bank of India which tailors the Monetary Policy, and the Big accounting firms, including the 'Big Four' who subscribe to our information packages and use these as a critical resource tool in order to effectively provide their services. Our services are used by key policy decision makers for inputs on policy-making; by corporate management for airing their grievances caused by flawed policies; and by journalists and other media companies as a research tool.
 

We pride ourselves as a dynamic, adaptive & learning organization. As individuals and as a company we operate within our values, on account of which we have enjoyed our almost two decades journey and have made an impact.

Our values may be encapsulated as follows:
 

• To build and maintain an environment of trust, everyone counts, everyone contributes;

• To drive innovation to results through teamwork.

• To form strategic relationships with partners who share our values, bring intellectual capital to support our vision and ideals;

• Above all, always take the high road.

Som Mandal, Partner, Fox Mandal

This is to be noted that Fox & Mandal has been the name of the firm’s office in Kolkata only until the split. Actually, the renowned lawyer and the father of Mr. Som Mandal, late Dinabandhu Mandal was the senior partner of Fox & Mandal and one of the Co-owner of the Brand Fox & Mandal. Som Mandal had registered the name “FoxMandal” and the logo “FM” which was designed by him and he made the firm well known not only in India but around the world mainly through his efforts. Late Dinabandu Mandal and four other partners of Kolkata office applied in 2006 for the registration of the Mark “Fox & Mandal”, however the same was not allowed by the Trademark Registry as there existed the Mark ‘FoxMandal’ owned by Som Mandal earlier. The Trade Mark registry asked Late Dinabandhu Mandal and other applicants to get ‘No Objection’ from Som Mandal. Since the application for Fox & Mandal was moved by Late Dinabandhu Mandal, Som Mandal as his son issued ‘No Objection’. More so because the family understanding was ‘Fox & Mandal’ will only operate in Kolkata. The Trade Mark registry while registering the Mark “Fox & Mandal” endorsed it as an Associate Mark of “Fox Mandal” owned by Som Mandal.

Again in 2019 “Fox & Mandal” through late Dinabandhu Mandal applied for registration in slightly different font and also addition of the words “Solicitors & Advocate” and the same was in turn registered but endorsed with the word “Associated” with the earlier “Fox & Mandal” Mark.

Fox Mandal as a brand is registered with Som Mandal way back in 2002. Som Mandal is renowned for his legal acumen and wide affiliations with legal bodies across the globe. His is a name immediately recognised amongst top lawyers around the world and is a synonym with the firm FoxMandal.

Mr. Dinabandhu Mandal passed away 2 years back and Debanjan and other partners of Fox & Mandal was running the firm Fox & Mandal in Kolkata without making any changes in the Trade Mark Registry. Suddenly around April 2022, Debanjan Mandal made a deal with other partners of “Fox Mandal” and without informing Som Mandal filed for changing the ownership of the Trade Mark “Fox & Mandal” only in the name of Debanjan Mandal, Arun Kumar Mandal and Ashoke Kumar Dhar without taking any consent of Som Mandal who is not only one of the legal heir of Late Dinabandhu Mandal but also the main owner of the mark “Fox Mandal” which is the Mark “Fox & Mandal” is associated as per Trademark Registry. 

Mr. Som Mandal, Managing Partner of Fox Mandal said, “My father late Mr. Dinabandhu Mandal was one among the five owners of the name Fox & Mandal and so legally speaking they can’t drop his name without my permission, but they did it in collusion with trademark authority and they did it very fast.”

There is a procedure for change in ownership of trademark as per Trade Mark Act and Rules there under, according to which there is a requirement to give 30 days Notice for objections and also for the new owner to get no objections from the legal heirs of the deceased owner. The petition of Som Mandal contended that the Trade Mark Registry did not follow that procedure and transferred the ownership fraudently to Debanjan Mandal and two others in 6 days. Som Mandal has also alleged in his Writ Petition that the Trade Mark Registry did all this very fraudulently, hands in gloves with the applicants and removed his father’s name and allowed Debanjan and other two applicant to usurpe the ownership of Fox & Mandal only to themselves.

A legal luminary late Mr. Dinabandhu Mandal is known for handling important cases including acting for Jit Paul at the time of Emergency and then the famous Sanchita Case and NYK zip case among others. In his extensive legal career, he handled several cases for Indian Oil Corporation, Coal India, and other public sector undertakings, besides Bank of Tokyo, Okura, Nisho Iwai.

A disappointed Som Mandal said, “The main question is that if Debanjan Mandal can do this with his own family, how can his clients trust him looking at that he is representing Lodha, Govt of West Bengal and so many other important clients.”

Mr. Nick Buonagurio, Vice President, CanAm Investor Services
 

Here are 3 things you should know about the litigation, and what the settlement terms mean to you as an EB-5 investor.

The suits were filed to keep EB-5 regional centers in operation. In March of 2022, the U.S. President signed into law the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA), which reinstated and reformed the EB-5 Regional Center Program (The program had lapsed in June of 2021 after its previous authorization expired in 2021). While this news was welcomed, about one month later, USCIS posted a notice to its website announcing that all existing EB-5 regional centers were no longer authorized and would need to re-apply for reauthorization. This announcement impacted over 600 approved EB-5 regional centers, including CanAm’s - an industry leader for immigration-linked investments for 35 years. With more than 90% of EB-5 investors choosing to invest with an EB-5 regional center, USCIS’s announcement put new EB-5 investments in doubt and cast uncertainty over the ability of EB-5 regional center operators to serve the needs of their immigrant investors, who were supposed to be protected by the “grandfathering” provisions in the RIA. So, in May of this year, CanAm joined other leading EB-5 regional operators to challenge the USCIS’s actions in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

The EB-5 regional center program was not interrupted. Although USCIS announced that all existing EB-5 regional centers were deauthorized after the new EB-5 law was passed in March, USCIS did resume processing green card applications filed by EB-5 investors. Further, in June of 2022, the Federal Court blocked USCIS from unilaterally deauthorizing existing EB-5 regional centers, which allowed CanAm and other regional center operators to continue to pursue EB-5 projects.

The EB-5 settlement agreement speeds up the ability to file investor petitions - In September 2022, the Federal Court approved a settlement agreement between CanAm and its co-plaintiffs and USCIS. The USCIS has agreed that previously authorized EB-5 regional centers can retain their authorization but must file a new application (Form I-956) to establish their eligibility under the RIA by December 29, 2022. USCIS also agreed that EB-5 regional centers can immediately proceed to file applications seeking approval of their EB-5 projects (Form I-956F), and if, after filing a Form I-956F, a formal receipt notice is not issued within ten (10) calendar days following delivery to USCIS, EB-5 investors may use other forms of proof of the Form I-956F filing in order to file their related EB-5 petitions (Form I-526E), such as a lock box receipt and a cashed check or credit card charge for the filing fee.
 

For more than three decades, CanAm has been an advocate for immigrant investors, and has viewed the EB-5 Program as a highly successful economic development and job-creating mechanism.
 

After reauthorizing the EB-5 Program, we believe Congress intended to allow EB-5 regional centers to immediately get back to business, operate under the revised terms of the RIA, and keep their promises to EB-5 investors. Investors are CanAm’s number one priority, and that is why we felt it was vital for CanAm to become a plaintiff in the Federal litigation.
 

