India

AJA Legal and Associates was established in 2019 by disputes star lawyer and insolvency specialist Jyoti Singh, who was a partner for nearly a decade at Phoenix Legal. The firm offers a cross-section of litigation and arbitration services, such as acting in corporate fraud and economic offences cases, but excels at contentious restructuring and insolvency matters. Singh and her team have appeared in proceedings before various tribunals, High Courts and the Supreme Court of India. Apart from dispute resolution, the firm has branched out into corporate advisory and transactional work. Singh is the key contact at the firm. 

Although all the cases submitted during the research period are highly confidential, the firm demonstrated consistent activity representing corporates initiating the corporate insolvency resolution process.

Eight-year-old AK Law Chambers is a boutique dispute firm with an impressive roster of international and domestic clients. Although the firm remains sector agnostic, it has developed a strong reputation among construction and energy sector players. The group comprises no less than 24 practitioners in Chennai and Bengaluru, and it enjoys long-standing referee relationships with international law firms around the globe for their India-based practices. In the past year, the firm has featured in a number of arbitrations seated around the world and in other cities in India. It has expanded from a primarily South Indian firm to an international market player.

Managing partner Anirudh Krishnan is an international and domestic arbitration, construction, energy and insolvency specialist. Partner Nischal Dev and of counsel Adith Narayan are other names to note.

In one highlight case, the firm represented foreign investor, Swiss Re Investors, in a proceeding before the Directorate of Enforcement in relation to an alleged illegal acquisition and further transfer of shares of Tamil Nadu Mercantile Bank. The team was also instructed by a chartered accountant firm in a proceeding before the Madras High Court in relation to the alleged illegal misappropriation of funds in investment company, Dewan Housing Finance & Leasing Company. 

Another highlight was the firm assisting Bahwan Cybertek Private, a digital software solutions company, in civil and criminal proceedings before the Supreme Court of India in relation to the alleged theft of copyrighted material by ex-employees who misappropriated the same to a competitor. 

Notable clients of the firm include Corsair Capital, Evolv Clothing Company, Delta Group, DSP Merrill Lynch, GMR Group, KSK Energy Group, Larsen & Toubro Group, Nissan Motors, OPG Power, Shapoorji Pallonji & Co, Sterling and Wilson Group, Tata Projects, Trivitron Healthcare and United Breweries. 

Client feedback

“Excellent coordination.” – Commercial and transactions

“The team as a whole is good in communications and follow-up.” – Commercial and transactions

The litigation and arbitration offering at AKS Partners covers the full spectrum of dispute management. The team has carved out a strong presence for international arbitration matters, with it recently being engaged in global disputes concerning construction and infrastructure, sale of goods, technology and service contracts, and real estate. It works regularly with national and international clients such as major corporates, banks, financial institutions, private equity houses, investors, high-net-worth individuals and brand owners. The firm has expanded its supporting ranks by hiring six associates in the past 12 months.

The principal contact is managing partner Sonal Kumar Singh. He is a dispute resolution specialist with expertise in domestic and international arbitrations. Anish Jaipuriar is another name to note for commercial litigation.

The firm continues to act as lead counsel for a top domestic real estate and infrastructure company in a London-seated international arbitration valued at over $100 million. The dispute arises out of a residential township project that was to be undertaken by the client after the respondent failed to fulfil its obligations under the contract. The matter is highly complicated due to complex legal issues and because the entire transaction spans over 20 years.

In a highly sensitive matter, Singh and his team are assisting a leading domestic real estate company in a treaty arbitration against the Indian government. The firm assisted the Housing Urban Development Corporation before the Supreme Court for the recovery of loans from Saumya Medicare.

In another example of a high-stakes cross-border arbitration, the firm remains active for a major railway construction engineering company in an arbitration invoked against one of the largest South African power companies. The dispute revolves around the construction and electrification of a railway line in South Africa. This time, the arbitration is seated in Paris and was instituted for the recovery of outstanding dues for work done and damages suffered by it under the contract.

Client feedback

“The firm’s drafting and arguments before the court is very convincing. Their time management is very professional.” – Commercial and transactions

Sonal Singh

“He provides all types of legal solutions very correctly and appropriately, and in a time-bound manner.”

“Sonal is an expert in international arbitration and trademark matters. He is great at relationship building and has good international exposure.”

Amicus Services dispute resolution group is notably experienced in infrastructure and construction arbitration matters, contentious insolvency work and commercial litigation. The team has been very active with lending institutions, private players and public sector undertakings involved in infrastructure arbitration. With the advent of the country’s insolvency and bankruptcy code, the firm’s dedication to this area has grown in the past year. The firm has prepared and defended resolution plans, regularly advises and represents resolution professionals, and is currently representing an association of insolvency professionals in a writ petition in the High Court challenging the vires of certain regulations imposed by the Insolvency Board.

Partner Kinshuk Chatterjee is the main disputes contact at the firm. His practice focuses on restructuring and insolvency, construction and general commercial disputes.

Demonstrating its insolvency prowess, the team is working with a consortium of DMI Alternative Investment Funds in formulating, advising on, successfully negotiating and implementing a plan for the resolution of real estate giant Pawan Impex Private in a corporate insolvency action initiated by a bank. Chatterjee and his team are also acting for a lender in an infrastructure arbitration currently before the Supreme Court. A large domestic non-banking financial company has instructed the firm in its battle against a real estate behemoth for a personal insolvency action before the National Company Law Tribunal.

As an intellectual property powerhouse, Anand and Anand needs no introduction. The firm is unanimously praised by the market across all practice and sectors as having the top IP litigators, particularly on the patent side. It routinely features in landmark decisions and its contentious-focused lawyers are highly sought after for novel, high-stakes and complex IP cases. The firm is a trusted name not just in court litigation, but also through mediation, arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution methods. The firm is spread out across four offices – New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Noida – and comprises 400 professionals, including 29 partners and three directors.

During last year’s Covid-19 lockdown, the firm displayed its might when it was engaged in 49 IP cases in the second quarter, out of which 42 injunctions were secured on day one. Not only was it the first to file a civil suit under lockdown, it was also responsible for the majority of total IP cases filed. Another display of how the firm protected its clients was in a series of pharmaceutical cases filed under lockdown for AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Merck Sharp, when the firm got entire supply chains injuncted thereby disabling generic drug mafias from exploiting the patent in these unprecedented times. It scored wins in software piracy and technology fraud cases, enabled innovative interpretations of existing software patent legislation and featured in a sizable amount of domain name cases for domestic giants such as Tata and Reliance.

Managing partner and IP litigation maestro Pravin Anand, and partner Vaishali Mittal are key contacts. Other names to note are partners Dhruv Anand, Saif Khan and Shrawan Chopra.

In the world’s very first anti-anti-suit injunction, the firm successfully acted for Interdigital Technology Corporation against Xiaomi. The High Court of Delhi had restrained Xiaomi from enforcing an order of the Wuhan court against its client. The Chinese court had restrained Interdigital from prosecuting Xiaomi for infringing its cellular standard essential patents before the Indian court. In a judgement that was handed down in May 2021, the Delhi High Court created history by confirming and making absolute India’s first anti-anti-suit injunction granted in favour of InterDigital. The case struck a distinction between anti-anti-suit and anti-enforcement injunctions, pointing out how anti-enforcement injunctions do not really require special care and caution. It is a model order in like cases globally and is already being cited as a precedent.

AstraZeneca instructed the team in its patent infringement suit against Micro Labs over its wildly successful diabetes drug Dapagliflozin. The suit claims infringement of AstraZeneca's genus and species patents. The High Court of Delhi had passed an injunction order against Micro Labs, which continues to operate.

The firm is representing the Lysosomal Storage Disorders Support Society of India pro bono and helped the client secure free medical aid for children braving rare genetic disorders after a five years-plus legal battle with the state of Karnataka.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Ireland, DS Products, Gilead Sciences Ireland, Pharmacyclics and Reliance Industries are recent disputes clients of the firm.

AnantLaw was founded in late 2020, already with a fully formed and experienced litigation team on deck. The group comprises no less than six partners and counsels, and four associates. The young firm is recognised for its contentious antitrust strength, but is active in representing clients on a range of civil, criminal, corporate and commercial disputes. It is involved in the highest number of constitutional challenges to the Competition Act.

Four partners lead the disputes group: Sunil Jain, Anish Gupta, Anu Monga and Rahul Goel. The latter two are competition specialists. Prior to the establishment of AnantLaw, all the partners hailed from the market’s most prestigious firms, such as Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, IndusLaw and Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.

In one commercial disputes highlight, the lawyers are representing the promoters of Solar Industries India before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal. The case revolves around a petition filed by the vice-chairman of the company alleging acts of oppression and mismanagement by the majority shareholders of Solar Industries and by other members of the board.

The team is busy assisting Cadila Healthcare in the Supreme Court on the alleged anti-competitive agreement with the Chemists and Druggists Association of India, where various fundamental questions of law pertaining to the Competition Act have been raised. It is also acting for Schott Glass before the Supreme Court in an abuse of dominance matter. Again before the land’s highest court and the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, the firm has been instructed by the Builders Association of India in its case relating to a cement cartel.

On the regulatory side, the team is acting for Pravasi Legal Cell in filing a public interest litigation against the arbitrary action of airlines not refunding the full number of tickets for flights that were cancelled due to restrictions imposed by the government of India. 

Antitrust counsels Neha Mishra and Nitish Sharma joined last spring from Gaggar & Partners, while consultant Kshitiz Arya was onboarded from the Competition Commission of India.

Key clients include All Cargo Logistics, Allied Financial Services, Forech India, Kegg Farms, Provident Housing, Puravankara, Sumitomo Chemical India and Tranter India.

Boutique firm Archeus Law specialises in dispute resolution in the construction, projects, insolvency, and mining and exploration areas. Notably it excels in the areas of project advisory and contract management. Sector-wise, its litigators have solid experience with energy, highway, bridges and urban infrastructure clients. The firm has alliances in multiple countries to provide seamless advice to clients, including China, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Singapore, Bangladesh and Malaysia.

