Ponchos Classified As Capes, Not Scarves; CESTAT Chandigarh Upholds Customs Reclassification, Higher Duty Applicable

The Chandigarh Bench of Customs, Excise, and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) held that imported ponchos are correctly reclassified under CTH 6102 as capes, rejecting the assessee's claim of them being scarves. S.S. Garg (Judicial Member) and P. Anjani Kumar (Technical Member) opined that when the expert has given a report on the impugned goods, the same cannot be brushed...

Threat To Cut Electricity To Hotel During Insolvency Violates Moratorium: NCLT Chandigarh

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) at Chandigarh has recently held that electricity is essential to the functioning of a hotel and must continue during insolvency proceedings. The tribunal restrained the Chandigarh Electricity Department from disconnecting power supply to a hotel undergoing the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process.A bench of Judicial Member Khetrabasi Biswal...

Excise | Dietary Supplements Not Pharma Products, CESTAT Delhi Orders Recovery Of ₹1.63 Crore And Personal Penalty On Plant Head

The Delhi Bench, Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) has held that Dietary Supplements were not food products, not pharmaceuticals, hence not eligible for area-based excise exemption. A Bench comprising Smt. Binu Tamta (Judicial Member) and Shri. P.V. Subba Rao (Technical Member), dismissed the appeal filed by Pharmaceutical Company by upholding demand of...

Income Tax | Cannot Curtail Trust's Time Window For Availing Exemption On Existing Accumulations: ITAT Delhi

The Delhi Bench of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) has allowed a Trust that had accumulated Income for Financial Year 2016-2017 to claim exemption under Section 11 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 and deleted addition of ₹37,99,090. In a recent order, a Division Bench, comprising Shri S. Rifaur Rahman (Accountant Member) and Shri Sudhir Kumar (Judicial Member) on effect of...

Arbitration Clause In Expired Lease Cannot Be Invoked To Execute Fresh Lease: Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court has recently held that an arbitration agreement in an expired lease deed cannot be automatically extended to govern disputes relating to the execution of a fresh lease, even if the proposed lease is claimed to arise from prior correspondence between the parties. Justice Aniruddha Roy in an order dated 23 December, 2025, dismissed an application filed by HDFC...

No Double Tax, No Tax On Director Salary: CESTAT Kolkata Grants Complete Relief To Neelamber Caterers

The Kolkata Bench of the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) has set aside service tax demands and denial of CENVAT credit raised holding that the issues were already settled in the assessee's favour in an earlier decision. A Bench comprising Technical Member K. Anpazhakan was hearing an appeal challenging the appellate order which had upheld service tax demands...

NCLT Kolkata Dismisses UCO Bank's ₹846 Crore Insolvency Plea Against Nicco Uco Alliance

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) at Kolkata has dismissed an insolvency petition filed by UCO Bank against Nicco Uco Alliance Credit Ltd., a listed financial services company over an alleged default of Rs 846 crore. It held that the plea was barred by limitation and could not be entertained. The tribunal found that the bank approached the insolvency forum far too late. It noted a gap...

Customs Act | Penalty U/S 114A Bars Private Warehouse Licence Even Without Criminal Conviction: CESTAT Allahabad

The Allahabad Bench of the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) has dismissed appeals thereby upholding the Customs Department's decision rejecting the company's applications for a private warehousing licence and permission to carry out manufacturing operations under the Customs Act, 1962. A Bench comprising Judicial Member S.K. Mohanty and Technical Member...

No Break-Up, No VAT Proof: CESTAT Allahabad Upholds ₹2.19 Crore Service Tax Demand Against Lakmé Franchise Beauty Salon

The Allahabad Bench of Customs, Excise, and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) held that in the absence of any documentary break-up between service receipts and retail sale of goods, the entire receipts of the Lakme Franchise beauty salon are liable to service tax. P. Dinesha (Judicial Member) and Sanjiv Srivastava (Technical Member) stated that no Notes on Accounts, which...

Calcutta High Court Temporarily Bars Use of 'Liv.72' Mark Over Similarity With Himalaya's Liv.52

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday temporarily restrained Shimla Drugs Health Care Pvt. Ltd. and its associate from using the mark “Liv.72” for a health product, holding that it is deceptively similar to Himalaya Global Holdings Ltd.'s well-known liver health product “Liv.52.” A single bench of Justice Ravi Krishan Kapur observed that the long-standing trademark and packaging...

Delhi High Court Upholds Injunction Against Use Of 'Medilice Lice Killer' For Anti-Lice Hair Oil

The Delhi High Court has recently upheld an injunction restraining Rapple Healthcare from using the mark “Medilice Lice Killer” for its anti-lice hair oil, holding that it infringed and amounted to passing off of the registered trademark “MEDILICE” owned by Wings Pharmaceuticals Private Limited. The court, however, reduced the damages awarded to Wings Pharmaceuticals from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. A division bench of Justice C Hari Shankar and Justice Om Prakash Shukla dismissed an appeal...

Bombay High Court Stays Fraud Proceedings Against Anil Ambani Over Prima Facie Defective Forensic Audit

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday stayed fraud classification proceedings initiated by Indian Overseas Bank, IDBI Bank and Bank of Baroda against Anil Ambani, founder and chairman of the Reliance Group, after prima facie finding serious defects in the forensic audit relied upon by the banks. A single-judge bench of Justice Milind N. Jadhav, while granting interim relief, held that the forensic audit report dated October 15, 2020, prepared by BDO LLP, was “not being in consonance with the RBI...