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, a near year-long lapse in the authorization of the RC Program, and USCIS’s unsuccessful attempts at deauthorization, CanAm has been able to reach new milestones in repayments. CanAm has achieved the repayment milestone of $2.15 billion, representing more than 4,300 investor families. We encourage all immigrant investors who have questions about the EB-5 visa program to visit CanAm Enterprises.com. We’re pleased to discuss the program with you, review its conditions and qualifications and help you make decisions that are best for you and your family.

Mr. Padma Rao Lakkaraju, Vice President, All India Prosecutors Association (AIPA) signing a MoU with the International Prosecutors Association (the Hague)

Established in the June 1995 at the United Nations offices in Vienna, the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) is the only worldwide organization of prosecutors. The Association now has more than 183 organizational members from over 177 different countries, representing every continent, as well as many individual members. The main impetus leading to its formation was the rapid growth in serious transnational crime, particularly drug trafficking, money laundering and fraud.

AIPA signed the agreement during the 27th Annual Conference & General Meeting of the International Association of Prosecuting currently underway at Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia. The conference is being organized to look at the impact of the pandemic on criminal justice systems and examine whether the strategies and digital technologies deployed to ensure business continuity are both desirable and sustainable in the long term. It also looks at the rapid growth in the prevalence and sophistication of cybercrimes and the enormous challenges these bring to criminal justice actors.

Commenting on this development, Mr. Padma Rao Lakkaraju said, “The signing of this agreement between the All India Prosecutors Association and the International Association of Prosecutors (Hague) will open doors for a greater international collaborations between legal professionals from India and those from around the World. This agreement will also provide an opportunity for Indian legal eagles to gain immensely from the knowledge available across all member nations.”

In a series of bilateral meeting Mr. Padma Rao Lakkaraju had with multiple representatives from various judicial bodies, the latter agreed to make engage with prosecutors from India on various fronts. During such a bilateral discussion with Nazhat Shameem Khan, Deputy Prosecutor, International Criminal Court, the Hague - Netherlands, who expressed interest to engage with prosecutors from India, though Republic of India is not a party to the ICC. In another meeting, Mr. Lidislav Harman, President of Eurojust (the Hague) also expressed interest to explore the possibilities of employing Indian Prosecutors on deputation to Eurojust. Mr. Thomas N. Burrows, Associate Director of the International Affairs, US Department of Justice too agreed to cooperate in exploring the possibilities of engaging the Indian Prosecutors on deputation in UNODC.

The IAP is an International Community of Prosecutors committed to setting and raising standards of professional conduct and ethics for Prosecutors worldwide; promoting the rule of law, fairness, impartiality, and respect for human rights and improving international co-operation to combat crime. And this is the first ever time an Indian legal professional has represented the country on this platform.

From left Ameet B. Naik - Founder and Managing Partner - Naik Naik & Co., Pravin Anand - Managing Partner - Anand and Anand, Safir Anand - Senior Partner - Anand and Anand

The joint venture, Anand and Naik, will take effect from 1 July 2022. Naik Naik & Co. will hive off its media & entertainment and IP practices into the new alliance which would be led by Madhu Gadodia, Deputy Managing Partner. The new alliance would focus on IP protection, IP litigation, technology, media and entertainment, data protection, fashion, advertising, social media, gaming, sports and technology and lay focus on emerging technologies such as OTT, broadcasting, digital media, internet convergence, tech-based hybrid areas like fintech, ed-tech, agri-tech, health-tech and digital asset management including currencies, NFTs and metaverse.

The joint venture, which was announced in November 2021, is at present limited to Mumbai and is a precursor to a broader alliance across the country. Anand and Naik will be headed by Safir Anand, Senior Partner Head of Trademarks, Contractual and Commercial IP, Anand and Anand and Ameet B Naik, Founder and Managing Partner, Naik Naik & Co. They will assume the roles of Joint Managing Partners of Anand and Naik. Pravin Anand, Managing Partner, will also be a part of the core leadership team.

Ameet B. Naik, Founder and Managing Partner, Naik Naik & Co, said, “The collaboration will enable us to combine our respective strengths, skill sets, expertise and domain presence to boost mutual growth. Pravin Anand is a luminary who has contributed significantly to the evolution of India’s IP jurisprudence. Safir Anand’s practice is niche, path breaking and unconventional. The combined strength sets the stage for great synergy towards driving growth and delivering value-driven solutions to our clients. We will further enhance the synergy based on our robust growth outlook.”

The joint venture aims to set a strong foundation for both the firms to expand presence across multiple new-age practice areas banking on the combined skills and competencies of 170 specialist lawyers.

Independent of the joint venture, Naik Naik & Co. with Abhishek Kale as the Deputy Managing Partner of the firm will continue to render its services as a full-service law firm with focus on of dispute resolution, litigation, arbitration, international arbitration, corporate & transaction support, regulatory advice, mergers & acquisition bankruptcy & insolvency, projects, banking & finance, capital market, competition law, private clients and family settlements. The firm would advise a diverse clientele to provide commercially viable legal advice and committed legal representation to clients across sectors.

Pravin Anand, Managing Partner, Anand and Anand, said, “The finalisation of the joint venture with Naik Naik & Co. is part of our strategy to amplify our presence and focus on newer and emerging trends on technology and convergence. Ameet B. Naik is a pioneer and one of the leading lawyers in the media and entertainment space and intellectual property globally, with extensive experience in the sector. We look forward to collaborating with the team of Naik Naik & Co.”

Elaborating on the objective, Safir Anand, Senior Partner, Anand and Anand, said, “The synergy will set a benchmark for conventional and transactional IP practice as well as path breaking and revolutionary practice in emerging areas such as virtual digital assets and metaverse. Ameet B. Naik is a luminary in the media and entertainment space and one of the sharpest minds in the legal realm. We are pleased to collaborate with his team. The joint venture demonstrates the power of shared vision to move forward and accelerate the growth in terms of practice areas.”

About Naik

Established in 2004, Naik Naik & Company is a leading full-service law firm focused on providing strategic, innovative and holistic legal solutions to its clients. The firm houses about 50 highly skilled legal professionals in 2 of its offices in Mumbai. Primary areas of the firm's practice include banking & finance, corporate & commercial advisory, intellectual property, litigation & arbitration, mergers & acquisitions and private equity. Our expertise in these areas is complemented by our entrenched industry sector knowledge, giving us the edge to advise our clients in the true context of their respective industry.

About Anand

Anand and Anand is a leading full-service Intellectual Property law firm, providing end-to-end legal solutions across all facets of Intellectual Property and allied areas. The firm is professionally managed by 28 Partners and 2 Directors supported by a management team comprising the CEO, CFO and CIO. With offices in New Delhi, Noida, Mumbai and Chennai, the firm currently employs over 400 people, including over 100 qualified attorneys / engineers.

The firm has been awarded the best independent practice in the Fashion and Luxury Law. It has also made the cut in the ‘Partner of the Year’ category as Mr. Safir Anand has made it to the global rankings through a shortlisting process. Another category of nomination is the ‘Rising Star Private Practice’ category.