Founding partner Ranjit Prakash leads a disputes-focused team that includes partners Arun Mani, Rajdeep Choudhury and Anshuman Pande. Collectively, their practices cover arbitration and commercial, construction and insolvency disputes.

In an ongoing highlight, the team represented claimant Bihar State Road Development Corporation against Navayuga Jahnavi Toll Bridge in an arbitration filed before the state’s special tribunal on public works arbitration. The dispute relates to a significant highway construction project executed by the State of Bihar under the PPP mechanism. There are multiple highly contentious issues relating to breaches, delays and poor progress of works, as well as claims of future losses.

The firm also remains active for Tantia Raxaultollway (TR) in an arbitration with the National Highways Authority of India. The dispute concerns the construction of a highway. The client terminated its contract and raised serious issues regarding the prevention of works, variations and delays relating to this project. The counterparty, the government of India, has raised a counterclaim and has also levelled allegations of concurrent delays and financial irregularities upon TR.

Other notable clients of the firm are HTG Engineering, Inox Renewables, North Bihar Highways, Runh Power, SEPCO Electric Power Construction Corporation, Shandong Tiejun Electric Power Engineering and Shenzhen Shandong Nuclear Power Construction Corporation.

Client feedback

“The lawyers are sound at legal knowledge and case references. Their teamwork is very efficient.” – Construction

“It is a very good law firm and has been providing law service to us for the last 10 years. The lawyers are professional and highly efficient.” – Construction

Ranjit Prakash

“He has excellent knowledge in the sector and also has good contacts with most of the reputed firms.”

Intellectual property boutique Ashwathh Legal recently celebrated its first birthday after being established in December 2020 by a group of senior IP practitioners. The firm’s focused practice areas include IP rights, litigation, investigation and enforcement, data privacy and security, trade compliance and legal metrology. The group’s contentious portfolio cuts across a variety of industry sectors such as life sciences and pharmaceuticals, media and technology, transportation, FMCG, apparel and e-commerce. The firm’s lawyers collectively have worked on an extensive array of civil, commercial and criminal litigation for domestic and offshore clients.

Managing partner Prabhu Tandon is the key contact among a group of five partners that also includes Kripa Pandit, Sumit Sharma, Kanika Aeri and Lalima Tandon.

A highlight matter for the firm saw it acting for Zee Entertainment Enterprises in a high-value dispute involving copyright ownership of certain movies against Satish Tandon Productions. The team was recruited by Dabur India for the takedown of defamatory videos posted by the defendant on social media platforms, namely Facebook, Google and Twitter.

Intellectual property boutique law firm Beruar & Beruar recently marked its fourth anniversary. It has grown every year from strength to strength, rapidly collecting a diverse client base ranging from Fortune 200 companies to startups across IP-rich industries. The team has been actively representing clients in civil, commercial and criminal proceedings before all court levels in India, and before tribunals such as the Intellectual Property Appellate Board. The firm’s sector strengths are highlighted in its impressive roster of industry-leading clients, particularly in publishing and education, auto and auto components, and healthcare.

The main contact is co-founder and managing partner Rahul Beruar.

The firm successfully secured a dynamic injunction against multiple third-party anonymous websites and platforms that were infringing upon client India Today Group’s trademark and brand Aaj Tak. This is one of the few dynamic injunctions granted by courts in India in trademark infringement cases, and it offers the trademark owner a cost-effective and time-efficient solution for effective enforcement of their exclusive trademark rights.

KIPS Learning has instructed the firm for its copyright infringement suit against a defendant for unauthorisedly infringing on the client’s original computer education books. The Delhi High Court granted an ex parte ad-interim injunction against the defendant, restraining it from infringing the clients’ copyright.

The team continues to represent plaintiffs Living Media India and TV Today Network in a domain name purchase dispute. The team assisted its clients to secure the transfer of the impugned domain in its favour and the dispute was resolved within two months of the suit’s initiation. The same clients enlisted the firm in a separate trademark infringement suit against a third party that had adopted a mark that was identical to its device marks for its news channel. The firm was immediately successful in securing an ex parte ad-interim injunction against the defendant and restraining it from using the trademark in any manner.

A few of the new clients the firm picked up last year include Bloomsbury Publishing, CBRE Incorporated, Medlife International, SAR Group and SRM Foundation of India. Other notable instructions came from Anand Automotive Group, Kohler, Macmillan Publishers, Novo Nordisk, Pearson Education and Springer Nature Group.

Client feedback

“Timely responses, cost-efficient services, and detailed advice.” – Intellectual property

Rahul Beruar

“He manages all key issues, has out-of-the-box solutions and is fiercely process-driven.”

Bharucha Partners has a widely respected disputes offering, with its partners boasting a proven track record of successfully handling complex commercial disputes. A review of its submitted and publishable cases from last year revealed no less than 10 precedent-setting matters. The partners have over five decades of litigation experience collectively and the firm adopts a strategy of creating lean teams of skilled lawyers to meet the needs of its clients. The firm has offices in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru, and has represented clients in over 30 different courts, including the Supreme Court of India and the High Courts around the country. The team has also made frequent appearances before various specialist tribunals like the Competition Commission of India, the National Company Law Tribunal and Appellate Tribunal, and the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity.  

Senior partner MP Bharucha is a much-lauded name by market watchers. He helms a six-partner strong dispute resolution group that includes DP Singh, Karthik Somasundaram and Sneha Jaisingh.  

The firm successfully represented Prysmian Cavi e Sistemi in an arbitration governed by the London Court of International Arbitration and subsequent enforcement proceedings before the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court in relation to disputes arising out of a joint venture agreement with several Indian parties. This mandate has led to a clear and unequivocal Supreme Court decision on the scope of interference with foreign arbitral awards and how courts must view the grounds pleaded to resist enforcement. The judgement is one of a kind, in that it is the first detailed decision on the subject.

The team is acting for Lapis India Capital in five separate arbitration proceedings for overseas and domestic funds managed by the client concerning infrastructure projects developed through public-private participation in four cities in the state of Gujarat and in Mumbai, state of Maharashtra. The matter features complex issues relating to foreign exchange laws and quantification of damages due to the mismanagement in development of infrastructure projects.

Lawyers are representing Diageo in an appeal filed before the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) and Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI)[WC(1] [MC(2] . This matter involves a SEBI order directing the client to pay additional amounts of more than $140 million to minority shareholders of United Spirits when its shares were tendered in the first open offer in 2013, on the allegation that the earlier open offer price had not factored in the bank guarantee Diageo had provided to Watson Limited. The matter before the SAT and SEBI is significant since it involves the question of what constitutes acquisition price under the Takeover Regulations and the interpretation of two specific regulations in this code. This is the first instance that this question of law has arisen and the decision in this matter will settle the jurisprudence in this regard and will govern all open offers made pursuant to the Takeover Regulations.

In a high-profile case that comingles elements of white-collar crime, labour, commercial and government, the firm featured prominently for clients Avantha Holdings, Solaris Industrial Chemicals and four individuals in various proceedings in connection with the alleged fraud in CG Power and Industrial Solutions. It represented the clients before the SEBI, the SAT, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and the National Company Law Tribunal. The firm strategised the overall defences before the various judicial forums. As the matter continues, it is expected to clarify issues of responsibility and liability of listed companies, their boards, independent directors and auditors.

The team continues to represent the Central Bureau of Investigation and Directorate of Enforcement as a special public prosecutor and special counsel, respectively, in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam estimated to have caused a wrongful loss of $480 million to the government. The team also advised the government on the extradition of the main accused from the United Arab Emirates. This case will yield an impact on the question of ”double jeopardy”, since the acquittal in Italy is juxtaposed with the ongoing investigation and trial by the Indian authority and courts for the same case. It will settle the law in relation to the revocation of approver status at the stage of the investigation and the consequent cancellation of bail granted to the approver and claims to be a witness. Going forward, the case would also involve questions of the evidentiary value of documents collected by foreign agencies and received by India under letter rogatory.

The firm welcomed partner Shreya Sircar from Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co last year. Her practice focuses on commercial and regulatory disputes and international arbitration.

Other clients for the disputes group last year include Alchem International, Besso, Diageo, ITC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Sony Pictures Network India, Unitech Wireless and Vodafone Idea.

Full-service firm Clasis Law is experienced with contentious insolvency matters. The team recently represented Singapore-based Macquarie Bank before the Supreme Court of India and secured a landmark judgement which has provided a reprieve to several creditors based overseas. The Clasis lawyers are currently representing various financial institutions, companies in the hospitality sector, shipping companies and information technology companies before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for initiation of the insolvency resolution process against corporate debtors.

Partners Mustafa Motiwala and Shwetabh Sinha are the key figures for general commercial disputes, contentious shipping issues and insolvency matters. Motiwala’s practice also focuses on competition, intellectual property, estate, and technology, media and telecommunications.

In one recent highlight, the firm is representing a Singapore-based company as the majority shareholder of an Indian power generation company before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal against an order passed by the NCLT regarding a case of oppression and mismanagement that was filed by the client. On the maritime front, the team is acting for a Germany-based shipping company to file an application under the insolvency code to seek the condonation of delay and directions to the liquidator for admitting and verifying the client’s claim. In another bankruptcy matter, the firm is representing a BVI[WC(1]  mining and power company in preparation for its resolution plan approval concerning a corporate debtor.

As one of the country’s largest and most successful full-service law firms, it’s not surprising that Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas boasts a well-honed and experienced dispute resolution team. Its pan-India practice is part of an established legacy that has secured the trust of its clients and counsel in India and across the globe. The litigation team has vast experience in handling complex litigations involving commercial and corporate disputes including arbitration, infrastructure, companies law-related matter, insolvency and bankruptcy, competition, government action, electricity laws, intellectual property, mining laws, white-collar and criminal law, telecom and data privacy. The firm has experienced an uptick in contentious insolvency work and it uniquely has a panel of senior retired regulatory experts specialising in key sectors.