The shortlist for 2022 has been put together by a panel of judges who are industry legends in their own right which includes:

• Georgina Ma Manus (Chief Legal Officer, Manolo Blahnik)

• Glenda O’Hara (Principal Counsel, Burberry)

• Hadrian Walker (Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Interim Company Secretary Kempinski Hotels)

• Jer O Mahony (Partner, Killik & Co)

• Joanne Loughrey (Associate General Counsel, L’Oreal UK and Ireland)

• Kate Anthony Wilkinson (Group General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Mulberry)

• Louise Butler (Global Head of Brand Protection, Diageo)

• Michael Ellis (Group General Counsel, CCO, and Executive Committee Member, Abercrombie & Kent)

• Tiffani McDonough Solomon (Director, Senior Counsel, Employment and Litigation, Louis Vuitton Americas)

The winners for 2022 have been announced on June 22 at the Luxury Law Awards Ceremony in London in the presence of over 200 luxury business leaders and GCs.

Safir Anand

Safir Anand has been consistently working towards monetization of the fashion industry as he engages proactively with the fashion community to educate it on the simple steps needed to protect intellectual property and enhance brand value and support commercialization. He has advised almost all the leading brands in India including Manish Malhotra, Rohit Bal, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Ritu Kumar, Shantanu Nikhil, Anita Dongre, Shiven and Narresh, Anju Modi, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Paras and Shalini (Geisha designs) to foreign brands including LVMH, Armani, Hermes, Christian Louboutin, Chanel, Dior, Cartier to name a few. He recently assisted in the deal involving the acquisition of a stake by Reliance Brands in Mr. Manish Malhotra’s business.

Safir has also previously co-authored a chapter on Franchising Laws with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and is currently writing a book on Fashion Laws. 

The firm has also very actively worked with the Khadi and Village Industries Commission, the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, and the Government of India on enforcing Khadi’s rights extensively.

The firm has also undertaken work for over 30 global luxury brands. In just last year, the firm has participated in 150 plus custom cases and enabled the seizure of counterfeit products of brands like Dior, Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, Tommy Hilfiger, etc. with face value running into over 100 million in Indian currency. The firm’s customs practice has grown to reach even the remotest of ports from where counterfeits of luxury brands could enter the Indian market. Besides this, the firm is also enforcing the trademarks of various luxury brands including the 3D shape of Hermes’ Birkin bag.

Recently, Safir authored ‘Chrysalis’ chronicling the stories of leading brands. The book was launched at the Jaipur literature festival. The last year has had Safir working with royal scions on what he calls the “intangible heritage” of India.

Delhivery is the largest and fastest growing fully integrated logistics player in India (in terms of revenue for Fiscal 2021), and provides a full-range of logistics services. Delhivery operates a high-quality logistics infrastructure, working with a vast network of domestic and global partners.

The Capital Markets team of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas was led by Yash Ashar, Partner & Head - Capital Markets; Gokul Rajan, Partner; with support from Nayan Jain, Principal Associate; Aniran Ghoshal, Senior Associate; along with Jhalak Shah, Associate; and Avinash Gautam, Associate.

The Offer comprised a fresh issue of 82,152,503 equity shares of Delhivery aggregating to INR 40,000 million and an offer for sale of 25,364,585 equity shares of Delhivery aggregating to INR 12,350 million, for cash at a price of INR 487 per equity share. The Offer also included a reservation of 432,900 equity shares aggregating to INR 200 million for eligible employees and a discount of INR 25 per equity share was offered to eligible employees.

Other Parties and Advisers to the transaction included Linklaters Singapore Pte. Ltd. (acted as International legal advisers to the BRLMs); Latham & Watkins LLP (acted as International legal advisers to Delhivery); and Morrison and Foerster LLP (acted as International legal advisers to the SVF Doorbell (Cayman) Ltd).

The equity shares of Delhivery were listed on the stock exchanges on May 24, 2022.

About Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (cam) is India’s leading law firm with a global reputation of being trusted advisers to its clients. The Firm advises a large and diverse set of clients, including domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, financial institutions, private equity and venture capital funds, start-ups, government and regulatory bodies. The Firm generalists, specialists and senior ex-regulators expertly guide clients across a spectrum of transactions, sectors and regulations. With 1000 lawyers and 160 Partners, the Firm is the largest full-service law firm in India and offices in key business centres at Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, GIFT City and also in Singapore.

The Firm recently received “Innovation in Advancing Markets” award at the FT Innovative Lawyers Asia Pacific 2022 Awards and the “National Law Firm of the Year: India” award at the IFLR Asia Pacific 2022 awards ceremony. The Firm had won “India Deal Firm of the Year” at the ALB India Awards and “Firm of the Year” at the IFLR1000 India Awards in 2021.

The Project & Project Finance Practice of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised and assisted DFC on structuring the transaction, issuing a USD denominated note under the RBI Basel III guidelines, and negotiation and execution of transaction documents. The transaction was led by Ramanuj Kumar, Partner; Aditi Misra, Partner; with support from Ragini Agarwal, Associate.

As a part of the Transaction, RBL Bank has issued an unsecured and subordinated Basel III compliant Tier 2 Note amounting to USD 100 million to DFC.

Other Parties and Advisors to the transaction included Mayer Brown International LLP (acted as Offshore Counsel to United States International Development Finance Corporation) and Khaitan & Co. (acted as legal counsel to RBL Bank Limited).

The Transaction was signed on 29^th April 2022; and closed on 13^th May 2022.

About Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) is India’s leading law firm with a global reputation of being trusted advisers to its clients. The Firm advises a large and diverse set of clients, including domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, financial institutions, private equity and venture capital funds, start-ups, government and regulatory bodies. The Firm’s generalists, specialists and senior ex-regulators expertly guide clients across a spectrum of transactions, sectors and regulations. With over 850 lawyers and 150 Partners, the Firm is the largest full-service law firm in India with offices in key business centres at Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, GIFT City, and also in Singapore.

Recently, the Firm received “National Law Firm of the Year: India” award at the IFLR Asia Pacific 2022 awards ceremony. In 2021, Firm received “India Deal Firm of the Year” at the ALB India Awards and “Firm of the Year” at the IFLR1000 India Awards.

The Insolvency, General Corporate and Finance Practice of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised and assisted Resolution Applicants on the transaction.

The Insolvency Team was led by Amey Pathak, Partner; Madhav Kanoria, Partner; assisted by Surbhi Pareek, Principal Associate; Naveena Varghese, Senior Associate; and Jeta Shree, Associate.

The General Corporate team comprising of Manan Mehta, Partner; Bhargav Joshi, Partner; assisted by Utkarsh Mankad, Associate advised on the Resolution Plan.

The team comprising of Surya Sreenivasan, Partner; assisted by Kabir Manchanda, Associate was involved in the financing related aspects.

As a part of the Transaction, the resolution plan dated December 7, 2019 (as amended from time to time till March 23, 2020) submitted by Nithia (“Resolution Plan”) was approved by the committee of creditors of Crest Steel in March, 2020 and subsequently by the Cuttack Bench of National Company Law Tribunal on November 1, 2022.

The Resolution Plan was implemented and closing date was accomplished on April 4, 2022.

About Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) is India’s leading law firm with a global reputation of being trusted advisers to its clients. The Firm advises a large and diverse set of clients, including domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, financial institutions, private equity and venture capital funds, start-ups, government and regulatory bodies. The Firm’s generalists, specialists and senior ex-regulators expertly guide clients across a spectrum of transactions, sectors and regulations. With over 850 lawyers and 150 Partners, the Firm is the largest full-service law firm in India with offices in key business centres at Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, GIFT City, and also in Singapore.

Recently, the Firm received “National Law Firm of the Year: India” award at the IFLR Asia Pacific 2022 awards ceremony. In 2021, Firm received “India Deal Firm of the Year” at the ALB India Awards and “Firm of the Year” at the IFLR1000 India Awards.

The General Corporate (specifically Public M&A), Financing and Competition Law Practices of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised on the Transaction. The transaction was led by Cyril Shroff, Managing Partner; along with Anchal Dhir, Partner; and Paridhi Adani, Partner.

The Open Offer process is being led by Anchal Dhir, Partner; along with Aditya Prasad, Partner; and Navin Kumar, Partner.

The Financing aspects of the transaction were led by Santosh Janakiram, Partner & Head-Projects; and Subhalakshmi Naskar, Partner; with assistance from Anand Deshpande, Principal Associate.

The Competition Law advisory and application process was led by Avaantika Kakkar, Partner and Head Competition and Kirthi Srinivas, Partner, with assistance from Aakriti Thakur, Associate, Swaha Sinha, Associate.

The Due Diligence Team included (i) Corporate and Finance - Anand Deshpande, Principal Associate; Suryanarayana Mohan, Associate; and Janani Chandrasekaran, Associate; (ii) Litigation - Monark Gahlot, Of Counsel; Anush Mathkar, Principal Associate; and Rishit Vimadalal Associate; (iii) Competition Law - Kirthi Srinivas, Partner; and Shivani Sathe, Associate.

As a part of the Transaction, Endeavour Trade and Investment Ltd. (a Mauritius incorporated company belonging to the Adani Group) is to acquire 100% shareholding of Holderind Investments Ltd., Mauritius (promoter of Ambuja Cements Ltd. and ACC Ltd.) from Holderfin B.V, a Holcim group company.

Latham & Watkins acted as English law counsels to Adani Group for the Transaction.

The Transaction was signed on 15^th May, 2022.

About Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) is India’s leading law firm with a global reputation of being trusted advisers to its clients. The Firm advises a large and diverse set of clients, including domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, financial institutions, private equity and venture capital funds, start-ups, government and regulatory bodies. The Firm’s generalists, specialists and senior ex-regulators expertly guide clients across a spectrum of transactions, sectors and regulations. With over 850 lawyers and 150 Partners, the Firm is the largest full-service law firm in India with offices in key business centres at Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, GIFT City, and also in Singapore.

Recently, the Firm received “National Law Firm of the Year: India” award at the IFLR Asia Pacific 2022 awards ceremony. In 2021, Firm received “India Deal Firm of the Year” at the ALB India Awards and “Firm of the Year” at the IFLR1000 India Awards.

The General Corporate Practice of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised Viacom 18 and Reliance Projects on the transaction. The transaction team was led by led by L. Viswanathan, Partner; Nivedita Rao, Partner (Deputy Head - Corporate); Aditi Singhvi, Partner; Anand Jayachandran, Partner; with support from Alexander Kynjing, Consultant; Supriya Aakulu, Senior Associate; Akshat Parmar, Senior Associate; Amanee Kadakia, Associate; and Dhwani Shah, Associate.

The Intellectual Property and regulatory advisory team was led by Arun Prabhu, Partner (Head - TMT); Anirban Mohapatra, Partner; along with Molshree Shrivastava, Senior Consultant; and Arpita Sengupta, Senior Associate.

The Competition Law advisory team was led by Avaantika Kakkar, Partner (Head - Competition); Kirthi Srinivas, Partner along with Rajat Sharma, Associate; Swaha Sinha, Associate; and Shivani Sathe, Associate.

The transaction was signed on 27th April, 2022.

About Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) is India’s leading law firm with a global reputation of being trusted advisers to its clients. The Firm advises a large and diverse set of clients, including domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, financial institutions, private equity and venture capital funds, start-ups, government and regulatory bodies. The Firm’s generalists, specialists and senior ex-regulators expertly guide clients across a spectrum of transactions, sectors and regulations. With over 850 lawyers and 150 Partners, the Firm is the largest full-service law firm in India with offices in key business centres at Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, GIFT City, and also in Singapore.

Recently, the Firm received “National Law Firm of the Year: India” award at the IFLR Asia Pacific 2022 awards ceremony. In 2021, Firm received “India Deal Firm of the Year” at the ALB India Awards and “Firm of the Year” at the IFLR1000 India Awards.

The General Corporate Practice of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised Ayu Health, and Vertex Ventures Sea Fund - IV Pte Limited on the Transaction. The Transaction was led by Nagavalli G, Partner; with support from Ayushi Mishra, Senior Associate.

As a part of the Series B funding transaction, Ayu Health issued and allotted Compulsorily Convertible Preference Shares (CCPS) and equity shares, by way of preferential allotment on a private placement basis, for an aggregate investment amount of INR 161,69,65,644 crore. Simultaneously, the existing shareholders of Ayu Health transferred certain equity shares for an aggregate purchase consideration of INR 3,03,90,840 crore. The total aggregate investment amount was for INR 164 crore (appox.).

The Transaction was signed on 12th April, 2022 and was closed on 30th April, 2022.

About Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) is India’s leading law firm with a global reputation of being trusted advisers to its clients. The Firm advises a large and diverse set of clients, including domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, financial institutions, private equity and venture capital funds, start-ups, government, and regulatory bodies. The Firm’s generalists, specialists and senior ex-regulators expertly guide clients across a spectrum of transactions, sectors, and regulations. With over 850 lawyers and 150 Partners, the Firm is the largest full-service law firm in India with offices in key business centres at Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, GIFT City, and also in Singapore.

Recently, the Firm received “National Law Firm of the Year: India” award at the IFLR Asia Pacific 2022 awards ceremony. In 2021, Firm received “India Deal Firm of the Year” at the ALB India Awards and “Firm of the Year” at the IFLR1000 India Awards.

The Capital Markets, General Corporate and Disputes Practice of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised on the transaction.
 

The Capital Markets team comprised of Yash J. Ashar, Partner & Head - Capital Markets; Gokul Rajan, Partner; Devaki Mankad, Partner; with support from Amitpal Singh, Senior Associate; Siddhant Sattur, Senior Associate; Sowmya Khandelwal; Senior Associate - Designate; Jhalak Shah, Associate; Rishav Buxi, Associate; Saurav Das, Associate; Shubham Sancheti, Associate; Sanjana Ravjiani, Associate; Neha Sahgal, Associate; Vibham Raman, Associate; and Vartika Bhatnagar, Associate.
 

The General Corporate team comprising of Indranath Bishnu, Partner; Anirud Sudarsan R, Senior Associate; Niyati Dholakia; Senior Associate; Soumyaditya Dasgupta, Associate; and Ayushi Agrawal, Associate; advised on the insurance-related aspects of the transaction.
 

The Disputes team comprised of Amita Gupta Katragadda, Partner; Indranil D. Deshmukh, Partner; Gathi Prakash, Partner; Jyoti Dastidar, Partner; Preksha Malik, Partner; Prakhar Pandey, Principal Associate; Nidhi Asher, Senior Associate; Isha Choudhary, Associate; Arushi Poddar, Associate; Kamakshi Puri, Associate; and Sukanya Singh, Associate.
 