The key figures for dispute resolution are managing partner Cyril Shroff, and various department leaders Bharat Vasani, Indranil Deshmukh, and Shaneen Parikh. Partners Faraz Alam Sagar, Kapil Arora and Ankoosh Mehta are the white collar crime experts.

In a significant cross-border, white-collar crime matter, the firm advised and defended the executive vice president of SBI Caps in a criminal prosecution initiated by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) for alleged conspiracy in the Kingfisher Airlines restructuring and default case alleging losses to a consortium of Indian banks. This is one of the largest prosecutions brought by the SFIO under the Companies Act.

In another complex, cross-border and high-stakes case, the team advised NSE Indices against two wholly owned Singapore Stock Exchange subsidiaries. The dispute relates to the intellectual property in derivative indices. Only a handful of similar cases exist worldwide and there is no law at present for these complex IP products anywhere around the world. Such a dispute has never been contested in India and the stakes involve the very existence of the commercial stock exchanges.

The team is currently representing the Volkswagen Group companies in proceedings before the Supreme Court. This particular case is a landmark one because the judge imposed a penalty on the client without determining or specifying any provision of law that had been violated by the group. The judge had passed the order on the basis of the ‘on the road’ tests that were conducted on the Volkswagen-manufactured vehicles, even though such a test has zero legal basis or validity under Indian law. Appeals have been filed by the lawyers and the Supreme Court has directed that no coercive steps be taken against Volkswagen India.

Recent clients of the firm include Bank of Baroda, BCCI, Fortis Hospitals, IDBI Bank, IFC, Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services, Narang Group, Piramal Group and State Bank of India.

Dua Associates boasts a respected, experienced and truly pan-Asia dispute resolution practice that provides a full suite of contentious services. In particular, the team is adept at complex and high-stakes disputes involving the environment, constitutional and administrative laws, contracts, white-collar and regulatory matters, intellectual property, international trade, and corporate and commercial litigations. The team is active daily before various judicial and arbitral forums in India, including state courts, the Supreme Court and numerous judicial and quasi-judicial tribunals. The group itself comprises more than 100 lawyers spread out across India, located in offices in New Delhi, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune.

A unique feature of the firm is that it has a robust and dedicated Supreme Court presence through Dua Associates AoR, a firm of Advocates-on-Record (AoR) registered with the Supreme Court. The present AoR of the firm form the bulwark of the Supreme Court practice, ably supported by other partners who appear as well as assist senior counsels with their teams. The AoR firm is based in Delhi and the other seven offices of Dua Associates are in complete sync with this Supreme Court practice.

Senior solicitor and partner Shiraz Patodia is a key figure on the disputes team. The sizable practice features 11 other partners including Shishir Sharma, Rajdeep Panda, Ashish Singh, Amit Dhingra and George Joseph.

In an example of the top-tier work the firm handles, the team continues to counsel Dow Chemical in an extremely complex and contentious litigation before the Supreme Court. The dispute emanates from a toxic industrial disaster that occurred in Bhopal in 1984 wherein the union of India and certain NGOs have sought enhanced compensation by filing a curative petition. The matter is of great importance as the country’s highest court is likely to opine on the civil liability of a successor operation and vicarious liability of a corporation in a mass environmental tort action, as well as deliberate on amenability to jurisdiction.

On the tax side, the team is acting for Kodak Group Companies in an anti-dumping investigation concerning the import of digital plates from China PR, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. The case was initiated by the Directorate General of Trade Remedies at the behest of Technova Imaging Systems. Based on submissions made by the firm, the client was granted a nil rate of anti-dumping duty. This non-levy on duty on Kodak group has been challenged by the domestic industry before the tribunal. The case raises important questions regarding determination of duty on ”related entities” and on an entity that ceases to manufacture the subject goods during the period of investigation.

The Dua team is representing McCann Erickson Worldwide Advertising and Mc Cann Erickson India and their officials, in a suit filed by an ex-employee of the Indian entity, alleging sexual harassment at the workplace and claiming monetary damages.

Disputes specialist Ganesh Chandru joined the firm in February 2020 from Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan. He works with clients across the energy, oil and gas, infrastructure and construction industries.

Commercial Bank of Dubai, Decathlon, Filmtec Corporation, Indus Motor India, Piramal Fund Management, Shell India and Zhejiang Jiuli Hi-Tech Metals also instructed the disputes team last year.

Client feedback

“The firm has provided us with high quality anti-dumping advice in a number of anti-dumping actions.  This has been instrumental in positioning our business in India.” – Trade and customs

Shiraz Patodia

“Shiraz is uniformly excellent in the service and advice she provides.”

Intellectual property specialist firm Fidus Law Chambers is rising in prominence for its handling of several landmark cases last year. Peers and clients have attested to the quality of its work. Its litigation offering encompasses the full scope of intellectual property, such as trademark domain disputes and infringement actions, and disputes relating to patent, copyright, design, trade secret and geographical indication. The team boasts a success rate in the high 90s. The firm recently expanded its capabilities by merging with another IP firm, DA Law Chambers.

For all IP contentious matters, the main contacts at the firm are managing partner Shwetasree Majumder, and partners Tanya Varma, Diva Arora and Prithvi Singh.

The firm is acting for plaintiff Sotkon in seeking a permanent injunction restraining defendants from infringing on the client’s copyrights and patents. The defendants have blatantly copied photographs of Sokton’s products published in various articles and illustrations from the client’s brochures. In addition, the defendants are also proposing to offer a product that is covered by the client’s patent.

The firm is assisting KFC International in filing a lawsuit seeking to restrain the use of marks LFC[WC(1]  and Chicken Zinger, deceptively similar logos and identical colour combination as by the opposite party. The impugned marks were being used by the opposite party for identical goods and services. Ultimately the suit was decided in favour of KFC.

Western Digital has instructed the team to file a suit seeking permanent injunction restraining misuse of the trademarks WESTERN DIGITAL, WD, MY PASSPORT and MY CLOUD. One of the defendants had incorporated these in his domain names and was using it on the website. An ad interim injunction was granted against this individual.

The team successfully helped one of its clients obtain an injunction along with an Anton Piller order in composite suits filed for infringement of trademarks, designs and patents against manufacturers of textile loom machines based in Coimbatore.

Mattel, Phillips 66 Company, Sporta Technologies and USV engaged the firm last year for their contentious matters.

The pan-India litigation team at Fox Mandal handles a broad range of disputes. Key areas of contentious specialism include intellectual property, employment, insolvency, real estate and banking. The team’s domestic and international clients come from multiple sectors such as hotels, retail shops, manufacturers, non-banking financial institutions, public sector undertakings, infrastructure companies and media houses, to name a few.

The core partners for contentious work include employment specialist Kaustuv Chunder, Jeevanandham Rajagopal, Vijay Kumar Reddy, real estate expert ST Prashantha Kumar and Shyam Sundar.

In one highlight, the team defended Viacom 18 and its streaming platform VOOT in a suit which was filed seeking an injunction against its broadcast of cinematograph films of Kannada language on OTT platforms on the ground of alleged infringement of copyright. The scope of this case is significant since the opponent is an association of film producers and it is seeking a blanket injunction on telecasting nearly 100 cinematograph films of Kannada language on OTT platforms altogether.

The team is assisting GM Infinite Dwelling in pursuing a claim towards damages against a few of the flat allottees who are involved in defaming the client’s real estate project development. In another property matter, the lawyers are counselling over 35 clients of Hoysala Projects Private seeking compensation from the developer for a delay in the delivery of the possession of flats. After numerous negotiations, the builder has agreed to settle the matter by entering into a settlement agreement.

Notable clients include Barclays, DBS Bank, IL&FS Financial Services, L&T Realty Developers, Orient Cement and Wells Fargo.  

Gaggar & Partners is widely recognised for its expertise in competition and antitrust matters. As well as this area, the disputes team is experienced and adept at a range of dispute types such as advising clients in civil commercial disputes, white-collar crime, personal laws including divorce, custody, estate management, real estate disputes and arbitrations.

It represents on all sides of the competition spectrum, sometimes for the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and at other times for domestic and international private clients. It has also been engaged separately by the investigative arm of the antitrust regulator for representation in certain sensitive cases relating to the evolving jurisprudence on investigation.The firm has been involved in most of the high-stake and jurisprudence-setting cases in the genre across various fora. For instance, the competition team has handled the largest case in Indian competition history relating to cartels and worked on the largest penalty imposed in a case for abuse of dominance.Similarly, the firm has pioneered in cases relating to the leniency regime in India.

The key individuals for dispute resolution are managing partner Monica Lakhanpal and partner Sumedha Dang.

Recently, the firm successfully obtained a favourable acquittal order for NTN Corporation Japan, where the Competition Commission of India (CCI) had dismissed the leniency petitions filed by two major Japanese bearings companies. This is the first ever case where despite there being two leniency applications in an alleged three-member cartel, the CCI could not find sufficient evidence against NTN Corporation.

The team is representing Panipat Jalandhar NH1 Tollway in an arbitration proceeding against the National Highways Authority of India, pending before a tribunal consisting of three retired Supreme Court judges. The dispute revolves around the construction, maintenance and operation of a six-laned highway section in the state of Haryana and Punjab. Another victory saw the team defend Krishna Buildestate Private in an objection petition filed before the High Court of Delhi by having the appeal filed by the judgement debtor dismissed.

Key clients include Citibank, Denso Ten, Fastway Transmission, Haicheng Vivo Mobile, Hyatt Hotel, Intex Technologies, Orris Infrastructure and Toyo Tire Corporation. 

Boutique law firm Goswami & Nigam has a young team that is experienced in a variety of dispute resolution matters, such as commercial litigation, contentious employment issues, property disputes, intellectual property disputes, recovery suits and alternative dispute resolution. The nearly two-year old firm has offices in Gurgaon, Chandigarh and Delhi, and plans to open up an office in Bangalore by mid-2022. The firm has seen enormous growth in advising and representing start-ups and micro, small and medium enterprise clients.

Partners Himanshu Goswami and Nishant Nigam are the two main contacts at the firm. Nigam in particular is the litigation specialist.

One recent highlight had the team acting for Brahmaputra Infrastructure in a matter relating to the delivery, testing and commissioning of oxygen pipelines in a government-run hospital. The client had entrusted the project to a third-party vendor and the dispute arose when the project was not completed in time and there were outstanding amounts owed under the purchase order. The vendor then filed for an arbitral award. The firm helped the client file a petition before the court challenging the award and obtained an interim stay upon the operation of the award.

The firm is acting for GIP India in a suit filed by an employee for alleged wrongful termination of services whereby complicated legal issues of conflict between jurisdiction of the civil courts and labour courts are involved. Unique Décor has instructed Nigam and his team on multiple matters before the courts emanating from work orders that it had issued for a project at one of the High Commissions in Delhi. Another matter pertains to the recovery of money suit initiated by another company against the client originating from a lease deed.

Active clients of the group include Fast Track Facilities, Feministaa Media, Grandeur Business Solutions, RSC Infratech Developers and Swami International Back Office Services.

The dispute resolution practice at Hitesh Soni & Associates is well-rounded. It covers corporate disputes, commercial disputes, regulatory disputes, tax disputes, domestic and international arbitration and white-collar crimes. Firm founder Hitesh Soni is an advocate as well, so the firm is able to handle cases in a dual capacity, as solicitor and counsel. The firm has experience in contentious matters across various fora, from the lower courts to the Supreme Court. Of the nine major closed cases the team has handled in the past 12 months, the lawyers have won five of them and the remainder are ongoing.

The firm and disputes offering is led by Hitesh Soni, whose practice focuses on commercial litigation, arbitration, alternative dispute resolution and contentious matters related to employment, private clients and customs.

Soni and his team are defending SunBlink Real Estate and Cloud Nine against separate Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code proceedings initiated by Union of India through an appointed administrator. P&M Hi Tech Infrastructure has instructed the firm in relation to a dispute it has with the establishment of a Radisson hotel in Jamshedpur.

On the employment front, the team is advising All India IDBI Officers Association in a writ petition against the Union of India in the Bombay High Court. The client is claiming relief that officials who joined IDBI Bank after 2012 should not be covered under a new pension scheme.

Intellectual property-focused firm Inttl Advocare is a well-known name among peers and clients for its heavyweight litigation practice. It is headquartered in New Delhi with a branch office in Mumbai. Eminent IP litigator Hemant Singh runs the firm and has handled more than 2,000 cases over his three decades of experience relating to all elements of IP from trademarks and patents to copyrights and industrial designs. The firm has featured in several landmark IP judgements delivered by the Indian courts.  

Managing partner Singh and senior partner Mamta Rani Jha are the firm’s key intellectual property litigators.

The firm is representing Société Des Produits Nestlé, Anadolu Efes Biracılık ve Malt Sanayii Anonim Şirketi, Kia Motors and LG Electronics in their respective trademark infringement suits. Nail Alliance and Pernod Ricard India have instructed the firm for their separate trademark objection suits.  

The team remains counsel for TTK Prestige in a case concerning the infringement of the client’s registered trademark and its logo, and unauthorised advertisement for sale of products bearing TTK’s trademark on an online website and mobile application. Other claims include misrepresentation, passing off, inducement to breach of contract, unfair competition and facilitating of sale of counterfeit products by the defendants on their websites. The courts laid down strict guidelines to be followed by e-commerce portals so that there is no unchecked sale of counterfeit, infringing and non-genuine sale of products. The landmark judgement underscored the protection of genuine products, particularly in online marketplaces.

In another precedent-setting matter, the partners are defending Nestlé against ITC allegations that it was passing off, under common law, the use of instant noodles sub-brand name ‘Magical Masala’. Nestlé in 2013 had launched ‘Magical Masala’ as a sub-brand for its well-known Maggi instant noodles. ITC claimed that ‘Magical Masala’ was deceptively similar to its own noodle brand, ‘Magic Masala’, and that ‘Magical Masala’ was only a slightly tweaked version of ‘Magic Masala’. The court, after going into the pleadings and evidence of the parties and the witnesses, discarded the claims of ITC and observed that as per ITC’s own documents ‘Magic Masala’ was never used as a trademark nor intended to be used so and the fact that no trademark application was filed further fortifies the same. The judgement by the single judge of the High Court of Madras clarifies the law concerning sub-brands used along with other well-known trademarks. It held that neither of the sub-brands could have acquired the distinctiveness to distinguish one product from the other based on the facts and circumstances of the present case. The court further reaffirmed this and held that even the law cannot come to the rescue of the brand owner if the mark adopted is inherently weak.

Adidas, Dabur India and Dart Industries also enlisted the firm during the research period for its contentious IP matters.

While J Sagar Associates is noted primarily for its historically top-tier regulatory and infrastructure strengths, the dispute resolution offering also excels at commercial litigation, domestic and international arbitration and white-collar crime matters. The firm has true pan-India capacity with fully fledged offices in seven key cities. The firm has dedicated practice groups for disputes in regulatory and policy practice, especially in the infrastructure sector. The dispute practitioners are experienced and thought leaders in their fields. They have acted in numerous major disputes across diverse infrastructure sectors such as ports, power, aviation, telecom, broadcasting, and oil & gas.

The 12 partner-strong disputes team at the firm has notable names such as Amar Gupta, Ananya Kumar, Amit Kapur, Dheeraj Nair and Varghese Thomas.

In one highlight, the team represented Sasan Power, an ultra-mega power project, in a petition filed before the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission seeking in principle approval for additional capital cost and operational expenditure for installing and operating an emission control system. In another noteworthy case, the firm successfully acted for thermal power generator, Adani Rajasthan in an appeal before the Supreme Court of India challenging the Appellate Tribunal’s judgement.

Chalking up more wins for the team, the JSA lawyers successfully represented Lalitpur Power Generation Company before the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL), challenging Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulation Commission’s order denying change in law relief and in-principle approval for incurring capex for complying with an authority’s notification prescribing revised emission norms for thermal power plants. In another, the firm assisted Talwandi Sabo Power before APTEL challenging the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission’s order denying the incremental cost incurred by the client in procurement of imported coal on behalf of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited.

Other clients include Anheuser Busch InBev India, Bajaj Energy, Coastal Gujarat Power, Emaar India, Hardy Exploration and Production, RattanIndia Power and West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation.

Renowned for its banking and finance prowess, it’s no surprise that one of Jerome Merchant & Partners’ core contentious strengths is in bankruptcy matters. The team has a deep bench of expertise and experience in the country’s insolvency laws. It works with investors and lenders in restructuring of their debt exposures, enforces their rights under the IBC, advises sponsors on actions brought against them, and challenges proceedings or resolution plans which have been prejudicial to such sponsors.

The main contacts for disputes matters are contentious restructuring and insolvency specialists Murtaza Somjee, Vishnu Jerome and Rhia Marshall.

In a typical instruction for the team, it is representing the plaintiff, Deutsche Bank, in relation to defaults under a credit facility made by it to Uttam Galva, a listed Indian entity. The lawyers also represented Kirloskar Electric before the district courts in Bangalore in obtaining an interim injunction against a German official liquidator in a cross-border insolvency matter filed against the Indian company’s subsidiary in Germany.

The firm is assisting the sponsors of Videocon Group on its disputes with Dish TV and the Essel Group before the High Court of Bombay and the National Company Law Tribunal. The group’s active insolvency clients include Centrum Capital, Jet Airways, India Infoline, SSG Capital, Tata Motors and Videocon Group.

Client feedback

“They are excellent in all avenues of their work.” – Commercial and transactions

Krishnamurthy & Co (K Law) has an active dispute resolution practice staffed with seasoned litigators. Its intellectual property expertise is noted by the market. The team is experienced in resolving commercial, civil, criminal and constitutional law matters for clients across a myriad of sectors. Its members have advocated in various judicial, quasi-judicial and administrative forums around the country.

The key dispute contacts are partners Shujath Ahmed, Ayush Agarwala and Aditi Mittal, and senior partner Nikhil Krishnamurthy, who is an intellectual property litigation specialist.

Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries has enlisted the firm for multiple suits filed in the High Court of Bombay seeking an injunction against the release of a movie, for which the client is the distributor. The various suits filed against the movie claimed copyright infringement. To date, no adverse order has been passed for the client. The movie was released successfully, and one suit was withdrawn.

The firm is advising State Bank of India as the financial creditor in an application under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code  against Soma Enterprises. The IP team is assisting Flipkart Internet Private in a John Doe suit filed against unnamed defendants for passing off, infringement of trademark and copyright.

In a significant highlight, the team continues to represent the Material Recycling Association of India in a writ petition filed in the Supreme Court seeking strict implementation of the orders and directives passed by the government for non-levy of demurrage, detention charges and other penal charges from importers across India by shipping lines and container freight stations. When the case concludes, it will have a nationwide impact on all importers in the country who have been forced to pay penal charges to shipping lines, container freight stations and inland container depots.

A sample of the firm’s key clients includes Axis Bank, Bank of India, Caterpillar India, Edelweiss, Flipkart Internet, IL&FS Engineering and Construction, L&T Finance Holdings, Mahindra & Mahindra, TTK Prestige and Xander Finance.

Client feedback

“The team had prompt responses and their communication is excellent. The advice very clear and practical. They are always prepared to go beyond the scope.” – Labour and employment

Aditi Mittal

“Overall, a well-polished performance!”