The team comprising of SR Patnaik, Partner & Head – Taxation; and Reema Arya, Consultant; advised on the taxation-related aspects of the Transaction.
 

The deal team also received guidance from Cyril Shroff, Managing Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.
 

As a part of the Offer, 221,374,920 equity shares of face value of Rs. 10 each of the Corporation were offered through an offer for sale by the Selling Shareholder for cash at a price of Rs. 949 per equity share, aggregating to Rs. 20,557 crores.

Kotak Mahindra Capital Company Limited, Axis Capital Limited, BofA Securities India Limited, Citigroup Global Markets India Private Limited, Goldman Sachs (India) Securities Private Limited, ICICI Securities Limited, JM Financial Limited, J.P. Morgan India Private Limited, Nomura Financial Advisory and Securities (India) Private Limited and SBI Capital Markets Limited acted as the book running lead managers to the Offer.

Other parties and advisors to transaction included Duane Morris & Selvam LLP acting as legal counsel to the Corporation and the Selling Shareholder as to international law, Linklaters Singapore Pte. Ltd. acting as legal counsel to BofA Securities India Limited, Citigroup Global Markets India Private Limited, Goldman Sachs (India) Securities Private Limited, J.P. Morgan India Private Limited and Nomura Financial Advisory and Securities (India) Private Limited as to international law.

The equity shares of the Corporation got listed on 17th May, 2022.

About Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) is India’s leading law firm with a global reputation of being trusted advisers to its clients. The Firm advises a large and diverse set of clients, including domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, financial institutions, private equity and venture capital funds, start-ups, government, and regulatory bodies. The Firm’s generalists, specialists and senior ex-regulators expertly guide clients across a spectrum of transactions, sectors, and regulations. With over 850 lawyers and 150 Partners, the Firm is the largest full-service law firm in India with offices in key business centres at Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, GIFT City, and also in Singapore.

Recently, the Firm received “National Law Firm of the Year: India” award at the IFLR Asia Pacific 2022 awards ceremony. In 2021, Firm received “India Deal Firm of the Year” at the ALB India Awards; and “Firm of the Year” at the IFLR1000 India Awards.

The General Corporate (M&A) Practice of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised AEL on the structuring of the Transaction, review, finalization, negotiation and execution of transaction documents. The Transaction was led by Smruti Shah, Partner; Paridhi Adani, Partner; with support from Aviral Chauhan, Principal Associate; Devanshi Dalal, Senior Associate; Priya Gupta, Associate.

The Due Diligence team was led by Smruti Shah, Partner; with support from Aviral Chauhan, Principal Associate; Devanshi Dalal, Senior Associate; Priya Gupta, Associate; Kunal Gopal, Associate; Suneha Kasal, Associate.

The Transaction was signed on 13th May, 2022.

About Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) is India’s leading law firm with a global reputation of being trusted advisers to its clients. The Firm advises a large and diverse set of clients, including domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, financial institutions, private equity and venture capital funds, start-ups, government, and regulatory bodies. The Firm’s generalists, specialists and senior ex-regulators expertly guide clients across a spectrum of transactions, sectors, and regulations. With over 850 lawyers and 150 Partners, the Firm is the largest full-service law firm in India with offices in key business centres at Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, GIFT City, and also in Singapore.

Recently, the Firm received “National Law Firm of the Year: India” award at the IFLR Asia Pacific 2022 awards ceremony. In 2021, Firm received “India Deal Firm of the Year” at the ALB India Awards; and “Firm of the Year” at the IFLR1000 India Awards.

The General Corporate (M&A) Practice of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised Parry Chemicals on the Transaction. The Transaction team was led by Gautam Gandotra, Partner; with support from Arnav Shah, Principal Associate; and Anushka Sharma, Associate.

Other Parties and Advisors to the transaction included Stanhope Capital LLP (acted as Financial Advisors to BFA & BMCC); Popular Legal (acted as International Law firm to BFA & BMCC); and B S R & Co. LLP (acted as tax and regulatory advisors).

As a part of the Transaction, Parry Chemicals has entered into a share sale agreement with BFA; and a shareholder’s agreement with BMCC, BFA and the other shareholders of BMCC. Parry Chemicals has also agreed to extend a shareholder loan to BMCC for capital projects and expansion.

The Transaction was signed on 6th May, 2022. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of FY 2022-23.

About Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) is India’s leading law firm with a global reputation of being trusted advisers to its clients. The Firm advises a large and diverse set of clients, including domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, financial institutions, private equity and venture capital funds, start-ups, government and regulatory bodies. The Firm’s generalists, specialists and senior ex-regulators expertly guide clients across a spectrum of transactions, sectors and regulations. With over 850 lawyers and 150 Partners, the Firm is the largest full-service law firm in India with offices in key business centres at Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, GIFT City, and also in Singapore.

Recently, the Firm received “National Law Firm of the Year: India” award at the IFLR Asia Pacific 2022 awards ceremony. In 2021, Firm received “India Deal Firm of the Year” at the ALB India Awards and “Firm of the Year” at the IFLR1000 India Awards.

The Capital Markets team of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised the Book Running Lead Managers (BRLMs) on the Transaction. The Transaction team was led by Yash Ashar, Partner (Head - Capital Markets); Abhinav Kumar, Partner; with support from Anuj Pethia, Consultant; Kinjal Shah, Senior Associate; Vibham Raman, Associate; Tanushri More, Associate.

The Rainbow Medicare IPO comprised of an offer of 29,178,021 equity shares of face value of Rs. 10 each, for a cash price of Rs. 542 per equity share. The Offer also included fresh issue of 5,177,121 equity shares, aggregating to Rs. 2,800 million; and an Offer For Sale (OFS) of 24,000,900 equity shares aggregating to 13,008.49 million by Dr. Ramesh Kancharla, Dr. Dinesh Kumar Chirla, Dr. Adarsh Kancharla, British International Investment plc (formerly known as CDC Group plc), CDC India Opportunities Limited and Padma Kancharla. The Offer also included an employee reservation of 300,000 equity shares.

Other Parties and Advisors to the transaction included Sidley Austin LLP (Acted as International legal counsel to BRLMs.

The Transaction was signed on 24th December, 2021 and was closed on 10th May, 2022.

About Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) is India’s leading law firm with a global reputation of being trusted adviser to its clients. The Firm advises a large and diverse set of clients, including domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, financial institutions, private equity and venture capital funds, start-ups, government and regulatory bodies. The Firm’s generalists, specialists and senior ex-regulators expertly guide clients across a spectrum of transactions, sectors and regulations. With over 850 lawyers and 150 Partners, the Firm is the largest full-service law firm in India with offices in key business centres at Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, GIFT City, and also in Singapore.

Recently, the Firm received “National Law Firm of the Year: India” award at the IFLR Asia Pacific 2022 awards ceremony. In 2021, the Firm received “India Deal Firm of the Year” at the ALB India Awards and “Firm of the Year” at the IFLR1000 India Awards.

Litigation Lawyer of the year - Ameet Naik, Founder and Managing Partner

The final vote was taken by a 25+ Leading In-House Counsel, who analysed the applications of nominees, and shared their inputs on the Best Law Firms in each practice group. After due deliberations with the jury, the winners were selected in each category.