K&S Partners is a top-tier intellectual property specialist firm that excels in handling contentious matters. Its dispute resolution practice has highly experienced litigators equipped to handle all aspects of enforcement of IP rights through civil and criminal proceedings, as well as border enforcement measures. It also boasts a niche expertise in geographical indications. Its patent litigators all have technical qualifications, providing them with an edge in complex patent cases. The firm represents both domestic and international clients across all sectors of business and has been involved in landmark, precedent-setting IP cases. Its five offices in Gurgaon, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad house 120 legal professionals. It boosted its teams with the hiring of four new associates. The firm is affiliated with a leading corporate law firm, J Sagar Associates, both having been founded by Jyoti Sagar.

The IP disputes team features 15 partners, including trademark experts Prashant Gupta and Ashish Marbaniang, and patent partner Sanjeev Kumar Tiwari. Firm founder and legal fraternity stalwart Jyoti Sagar still plays an active role on the team, as well as counsel and senior adviser, Rajendra Kumar.

In one highlight, the team is acting for a Chinese technology company in a suit filed by a competitor for alleged infringement of its patent that covers and claims a method for scheduling terminals in a radio communication network and corresponding base station. The lawyers are also defending a domestic electric bus manufacturer in an alleged infringement dispute, where an individual researcher claims his patent was being used for the client’s innovative and popular electric buses. The action has been filed on the basis of a non-worked patent.

An American pharmaceuticals giant has instructed the firm for its writ petition before the Delhi High Court over an order from the Delhi Patent Office granting a patent to its client for its HIV and hepatitis C drug. The K&S team has raised a challenge to the maintainability of the writ petition.

Dispute resolution boutique Keystone Partners is formed by a group of first-generation lawyers who specialise in commercial litigation, international arbitration, construction disputes and contentious regulatory matters. Each partner has a particular focus on different sectors, allowing the team to cover a varied suite of disputes practice areas, and one partner is an Advocate-on-Record of the Supreme Court. The firm also routinely handles contentious energy, technology and trade sector matters. In the past year, its instructions grew in the technology, media and telecommunications law arenaand it boasts multiple panel appointments representing the state of Karnataka in the Central Sales Tax Appellate Authority at New Delhi, the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Competition Commission of India. Keystone has offices in Bengaluru, Mumbai and New Delhi.

Senior partner Pradeep Nayak helms a seven-partner strong disputes group that includes notable names such as Sita Kapadia, Pritha Srikumar Iyer, Arun Sri Kumar, Anupama Hebbar and Vikas Mahendra.

One high-profile highlight for the firm is defending high-net-worth individuals from regulatory, criminal and civil challenges by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to the validity of a financing transaction and related corporate structuring.The case involves analysing voluminous data and performing a detailed study of the financials and day-to-day affairs of various companies to be able to meet the contentions raised by SEBI.

In another notable matter, the team is acting for AION Investments III Private, a Mauritius-based investment entity in a proceeding concerning the Future-Reliance merger before the National Company Law Tribunal in Mumbai. The firm additionally continues to represent three aviation leasing companies in an execution petition before the High Court of Delhi against a major Indian airline for the enforcement of a foreign decree.

Another marquee case for the firm is acting in a historic proceeding before a five-judge constitutional bench with great geopolitical sensitivities relating to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.The international arbitration team is representing the promoters of a renewable energy company against its investors in an arbitration under the London Court of International ArbitrationIndia Rules before three London-based arbitrators.

Lall & Sethi is a respected intellectual property boutique, noted in the market for its trademark litigation prowess. It handles all contentious matters related to IP laws, from trademarks, copyright and design to patents, trade secrets and information technology. All litigation, including drafting and court appearances, is handled by in-house experienced litigators. The firm has featured in several ground-breaking and landmark IP decisions over the years.

The main contacts for contentious IP matters are managing partner and patents head, Anju Khanna, and partners Raghav Malik, Tia Malik and Jyotideep Kaur. The latter three are trademarks and copyright specialists.

In one disclosable highlight, the team represented DSM Pharmaceuticals Netherlands in an infringement suit against Sinopharm Weiqida Pharmaceutical. The dispute centres on the plaintiff’s process patent relating to amoxycillin trihydrate. In the latest twist, after Sinopharm continued to infringe on the patent despite an injunction order being placed, a single judge found it in contempt of the injunction order and restrained them from importing the infringing product into India.

The team successfully acted for plaintiff Six Continents Hotels on its trademark infringement suit against Holiday Inn Beach Resort. The defendant had adopted the client’s well-known trademark and used it as part of its domain name. The court granted an ad-interim ex parte injunction in the matter, which restrained the defendants from using the impugned marks in any manner possible including the impugned domain names.

Notable clients of the firm include Aero Club, Elementia Wellness, FMC Corporation and YKK Corporation.

Legacy Law Offices has a disputes practice focused on construction and infrastructure-related litigation and arbitration. It also has an active contentious labour practice. Its partners are leading counsels for construction arbitrations and have advocated in several landmark matters in this space. Managing partner Gagan Anand is a highly sought-after arbitration counsel. The firm boasts some impressive statistics with regards to construction project disputes. It also has a high success rate in obtaining stay orders against contract terminations, encashments of bank guarantees and debarring from arbitral tribunals, from courts and also in writ jurisdiction. The law firm has offices in New Delhi, Chandigarh, Panchkula, Solan and Kurukshetra, an associate office in Mumbai in India, and representative offices in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UK and USA.

The core leaders are Anand, senior partner Sadiqua Fatma and partner Parveen Moudgil.

A marquee matter for the team was its representation of Intercontinental Consultants & Technocrats in a writ petition before the High Court of Delhi, where it secured a favourable order in the Zojila tunnel project. The case involved a suspension order issued by National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation against the joint venture petitioner in the Zojila tunnel pass construction project. The contract is the largest project management consultancy contract in the history of the country’s construction sector.

Client Construction Technique, a company specialising in heritage restoration and preservation, has instructed the firm for its dispute resolution proceedings in relation to various contracts pertaining to the conservation and adaptive use of historical Gobindgarh Fort, Amritsar which is an Asian Development Bank funded project.

The team continues to counsel Mumbai Nashik Expressway as the concessionaire in respect of the prominent Mumbai to Nashik Expressway before the arbitral tribunal for pursuing its arbitral claims worth $59 million. The team was able to obtain an arbitration award in favour of its client and against the concessioning authority.

Litigation partner Satyendra Kumar joined the firm last autumn.

The firm has recently been awarded empanelment from various organisations, including the Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium, Telecommunications Consultants India, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, Bharat Sanchar Nigam and National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India.

Some of the firm’s clients include Ceigall India, Centrodorstroy, Creative Group, Dhule-Palesnar Tollway, GKC Projects, HG Infra Engineering, Kashipur Sitarganj Highways, KPH Dream Cricket, MG Contractors and Rajdeep Buildcon.

Client feedback

“The firm’s partners are very attentive and listen to the concerns, study the documentation thoroughly and give sound professional advice. The firm has an exceptional set of lawyers whose advice is based on what is beneficial for the client and not just necessarily one that would help them rake up billing hours. A rarity, I believe!” – Commercial and transactions

“Legacy Law Offices has a highly skilled and sophisticated team which stands out for its commitment to quality legal work. The quality of the work, the clarity in getting the strategy right, adhering to strict timelines, rendering time-to-time legal opinions and advising the client clearly on where they stand are some of the admirable points about the lawyers.” – Construction

“The lawyers epitomise the concept of collaboration and teamwork. The collaborative approach adopted by the lawyers of the firm while dealing with clients in relation to arbitration cases enables them to develop a deep understanding of the construction claims requiring adjudication in arbitration proceedings and formulating the most effective dispute resolution strategy, which yields good results for clients.” – Construction

“I found everyone at Legacy Law Offices to be completely professional and compassionate. They have a dedicated, highly experienced team drawing upon the strengths in various related practice areas and are able to respond quickly, while providing focused advice and representation.” – Construction

“Legacy Law Offices has been delivering quality work through its ability in getting the strategy right, managing multiple disputes arising out of a particular case, compiling to strict deadlines and providing expert advice to the client. They are a very polite, quick and client-friendly law firm and have a professional approach towards work.” – Construction

“The firm and the lawyers of the firm are very eloquent and are always able to provide us with satisfaction. Legacy Law lawyers clearly put their client first, they are very, very considerate and adjust to our wants accordingly.” – Construction

“The law firm has highly qualified lawyers possessing rich experience in handling litigation and arbitration cases involving complex issues and high financial stakes.” – Labour and employment

“Legacy Law Offices is very good in dealing with cases related to both litigation and arbitration. The entire firm is professional and knowledgeable.” – Labour and employment

“Legacy Law Offices has a strong command of and an outstanding track record in handling arbitration cases. The firm has high energy with creativity and strategic focus.” – Labour and employment

“Legacy Law Offices keeps the whole case in view and always provides great results. The lawyers work with complete integrity and really make us feel like part of the same team. They work collaboratively and try to maximise efficiencies such that they provide good value.” – Labour and employment

Gagan Anand

“He gives well thought out advice.”

“Mr Gagan Anand is a commendable lawyer. His overall understanding of legal aspects, especially in regard to construction projects, is noteworthy. Our team was extremely contented with his legal expertise.”

“Our main contact lawyer was Gagan Anand. He possesses the right kind of calibre, expertise and competence required to tackle any legal predicament. We were also closely in touch with Sadiqua Fatma and she would ensure we got regular updates regarding our ongoing cases. It is always a pleasure to work with Legacy Law Offices, especially with their reasonable prices and quality work.”

“Gagan Anand has vast experience in handling litigation and arbitration cases. Along with this, he is also a proficient legal expert in this field.”

“Gagan Anand was compassionate, patient, helpful and transparent throughout the entire process. He deals with all the cases promptly and without any delay.”

Sadiqua Fatma

“Sadiqua Fatma always puts her clients first and offers practical solutions with remarkable expertise and professionalism. She is responsive, creative, technically astute, and clear in all her communications.”

“She is a seasoned professional who takes pains to understand a matter and then give sound professional advice. Her drafting skills are great and she is always approachable and an amenable person to work with.”

“One of the lawyers we would like to mention would be Sadiqua Fatma. She displays unparalleled ability to put complex legal propositions simply and succinctly, and most importantly has a good grasp of the matter. Her excellent success record in conflict resolution processes before various tribunals and courts has been ascribed to her.”

“She is a highly qualified lawyer. She possesses rich experience in the legal industry. She is personally focused on executing a variety of projects along with her team which has been consistent and dedicated even in the current situation..”

“Sadiqua is an excellent legal expert to deal with. She always understands our needs and requirements. When she represents the case, she obtains favourable results.”

“She always takes personal interest in arbitration and court cases of our company. Her legal strategy for dispute resolution has benefited us a lot.”

Up-and-coming firm Literati Jurist has a full-fledged dispute resolution offering that spans criminal and commercial litigation to alternative dispute resolution. It is particularly strong in contentious IP and a burgeoning focus in the technology, media and telecommunications and fintech spaces. The team comprises lawyers, patent agents, investigators, data analysts and forensic experts.

Partners Rahul Dhote and Ragini Shah are the main contacts for disputes.

One highlight saw the team represent Bhansali Productions against Eros International Media in an arbitration. In another, the team acted for RPG Life Sciences against Ferring in an IP-related tussle. Young India Impex has also instructed the team for its trademark infringement suit against Supreme Industries.

Recent clients that engaged the firm include Amazon India, Asian Chem Works, Hercules Hoists and Tender Skin Products.

The Majmudar & Partners dispute resolution practice has a 75-year heritage that is well regarded in the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court of Delhi. The firm prioritises quality over quantity, and regularly engages in novel, complex disputes matters. It specialises in litigation strategy for civil and criminal actions across the country, injunctive actions, banking disputes, ad hoc and institutional domestic and international arbitrations, intellectual property suits, testamentary matters, debt recovery, commercial claims and breach of contract disputes. In the wake of the pandemic, the team has experienced an uptick in commercial litigation, debt recoveries, breach of contract disputes and insolvency-related court work.

The key dispute resolution contacts are partner Neerav Merchant, senior partner AK Hirani and of counsel Fraser Alexander.

In a recently highlight, the firm acted for Cooperativa Muratori & Cementisti – CMC di Ravenna in a joint venture dispute with Gammon India. It is also assisting The Solution House UK on recoveries from an Indian entity in relation to the supply of defective goods.

The firm continues to represent Axis Bank in execution proceedings against the owner of the premises. The client is seeking enforcement of the decree in its favour for the retrieval of the security deposit paid under leave and license agreements. What is interesting is that the premises owner had also mortgaged the premises in favour of a public sector bank loan. This bank was attempting to take forceful possession of the premises under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act. This is a significant matter because it raises an issue on the priority of payments among banks, especially when the same security has been given to two banks.

The firm won CMS (UAE), KitelyTech and Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Company as new clients last year. Access Bank, Arneg India, Corob India and Powerbank Industries engaged the firm in the last 12 months.

Client feedback

“Majmudar & Partners’ lawyers acted very well and they have drafted our legal papers in a very detailed manner. All aspects were taken care of before we filed the case.” – Commercial and transactions

Neerav Merchant

“He is highly talented and professional.”

Manuskhlal Hiralal & Company has a long history stretching back to 1910 and has a disputes practice with a deep bench of experience. It focuses on arbitration and mediation, civil litigation and works on contentious matters spanning insolvency, real estate, tax, intellectual property rights, banking and employment. The firm comprises 25 fee earners and has offices in Mumbai and Delhi.

Managing partner Rajendra Shah and senior partner Niranjan Parekh lead the team of disputes-focused senior lawyers that include Bhushan Shah, Purvi Asher and Chirag Shah.

The team is representing Mitsubishi HC Capital Asia Pacific in initiating insolvency proceedings against Bilcare Singapore. The client had provided Bilcare with funds to purchase a piece of machinery to be used at their Pune Factory. The borrower then defaulted in repaying the client their installments.If the National Company Law Tribunal allows Mitsubishi Capital’s application, it will be a landmark judgement under the operational creditor category. In a similar instruction, the team is acting for  IL&FS Financial Services for recovery of a loan and the interest from the Kohinoor Group and its promoters.

Another marquee matter has the firm acting for the Securities and Exchange Board of India against Aakruti Nirmiti before the Securities Appellate Tribunal. As this matter is a significant deemed public issue matter, it is likely to be a landmark decision.The company had issued and allotted equity shares in 2008 and raised funds without complying with the provisions of the Companies Act.

In real estate, the team is assisting Coliseum Co-operative Premises Society in filing a suit against the developer before the Bombay High Court. The matter relates toa plot of land that was used for construction of the society’s building and the adjacent plot was not given to the client but was instead transferred to a third party and used to sell parking spaces.This would be a landmark case as it would settle the position of law as to whether the land plot has to be conveyed to the society or not.

On the white-collar crime front, the lawyers have been busy representing NSEL Investors Action Group in the Supreme Court in litigation related to the National Spot Exchange Limited scam.This scam has affected the livelihood of nearly 13,000 investors and is one of the biggest scams that has been discovered in Indian history. This case will be a landmark judgement under the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors (MPID) Act.

Last year, the firm welcomed tax litigator Nehal Parekh from Economics Law Practice and dispute resolution of counsel Parimal Prasad from L&T Financial Services.

Key clients include HRIM Finance, Kyrus Industries, R-Tech Products and Packaging, and Travel Blue.

Client feedback

“Gives appropriate legal advice, and has regular follow-ups and updates.” – Commercial and transactions

“The firm does well for civil litigation and corporate transactions.” – Commercial and transactions

“The firm is good at drafting suit proceedings and crystallising the issues. The partner and associate we engaged were on top of the matter and know their law and facts on the matter.” – Commercial and transactions

“Mansukhlal is very good with its dispute resolution practice. The firm has been there for more than 100 years and the partners have sizeable experience on all civil side of laws.” – Commercial and transactions

“They are very prompt, reasonably priced, experts in commercial and real estate matters and their delivery is always on time.” – Commercial and transactions

“Their drafting is good, contains the complete thought process.” – Commercial and transactions

“Highly professional approach and commercial orientation balanced with strong risk mitigation mindset.” – Commercial and transactions

“The firm has a good team and the lawyers understand the subjects well. Great follow-up and good knowledge base.” – Commercial and transactions

Bhushan Shah

“Bhushan is hands-on for all his matters. I am very impressed with his turnaround time and solution-driven approach.”

“Bhushan is a good lawyer and easy to approach. He understands our business and is able to give rational, timely advice.”

“Bhushan is very impressive and good at his work. We love him.”

“Bhushan is prompt and responsive.”

“He manages the cases very well and is able to provide effective solutions even to at times tricky situations.”

“He has very good legal knowledge, creative solutions and works very hard to meet the deadlines.”

“He’s got a balanced commercial and risk mindset combined with deep legal expertise.”

“Bhushan is gifted. Some people are made for the profession and Bhushan falls into that category.”

“He is extremely proactive and knowledgeable.”

“He is very professional and learned.”

MSA Partners has a focused dispute resolution team that is noted for commercial litigation and arbitration in the electricity, telecoms, natural resources and infrastructure sectors. Apart from these specialisms, the team also actively represents and advises clients across a broad range of civil, commercial, regulatory, corporate, intellectual property rights, and other issues. The lawyers regularly appear before the Supreme Court, various High Courts, electricity regulatory commissions and the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL), the National Company Law Tribunal and Appellate Tribunal, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board, and other quasi-judicial tribunals and appellate tribunals.

Partners Anand Ganesan and Swapna Seshadri are the key contacts for disputes. They both specialise in contentious energy, commercial and government and regulatory matters.

One highlight saw the firm acting for Sai Wardha Power Generation against the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission in appeals filed before APTEL. The outcome of the matter would have far-reaching consequences, as the interpretation of a rule of the electricity regulations is an issue being adjudicated upon. Before the same tribunal, the team is assisting Kamal Encon Industries in an appeal regarding right to inter-state supply without there being a separate feeder to identify the power generation.

Charotar Gas Sahakari Mandali, DNH Power Distribution,KSK Mahanadi Power Company andMahindra & Mahindra also engaged the firm last year.

MZM Legal is famed for its white-collar crime prowess and having a seasoned litigation team that covers a wide suite of practice areas. In the Indian context, MZM is a distinctive firm as it provides both advisory and litigation services and gives expert assistance to clients in government and prosecutorial investigations. Its white-collar crime department offers solutions ranging from preventive compliance, defence and strategy, to prosecution. Apart from criminal litigation, the lawyers have a long, successful track record of handling complex, high-value and sensitive international commercial arbitrations, investor-state and ad hoc arbitrations, and international commercial disputes in various institutional forums. In terms of sectors the team covers, they include aviation, construction, energy, media and communications, banking, insurance, international trade and investments, international finance, intellectual property, maritime, and technology and telecommunications.

Managing partner Zulfiquar Memon and senior partner Waseem Pangarkar are the key contacts.

In one high-profile matter, the team is defending Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty in legal proceedings emanating from what has been called one of the biggest financial frauds of the 21st century. Summarily, it involves fraud perpetrated by senior management of the companies promoted by the client. The fraud embroiled Shetty, who is facing legal proceedings across the globe, starting from class action suits in the US, to regulatory proceedings in the UK to recovery proceedings in UAE and India.

Additionally, the firm is representing the promoters of Housing Development and Infrastructure in a high-profile criminal investigation by the elite Economic Offences Wing, Mumbai in relation to allegations of financial fraud and embezzlement arising out of their and the group’s alleged outstanding[WC(1]  debt with PMC Bank. The alleged irregularities have led PMC Bank to be placed under the control of a Reserve Bank of India administrator with a consequent moratorium on withdrawal and banking operations. The matter has been the subject of significant national attention.