“The winners’ list is the culmination of a meticulous research methodology of selection. The applications went through layers of exhaustive research to ensure thoroughness and sensitivity to 2021's diverse circumstances, opportunities, and experiences,” said Dr. Lalit Bhasin, Chairman of the jury.

The awards were presented to the winners on 7 May 2022 at Hotel Shangri La, New Delhi, at a grand ceremony attended by legal luminaries. Naik Naik & Co. has been conferred several awards in the recent past for its achievements. The Founder & Managing Partner, Ameet B. Naik, had earlier been ranked among the 'Top Managing Partners' in the above 10 years of experience category in the list released by Forbes Legal Powerlist 2021.

“I’m delighted to know that I have been conferred the Litigation Lawyer of the Year Award and my firm is awarded in three categories at the 11th Annual Legal Era-Indian Legal Awards 2022. It’s fantastic to be recognised for your hard work and I cannot emphasise more that we would not have achieved this without our wonderful team and clients. I’m grateful to have a team that has stood strongly with me. Their hard work and client-focused approach were instrumental in winning the distinguished awards,” said Ameet B. Naik.

The acquisition of Simplex by Swan is primarily subject to:

(i) The resolution plan being agreed by the lenders of Simplex under RBI’s directions for resolution of stressed assets;

(ii) Approval of Competition Commission of India; and

(iii) Approval of majority of minority shareholders of Simplex.

The General Corporate, Financing and Competition Law Practice of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised on the deal. The overall Transaction team was led by L.Viswanathan, Partner; and the corporate aspects of the transaction were led by Gautam Gandotra, Partner; with support from Arnav Shah, Principal Associate, and Anushka Sharma, Associate. The financing aspects of the transaction were led by Amey Pathak, Partner with support from Varun Singh, Principal Associate.

The competition aspects of the transaction were led by Avaantika Kakkar, Partner; Vijay Chauhan, Partner; with support from Dhruv Rajain, Principal Associate, Mishail Khan, Associate; and Shivani Sathe, Associate. The due diligence team was led by Amey Pathak, Partner; with support from Varun Singh, Principal Associate, Arnav Shah, Principal Associate, Abhishek Khatri, Senior Associate; and Anushka Sharma, Associate.

Other Parties and Advisors to the transaction included Khaitan & Co. (Acted as Indian legal counsel to Lenders & committee of creditors).

As a part of the Transaction, the total deal value is approx. INR 8664 crores. The debt proposed to be settled is approx. INR 8242 crores and total subscription amount is approx. INR 422 crores.

The Transaction was signed on 12th April, 2022; and closure is expected in next 4 to 5 months.

About Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) is India’s leading law firm with a global reputation of being trusted advisers to its clients. The Firm advises a large and diverse set of clients, including domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, financial institutions, private equity and venture capital funds, start-ups, government and regulatory bodies. The Firm’s generalists, specialists and senior ex-regulators expertly guide clients across a spectrum of transactions, sectors and regulations. With over 850 lawyers and 150 Partners, the Firm is the largest full-service law firm in India with offices in key business centres at Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, GIFT City and also in Singapore.

Recently, the Firm received “National Law Firm of the Year: India” award at the IFLR Asia Pacific 2022 awards ceremony. In 2021, Firm received “India Deal Firm of the Year” at the ALB India Awards and “Firm of the Year” at the IFLR1000 India Awards.

The Delhi office is being set up in the Firm’s building at Defence Colony as a ‘full service multi-disciplinary law practice’ that would take pride in onboarding, nurturing and promoting the best legal talent to serve client requirements. The New Delhi office of the Firm will be operationally headed by Kunal Vajani in the capacity of the Firm’s ‘Of Counsel’. Kunal will also continue to head his Counsel practice at BlackRobe Chambers alongside.

“We are extremely excited to start this venture! We hope to blend the ethics and gravitas of a practice that has been formidable for more than a century and a quarter now, with the cutting edge technology and a legal expertise that is evolving with the changing commercial landscape. This unique amalgamation would mark the beginning of more such ventures in the days ahead,” said Debanjan Mandal, Partner, F&M.

“I am indeed proud and happy to see the team at BRC Delhi integrate with F&M. Together, Debanjan and I are hopeful of establishing a practice that will not only enhance the overall client servicing capabilities for F&M, but also open a new broad spectrum of direct access to the Counsel at BRC Delhi to a variety of legal work across various sectors,” said Kunal Vajani, Of Counsel - F&M & Head of Chambers – BRC. Kunal further added, “Debanjan has a progressive outlook to grow the Firm and the fact that the Firm has completely transitioned itself from a family owned and operated entity to a fully professional organisation, is a testament to this fact. Today, only 4 out of the 18 Partners belong to the founding family and our collaboration rests on our commitment to attract the best talent to serve the client’s to the best of its ability as a fully professionally managed law Firm.”

Speaking on the uniqueness and distinctiveness, Debanjan further added, “Our Firm stands out with its incorporation in 1896 and its continuity for 125 years now. Last month, the Firm’s equity partners have successfully completed an internal restructuring exercise upon which, the whole of the intellectual property and brand equity of the Firm has come into the hands of the present partners. In the coming few months, the Firm will undertake a brand relaunch exercise to celebrate the 125 years of heritage.”

Strengthening the Partnership

Strengthening its partnership, on the same day, F&M announced induction of more than 10 partners both in Kolkata and New Delhi. For its Kolkata operations, the Firm admitted to the partnership, Anil Dhar, Sandip Dasgupta, Rohit Singhania, Ajay Agarwal, Bhargav Mitra, Aparna Banerjee Dasgupta, Debabrata Das and Shruti Swaika. In its New Delhi practice, Kunal Vajani’s colleagues, Kunal Mimani and Roshan Santhalia, along with Vikrant Pachnanda, an individual practising Advocate of the Supreme Court, were inducted to the firm as Partners.

With its increased strength, F&M now has 18 Partners across 3 offices in 2 cities which include a number of alumni from the top ranked law colleges also. The Firm also boasts of a strong network of associates from the top law colleges of India and tie ups with law firms and individual advocates in cities across India in which it does not yet have a direct presence for servicing client needs. The Firm also announced that its website www.foxandmandal.co.in would be relaunched in a new avatar very soon.

About the Firm

F&M counts amongst the largest law firms in the whole of Eastern India. It started from Calcutta (the then capital of India) in 1896 in partnership of Mr. John Kerr Fox, an English lawyer with Mr. G C Mandal, of India. The son of Mr. Fox, Harold left India after his father’s passing away, relinquishing his rights to Mr. Mandal and since then, the Firm has remained in the family of its Co-founders. Today, Mr. Debanjan Mandal, Partner is the 4^th generation lawyer in his family.

The General Corporate (M&A) Practice of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised on the transaction. The scope of work included structuring of the transaction, review, finalization, negotiation and execution of transaction documents (including the IP Assignment Agreement). The Transaction team was led by Smruti Shah, Partner; with support from Aviral Chauhan, Principal Associate; and Devanshi Dalal, Senior Associate.