In one international arbitration case, the firm is acting for Karamtara Engineering under the Centre for Arbitration and Mediation Santiago rules for international arbitration. The client has filed against a respondent company involved in handling electricity transmission line projects based out of Chile and is a special purpose vehicle formed under the aegis of two of the most reputed companies in Chile in the electricity and power sector.

The team welcomed new partner Mohammad Shine, an experienced litigation lawyer with over 16 years under his belt handling criminal and civil litigation. Previously he had his own independent practice.

Notable recent clients include Bennett Coleman Company, Essar Shipping, National Spot Exchange, OGD Services and Tata Power.

Client feedback

“The firm is able to present its case for its clients well and prepare all pleadings.” – Shipping

“The lawyers provided very bespoke and on-point advice after truly understanding our commercial needs and using a deep understanding of the Indian legal landscape in this area.” – White-collar crime

“They are responsive, team players, communicative and knowledgeable.” – White-collar crime

“The team’s planning, strategy and advice are excellent. Their court preparation is thorough and meticulous, leaving no stone unturned. They’re excellent all round and have amazing response times regardless of time zones.” – White-collar crime

Abhishek Gupta

“His out-of-the-box thinking is commendable. He is a good draftsman and can present the case well.”

Parvez Memon

“Excellent strategist. His knowledge of law is encyclopaedic!”

Zulfi Memon

“Great client skills and a real problem solver.”

Naik Naik & Co is a full-service firm with an experienced litigation and arbitration department. While the firm is best known in the market as a pre-eminent firm for media and entertainment matters, its industry expertise does also include financial services and oil and gas. The firm’s disputes offering is expansive and covers everything from commercial disputes, corporate litigation, white-collar crime, frauds and scams, cybercrimes, consumer protections disputes, debt recovery matters, and domestic and international arbitrations.

Managing partner Ameet Naik is the key contact for disputes work.

One highlight has the firm representing and advising Future Retail in its disputes with Amazon.com NV Investment Holdings, across multiple forums such as Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), the Delhi High Court, the Supreme Court of India and the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), inter alia arising out of the scheme of arrangement to be entered into between the various entities of the Future Group and the Reliance Group.

Naik is leading a team for Essar Global Fund in various proceedings arising out of its disputes with the Arcelor Mittal Group, across multiple jurisdictions such as the UK, Mauritius and Cayman Islands. 

The firm continues to represent Percept D’Mark Gulf and Percept Holdings in an arbitration matter after it filed claims against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), relating to a tri-series cricket tournament between India, Australia and the West Indies. The dispute hinges on the clients’ inability to obtain insurance for the tournament, even though the BCCI had promised to assist in securing insurance. Some of the tournament matches were washed out due to rains and the client suffered substantial losses. Owing to the BCCI’s breach in assisting the claimant to procure insurance and the losses caused to the client, it withheld portions of the sponsorship fees. After the Percept group entities invoked arbitration, the BCCI filed a counterclaim.

Financial creditor IDFC First Bank has instructed the firm to assist in the filing of a miscellaneous application seeking the implementation and compliance of the resolution plan which was approved by the adjudicating authority but was not implemented by the resolution applicant before the NCLT in Mumbai.

In another arbitration case, the team acted for Adlabs Entertainment concerning its purchase of vast portions of land in Navi Mumbai, over which Adlabs has built its amusement park, Adlabs Imagica. An individual has since raised claims that prior to Adlabs purchasing the said land, he had agreed in purchasing the same lands. He alleges that Adlabs was aware of his agreement and yet it decided to purchase the said lands. This matter is important, as during the pendency of the arbitration, Adlabs is undergoing a restructuring where it has decided to sell portions of the land under dispute and five-star Hotel Novotel, which is situated next to the amusement park Adlabs Imagicaa.

Recent disputes clients included Aashit Realtors, Anand Rathi Wealth, One Point One Solutions, Pooja Entertainment, Super Cassettes Industries and Viacom 18 Media.

One-year-old firm Numen Law Offices focuses on corporate advisory, dispute resolution and criminal litigation at present. The firm handles all contentious matters relating to commercial disputes at all levels of court and has a dedicated arbitration team. For criminal matters, it offers prompt representation in relation to the full spectrum of criminal conduct from road traffic offences to murder to money laundering. Expertise includes defending and initiating criminal proceedings, white-collar crimes, economic offences, cybercrime and data theft, drug-related offences, sexual offences and harassment, serious fraud investigation and organised crime. Its clients span individuals to Fortune 100 companies.

The four key disputes partners are Arush Khanna, George Thomas, Chaitanyaa Bhandarkar, and white-collar crime specialist Lakshmi Raman.

One highlight saw the firm defend Bistro Hospitality Private in a civil suit for damages relating to a road accident which involved a TGI Fridays vehicle. Archana Shopping Arcade Society has instructed the firm for its writ petition to cancel the liquor licence of one of the individual respondents who were illegally operating a wine and liquor store out of the client’s complex in New Delhi.

In a case pending before the Supreme Court, Thomas has been engaged as counsel representing Peace Party of India in a petition seeking directions from the highest court to ensure that sections of the media do not publish unverified reports, especially with regard to the Muslim community. In real estate, the team represented Ansal Properties and Infrastructure in an appeal against an order passed by the Uttar Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority revoking the registration of their projects in Lucknow.

Lenovo India sought the firm for its defence in a suit against Global Infonet Distribution for recovery and damages. The novel aspect was that in this matter, the High Court of Delhi held that disputes arising out of separate agreements having distinct arbitration clauses can be referred to a joint arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act (ACA) if the agreements form a composite transaction. So, this matter sets the precedent on the jurisprudence of Section 8 of the ACA.

Other recent disputes clients were Lotus Green Developers and Nischint Traders. 

While best known for its intellectual property, technology[WC(1]  and media practices, the litigation team at Obhan & Associates is also adept at handling complex commercial disputes. It has represented clients on a range of disputes relating to equity and debt investment, corporate laws, intellectual property laws, employment laws, competition laws and on bi-lateral investment treaty disputes. The lawyers also provide key pre-litigation strategies to clients in industries such as media, entertainment, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, franchising, machinery and equipment manufacturing, outsourcing and financial services. The firm has offices in New Delhi, Pune and Bangalore.  

Key contacts for contentious matters are managing partner Essenese Obhan and partner Ashima Obhan.

The firm continues to defend domestic merchant platform unicorn Pine Labs against Innoviti Payment Solutions (IPS) before the High Court of Karnataka. IPS has sued its client for allegedly using its patented technology related to unified payment interface-based payments at point-of-sale terminals.

The team is representing HarperCollins in an injunction suit filed by a plaintiff after the lawyers successfully defended HarperCollins all the way to the Supreme Court of India. The dispute related to an ex parte interim injunction against publication of a book obtained on the eve of the book launch. The plaintiff had obtained the interim injunction on grounds that the book contained defamatory statements against her. The vacation of the ex parte interim injunction was significant as it upheld the rights of publishers and authors with respect to freedom of speech and expression.

Key clients include Aditya Birla Science & Technology, G4S Security Solutions, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Penguin Random House India, Steer Group and Tata Chemicals.  

P&A Law Offices has an experienced and established dispute resolution practice that is multi-jurisdictional and sector agnostic. Market watchers laud the firm for its stellar client roster and involvement in some of the country’s meatiest corporate fights. The litigation and arbitration team comprises over 45 lawyers who work with clients across a variety of sectors, including pharmaceuticals, financial markets, telecommunications, automotive and consumer goods. The P&A team are known for their leading roles in high-stakes and complex disputes for household name clients, particularly in international arbitration. The firm is also proud of its lengthy track record of acting for the Indian government in contentious investment treaty matters.

Managing partner Anand Pathak helms a team of 13 active disputes partners, including Amit Mishra, Akshat Hansaria and Shashank Gautam.

One marquee achievement recently had the firm brief senior advocate Gopal Subramanium for Daiichi Sankyo in its groundbreaking suit against Ranbaxy. Subramanium was given the right of the audience before Singapore’s High Court and court of appeal. This instance is the first time such a right has been granted by Singapore courts to Indian lawyers. As a consequence of the judgement, the arbitral award in favour of the client remains enforceable.

In other triumphs for the team, it represented the Republic of India in two investment disputes. The first was initiated by a Japanese investor under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between India and Japan. The firm was responsible for making submissions before the tribunal for the defence of India. In the second, the dispute was initiated by a UAE investor under the Promotion and Protection of Investments between India and the UAE. Both cases ended successfully for the Republic of India with the assistance of the P&A lawyers.

The firm acted for Shristi Infrastructure & Development Corporation in an ongoing ICC[WC(1]  arbitration. The dispute arose out of exit rights sought to be exercised by the foreign private equity investor in a joint venture company, where the client was the stakeholder. The JV had been created for the construction and operation of a luxury resort in Kolkata, India. This matter ended successfully in favour of the firm’s client. The team also triumphed in an arbitration for Schneider Electric India against Anacon Process Control. The dispute arose out of purchase orders for the design, supply, testing and commissioning of a SIL-3 Safety PLC system for hydrocarbon gas detection and alarm system to be set up at pump delivery stations under the Western Region Pipelines of Indian Oil Corporation.

Key clients in the past 12 months include Amazon, Axis Bank, Altico Capital India, Bhushan Steel, Diageo, General Motors, ICICI Bank, Ikea, KKR, LG, Mercedes, Sanofi, Schneider Electric, Tata Motors, Tata Steel and Transunion. 

The dispute resolution team at Phoenix Legal have pan-India capabilities and are “crisis management specialists” with experience handling complex and sensitive contentious matters. It works on various constitutional, public interest, corporate, civil, corporate crimes and criminal matters before multiple fora across India, from the small causes courts up to the Supreme Court of India.