Adani Wilmar is a joint venture incorporated in 1999 between the Adani Group, which is a multinational diversified business group with significant interests across transport and logistics, and energy and utility sectors, and the Wilmar Group, one of Asia’s leading agribusiness groups which was ranked as the seventh largest listed companies by market capitalization on the Singapore Exchange as of September 30, 2021. Adani Wilmar is one of the few large FMCG food companies in India to offer most of the primary kitchen commodities for Indian consumers, including edible oil, wheat flour, rice, pulses and sugar.

The Transaction was signed on 2^nd May, 2022; and closed on 3^rd May, 2022.

About Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) is India’s leading law firm with a global reputation of being trusted advisers to its clients. The Firm advises a large and diverse set of clients, including domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, financial institutions, private equity and venture capital funds, start-ups, government and regulatory bodies. The Firm’s generalists, specialists and senior ex-regulators expertly guide clients across a spectrum of transactions, sectors and regulations. With over 850 lawyers and 150 Partners, the Firm is the largest full-service law firm in India with offices in key business centres at Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, GIFT City, and also in Singapore.

Recently, the Firm received “National Law Firm of the Year: India” award at the IFLR Asia Pacific 2022 awards ceremony. In 2021, Firm received “India Deal Firm of the Year” at the ALB India Awards and “Firm of the Year” at the IFLR1000 India Awards.

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas announces promotion of 22 lawyers to its partnership

The partners, inducted into the partnership across various practice groups are as follows:

New Partners:

CAM Corporate

• Aditya Prasad, Corporate (M&A), Bengaluru

• Anandita Kaushik, Corporate (Private Equity), Delhi-NCR

• Anirban Mohapatra, Corporate (Technology), Bengaluru

• Bhargav Joshi, Corporate (M&A), Mumbai

• Biplab Lenin, Pharma and Life Sciences, Delhi-NCR

• Bishen Jeswant, Employment, Bengaluru

• Dhruv Rajain, Competition, Delhi-NCR

• Emil Joseph, Corporate & Real Estate, Hyderabad

• Harsha Sudhindra, Real Estate, Bengaluru

• Ishita Khandelwal, Corporate (M&A), Delhi-NCR

• Kaustav Kundu, Competition, Mumbai

• Kirthi Srinivas, Competition, Mumbai

• Navin Kumar, Corporate (M&A), Delhi-NCR

• Preksha Malik, Corporate (Privatization), Delhi-NCR

CAM Dispute Resolution

• Gathi Prakash, Disputes, Mumbai

• George Varghese, Disputes, Delhi-NCR

• Juvraj Singh Bindra, Disputes, Delhi-NCR

• Sharan Kukreja, Disputes, Bengaluru

CAM Finance

• Abhishek Mukherjee, Insolvency, Mumbai

• Pallavi Rao, Financial Regulatory Services, Technology & Disputes, Delhi-NCR

CAM Markets

• Janhavi Manohar, Capital Markets, Bengaluru

• Rohit Tiwari, Capital Markets, Bengaluru

On this year’s promotions, Managing Partner, Mr. Cyril Shroff said, “The promotion of this diverse group of lawyers reflects the growth of our Firm, our expanding practices, our rich talent base and our capabilities to integrate lateral hires through a structured manner. They have demonstrated their commitment to our clients, our values and firm’s culture. I am extremely delighted to welcome them into the Partnership and look forward to their valuable contribution in the years to come.”

Mrs. Vandana Shroff, Partner added, “I am delighted to welcome all of them into the partnership. They have made excellent contributions to their practices and their promotions are very well deserved.”

Partner and Chair of the Finance, Projects & Insolvency Practice, Mr. L Viswanathan commented, “The promotions reflect the firm’s leadership and talent in our core areas of practice and the confidence and optimism of the firm’s management in India’s growth and opportunities.” 

Partner and National Head of the Corporate Practice, Ms. Reeba Chacko said, “I am very excited to welcome each and every one of the new partners to our growing partnership.  Each of them bring immense value to the table with their diverse strengths and focus areas. I wish them the very best and look forward to having them with us in our journey ahead.”

Partner and Co-head of the Private Client Practice, Mr. Rishabh Shroff said, “I look forward to working with our excellent new batch of partners, and to helping them succeed. As the world now starts to open up, and new opportunities are presenting themselves, our new partners have an exciting journey ahead of them.”

About Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (cam) is India’s leading law firm with a global reputation of being trusted advisers to its clients. The Firm advises a large and diverse set of clients, including domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, financial institutions, private equity and venture capital funds, start-ups, government and regulatory bodies. The Firm generalists, specialists and senior ex-regulators expertly guide clients across a spectrum of transactions, sectors and regulations. With over 850 lawyers and 163 Partners, the Firm is the largest full-service law firm in India and offices in key business centres at Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, GIFT City and also in Singapore.

Recently, the Firm received the “National Law Firm of the Year: India” award at the IFLR Asia Pacific 2022 awards ceremony. The Firm had won “India Deal Firm of the Year” at the ALB India Awards and “Firm of the Year” at the IFLR1000 India Awards in 2021.

Ease of Justice in India: Future of Arbitration, Mediation, and Conciliation, organised by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM)

Hon’ble Justice (Retd.) Mr. J.R Midha, Former Judge, Delhi High Court; Adv. KK Sharma (Chairman, ASSOCHAM); Mr. Raman Aggarwal, Founder & CEO, Jupitice Justice Technologies, Dr. Ashok Haldia, Chairman, ASSOCHAM Task Force Chair for Accounting Standards; and Mr. Basudev Mukherjee (Assistant Secretary-General, ASSOCHAM), were among the keynote speakers of the conference.

While speaking on the ease of justice in India, Justice Dipak Misra underscored that it is imperative to understand that enhancing the ease of justice is directly proportional to enhancing the ease of living. “It is essential that we promote the culture of settlement across family, insurance, commercial, health, and other disputes for enhancing the ease of justice,” said Justice Misra.

Expressing his views on streamlining and strengthening the ADR ecosystem in India through the use of technology, Mr. Aggarwal pressed for the need of introducing a paradigm shift in the existing justice delivery system through the intervention of technology.

“The Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism holds the potential to transform the entire justice system and take the burden off the judiciary. However, to maximise its efficiency, we need to develop some technological solutions that could meet the evolving needs of various stakeholders in the justice sector. We must conceptualise and build a digital infrastructure that can bring a fundamental change in how justice is being perceived in our country,” noted Mr. Aggarwal.

He further added, “The ease of justice in India lies in the amalgamation of ADR mechanisms and technology. The mission is to change the idea of justice from being a place to a service. We have to build trust among people by overcoming the underlying structural, behavioural, and operational challenges, which is possible only through technology.”

Justice JR Midha also apprised the participants of the benefits of ADR for ease of justice in India. He noted that delays in judicial procedures also affect the economy of our country. He further suggested that India also needs to push for a fully-developed ADR ecosystem like other countries.

Adv. GP Madaan, Managing Partner, Madaan Law Offices; Adv. Venket Rao, Founder and Managing Partner, Intygrat Law Offices; Mr. Gagan Puri, Managing Director – Disputes and Investigations, Alvarez & Marsal India; Mr. Michael Dias, Secretary, The Employers Association, Delhi; and CA Deepa Agarwal, Member, ASSOCHAM National Council for Company Law also participated in the event.

About Jupitice

Born out of the core issues of 5 billions people not having access to justice, long delays and higher resolution cost, Jupitice was formed in the year 2019 to leverage the domain expertise built over 12 years. Jupitice has designed and created the World’s First “Private Digital Court” for Private Justice System to resolve disputes Online. Mr. Aggarwal found three major drawbacks in the Private Justice System, one there is no global address like Traditional Court where one knows where to go to file one’s dispute, secondly relating to how to find ADR Practitioners such as Arbitrators, Conciliators, Mediators etc. and the last but not the least relating to digitalization of Private Justice System. This led to the creation of Jupitice - a Private Digital Court under the Private Justice System. Digital Mirror of Traditional Court transformed digitally with Ultra-Advanced Digital Infrastructure & First Class Services and powered by complete digital justice Eco-system, “As A Service Than A Place” to provide Arbitration, Conciliation Mediation Services etc. All Online, from the comforts of your home or place anytime, anywhere from any device just like going to the Court but MINUS its pain points. Launched in May 2021, Jupitice has taken up about 6000 cases so far!

Supreme Court on Company Law - Compendium of Cases (1950-2021) by Aseem Chawla
 

The Compendium brings together all the significant judgments rendered by the Supreme Court of India on matters arising under the Companies Act, 1913/1956/2013. Aseem Chawla's work will prove to be a useful tool for litigants, lawyers, judges, and the academic community. Compendium covers judgments from 1950 to 2021 and are available in three volumes. All judgments have been arranged in ascending order, beginning with the first volume, cataloged from 1950 onwards.
 

The book provides a complete understanding of the legalities involved in the chapter index and relevant paras within the judgment that have been highlighted for easy reference, as well as a nominal index, all of which add to its utilitarian quotient.
 

Mr. Chawla explains that, in these times, no writing or publication is complete unless it addresses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. He further adds, “The Central Government has undertaken proactive steps in relation to the decriminalization of several provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and a high-powered committee has been constituted to look into numerous compliances enjoined, pursuant to the rules, to alleviate and provide some respite precipitated by the pandemic in the present challenged macro-economic situation. A balanced and rational outlook on compliances sought would help strike the right balance between corporate governance and the burden/cost of compliance.”
 

Justice V. Ramasubramanian, Judge, Supreme Court of India in his Foreword applauds the publication and termed it as “classic reflection of Aseem Chawla’s scholarship, passion for law, industry and meticulous preparation". “This is a book that should find a place on the bookshelf of every busy practitioner, adjudicator and, all those, who wish to carry out an in-depth analysis, inter alia, of aspects swirling around the birth, functionality and demise of a company,” he added.
 

“While this publication was in press, the Supreme Court rendered another headline grabbing decision in Devas Case, affirming the NCLAT (Appellate Tribunal) decision, however, my publisher rightly reminded that my brief was to report the Apex Court decisions till the year 2021 and contained my effervescent enthusiasm. The above noted seminal decision and the path breaking judgement rendered in the case of Tata Consultancy Services Limited vs. Cyrus Investments Private Limited, both have been authored by Hon’ble Mr. Justice V. Ramasubramanian, Judge, Supreme Court of India and it is a matter of great privilege to have his encouraging Foreword to this Compendium," penned author in the note from curator’s desk.
 

This Compendium is a one-stop shop for all those looking for leading Judgements of the Supreme Court rendered during the period from 1950 to 2021 on all matters arising under the Companies Act, 193/1956/2013.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher, Judge, High Court of Delhi

In his descriptive testimonial, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Rajiv Shakdher, Judge, High Court of Delhi describes “the highlights and the quantity of material”. He explains, "That the material that has been captured shows the meticulous effort that has gone into putting together the Compendium. The finest aspect of the Compendium is that it not only lists resolved instances, but it also relates to numerous company statutes passed over time, beginning with the Indian Companies Act of 1913. For the syllable of the compendium, it is a gold mine for attorneys, judges, academics, and researchers concerned in questions of corporate law.” Several new concepts also find a place in the 2013 enactment, such as One-Person Company, Independent Directors, Corporate Social Responsibility, Women Directors and filing of Class action suits by the shareholders. This Compendium puts together all the significant judgments rendered by the Supreme Court on matters arising under the Companies Act, 1913/1956/2013. The Compendium comes in three volumes covering judgments from 1950 till 2021. The judgements have been placed in ascending order, beginning from 1950, cataloged first volume onwards.
 

The book is available to purchase at www.claonline.in/sccl_2022.aspx 
 

About the Author

Aseem Chawla, the curator of the publication is a well-known and accomplished lawyer, who is a Member of Bar Council of India and Fellow Chartered Accountant & certificate holder of “Comparative Tax Policy & Administration” from Harvard Kennedy School & “Vienna Certificate in Double Tax Treaties” from the Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria. He has several authorships to his credit, including the recent publication on the Indian contemporary tax landscape titled, “Finding a Straight Line Between Twists and Turns: Imperfect, yet Honest Reflections on the Indian Tax Landscape”, which has received encouragement from the leading international tax practitioners and Hon’ble Esteemed Members of judicial fora.
 

He is an accredited Trust & Estate Practitioner and Member of Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners, (STEP), UK. and is well regarded for estate planning, including advising large families & corporate houses on governance aspects.
 

He was nominated by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, as Non-Executive Independent Director of Board of one of the largest State-Owned General Insurance Companies.
 

He is Visiting Faculty with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) on International Taxation, Economic Offences & Money Laundering Laws.

About Corporate Law Adviser and CLAonline

Corporate Law Adviser (CLA) is a 33 years old Fortnightly Journal on Corporate/SEBI/Insolvency and Business Laws. CLA along with CLAonline covers Latest Case Laws from Supreme Court, all High Courts, NCLT/NCLAT, SAT, Competition Commission, etc with unmatched head notes along with reference of Para numbers in the head note for easy reference and provides a complete digital online law library on Company/SEBI/Insolvency and Bankruptcy/FEMA/Competition and Other Laws since 1950.

The Banking and Finance Practice of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised on the Transaction. The Transaction team was led by Leena Chacko, Partner; with support from Srinjoy Bhattacherjee, Principal Associate; Krittika Chavaly, Associate; Shivendra Shukla, Associate; and Shivangini Singh, Associate.

As a part of the Transaction, the bonds are secured by way of a charge over the receivables and cashflows of UPPCL. Further, the bonds have been guaranteed by way of an unconditional and irrevocable guarantee provided by the Government of Uttar Pradesh.

Other Parties and Advisors to the transaction include Trust Investment Advisors Private Limited, Tipsons Consultancy Services Private Limited, and A.K. Capital Services Limited.

The Transaction was signed on 29th March 2022; and closed on 30th March, 2022.
 

About Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) is India’s leading law firm with a global reputation of being trusted advisers to its clients. The Firm advises a large and diverse set of clients, including domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, financial institutions, private equity and venture capital funds, start-ups, government and regulatory bodies. The Firm’s generalists, specialists and senior ex-regulators expertly guide clients across a spectrum of transactions, sectors and regulations. With over 850 lawyers and 150 Partners, the Firm is the largest full-service law firm in India with offices in key business centres at Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, GIFT City and also in Singapore.

Recently, the Firm received “National Law Firm of the Year: India” award at the IFLR Asia Pacific 2022 awards ceremony. In 2021, Firm received “India Deal Firm of the Year” at the ALB India Awards and “Firm of the Year” at the IFLR1000 India Awards.