Co-founding partners Manjula Chawla and Saket Shukla helm a disputes group that includes partners Vasanth Rajasekaran, Gautam Bhatikar and Ritika Ganju.

The firm recently successfully represented news anchor Arnab Goswami and ARG Outlier Media in multiple civil, criminal and breach of privilege related matters across various courts. The Supreme Court’s judgement is landmark as it clarified the position of law that High Courts in India can grant bail in the exercise of their writ jurisdiction. The judgement highlighted the importance of personal liberty and the role of lower courts in granting bail to accused. It also highlighted that criminal proceedings should not be used as a weapon of oppression for the harassment of citizens.       

It also assisted newslaundry.com, a leading news media portal, on various civil and criminal defamation actions and matters, including investigations by the police on criminal proceedings filed by a major regional media organisation.A Japanese car manufacturer has instructed the firm in a multi-million dollar dispute under a distributor agreement with its sole distributor of cars in India in international commercial arbitration proceedings before the Singapore International Arbitration Centre.

Another key matter had an Indian subsidiary of a French company instruct the team in two tender matters before the High Court of Delhi and the Supreme Court in a dispute concerning the validity of a grant of concession by the appropriate authority for the construction, operation, cleaning and maintenance of 100 new bus queue shelters and the upgrading, operation, cleaning and maintenance of 319 existing bus queue shelters on a nomination basis.

The firm invested heavily to build up its disputes offering, hiring a full team of four from Legasis partners: partner Bhatikar, associate partner Zoeb Cutlerywala, and senior associates Vikram Kamath and Pinak Bhagwat. Tax specialist Jatin Arora also joined last year from PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

Other clients that engaged the firm recently are Busworld International, Jones Lang LaSalle, Larsen & Toubro, Magnaflux Systems, Mersen and Samsung Engineering.

The litigation offering at Pioneer Legal covers a diverse range of dispute matters including complex commercial disputes, project execution disputes, corporate frauds and white-collar crimes. The team provides strategic litigation advice, including during the pre-arbitration and pre-litigation stage, representation in all levels of courts and arbitration fora, drafts communications and pleadings, assists in mediation and settlement, and works on insolvency code-related matters.

The key lawyers for disputes are managing partner Satish Kishanchandani and partner Narendra Dingankar.

In one highlight, the firm represented CG Power and Industrial Solutions before the Securities Appellate Tribunal in relation to the fraud perpetrated by its promoters and group companies.The lawyers assisted an individual and MT Autocraft before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in relation to an oppression and mismanagement petition filed by the client against the majority shareholders of KHM Drive Systems Private. An individual has instructed the firm for her company application filed at the NCLT in relation to disputes arising out of a debenture trustee agreement

Multi-service law firm Regius Legal has a special focus on dispute resolution and civil and criminal litigation. The firm was established in 2018 with dispute resolution as the core pillar of its offering. Now, the Mumbai-based firm houses over 40 lawyers. The team has a solid track record of handling high-profile and media-sensitive cases involving serious criminal charges for a wide range of clients. On the commercial disputes side, the team is experienced in all stage of commercial litigation, handling a variety of transactional, real estate, commercial, shareholders disputes, and liabilities like debt collections, fraud, procurement claims or administrative battles.  

The main disputes contacts are founder Kiran Jain, senior partner Ish Jain and partner Heenal Jain. All three specialise in dispute resolution and white-collar crimes.

In a widely reported matter, the firm defended a client that is a shareholder of KS Chamankar Enterprises in relation to a slum and non-slum project involving the government of Maharashtra. The Anti-Corruption Bureau filed charges against the firm’s client and others for corruption and money laundering. The point raised in litigation is that the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) cannot issue notice and terminate the right of development since in the agreement with the government of Maharashtra, a non-slum project is developed and handed over to the government of Maharashtra. Since this is a combined project of slum and non-slum plot, the SRA, which is a planning authority under the state of Maharashtra, is bound by the agreement. Since KS Chamankar Enterprises and its shareholders have already handed over the constructed area in lieu of giving them development rights of the slum and non-slum plot, the termination of the project by the SRA authorities is unjust.

The firm is working with the CEO of Nitco Tiles before the National Company Law Tribunal in an oppression and mismanagement case filed for his share of 46.36% shareholding. The lawyers are representing the client before an interim resolution professional to secure a property that had been attempted to be usurped under the auction of another company. In another real estate-related highlight, the team acted for Royal Developers against the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act (SAFEMA) authority, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, the disputing land owners as well as occupants on the property. The new flat purchasers have consented to appoint the client to complete the construction. The case entails some major and distinctive questions of law for the real estate industry: if the property is purchased through sources which do not fall within the ambit of the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, then can the property obtained through these sources be acquired[WC(1] ? And if a third party, right, title and interest is already created before the notice under SAFEMA is issued, can the property still be forfeited?

BrightmentBuiltscapes[WC(2] , Jainam Realtors, Prabhav Gruh Nirman, and Shubh Enterprises also engaged the firm last year for their contentious matters.  

Leading intellectual property law firm RK Dewan & Co is one of the country’s longest established, having been in the market for nearly 80 years. It has a very active IP litigation practice that is present pan-India and houses over 175 IP specialist practitioners. The team is uniquely poised to file and defend suits in nearly all  district courts across the country, not including its regular presence before the various High Courts and the Intellectual Property Appellate Board. It is currently the top PCT filer from India and more than two-thirds of its clients are domestic. During the review period, the firm was handling over 100 ongoing litigations in India and had expanded with the hiring of seven new associates. The firm continues to expand its international presence with the establishment of its liaison office in Dallas, Texas in the US two years ago, and its China office in Dalian celebrated its fourth anniversary recently.

Five senior lawyers helm the disputes-related group, including principal Mohan Dewan, head of patents Niti Dewan, Delhi head Nirbhay Bhardwaj, and partners Disha Dewan and Dinesh Nair.

In a patent highlight, the firm is acting for plaintiff Indofil Industries against Coromandel for infringing the client’s granted fungicidal patent. On the trademark side, Electronica Hitech Machine Tools has instructed the firm in its infringement suit against an opponent to stop it from using the client’s registered mark of “Electronica”. In another similar case, the team is assisting Cooper Corporation in protecting its brand by filing a trademark infringement suit against Cooper Elevators Chennai that was using the client’s mark and against BMW, which was intending to use the mark “Cooper” for its engines in India.

Captain Tractors, Daikin Industries, Electronica Hitech Machine Tools, Finolex Cables, Joy Ice Creams, Nilkamal and Regeneron are its notable disputes clients.

S&R Associates has offices in Delhi and Mumbai. With market-leading capital markets and corporate practices, its dispute resolution offering aligns with that strength and routinely works with clients on complex commercial and transactional, regulatory and intellectual property disputes. It also handles investor-state arbitration and bilateral investment treaty claims, and anti-corruption and internal investigations. The team values quality over quantity and is sought after for complex, high-value disputes. The disputes lawyers have appeared extensively before all levels of courts and various international arbitration forums. It recently promoted two counsels to the partnership and the team is now led by four partners and 10 other lawyers.

Key figures in the disputes practice are partners Niti Dixit, Shahezad Kazi, Abhishek Tewari and Raunaq Mathur. Dixit is known for her commercial litigation, arbitration and regulatory work.

The team represented Cairn Energy and Cairn UK Holdings in a major investment treaty claim against India arising out of retrospective amendments to India’s tax laws, a vexed issue that has been the subject of considerable attention within and outside India.

In a recent IP-related success, the team acted for F Hoffmann-La Roche and Genentech in their civil claims against the Drugs Controller General of India and certain Indian manufacturers of purported biosimilar versions of the client’s blockbuster breast and gastric cancer drug, Trastuzumab. The claims filed by Roche and Genentech in this regard were the first of their kind in India. Another high-profile highlight was the firm’s representation of ArcelorMittal group in several complex litigations and regulatory matters under India’s new Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.

The firm’s lawyers have also acted for online fashion retatiler Lulu and Sky Brands Private in proceedings that involve a challenge to the order of the government of India directing the client to modify its corporate name on the basis that it allegedly includes a trademark registered by a third party which principally operates shopping malls and convention centres in southern India. The case involves an unusual issue concerning the use of the Companies Act provisions to assert intellectual property claims where Indian law does not afford such protection. The outcome of this matter may impact the ability of multi-class trademark owners to obstruct the good-faith use of part of a trademark by innocent third parties in their corporate names. 

Active clients include Cipher-Plexus Capital Advisors, Endemol Shine OpCo Holdings, Glencore Agriculture, McDonald’s, Nine Rivers Capital and Rocksource.

Client feedback

“Excellent and clear advice, both at a technical level and at a strategic level.” – International arbitration

Niti Dixit

“She gives consistently excellent and strategic advice and has great knowledge. She is technically excellent.”

Sagus Legal is a full-service boutique that just celebrated its second birthday. The commercial litigation practice handles a plethora of disputes such as shareholder disputes, partnership disputes, antitrust bankruptcy avoidance actions, and conflicts related to securities, commercial contracts, lender liability, real estate, labour and trade and customs. It has a strong power and electricity specialty, as evidenced by its impressive power company client roster. At the time of submission, the firm was handling disputes worth a cumulative value of over $7.5 billion. The disputes team has grown exponentially in the last two years and now has 14 lawyers. It has offices in New Delhi, Bhubaneshwar and Gurugram.

Commercial litigation specialists and partners Anand Shrivastava and Shruti Kanodia are the main contacts for disputes-related work.

In a notable matter, the firm is representing TP Central Odisha Distribution (TCOD) in a dispute that arose out of distribution franchisee agreements entered into between Riverside Utilities, Seaside Utilities and Central Electricity Supply Utility, for non-compliance of the terms of the agreement and for not being able to reduce aggregate technical and commercial losses.

For the same client, the firm continues to act for TCOD in an appeal filed by Indian Railways before the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity. The team has been instructed by Tata Power to appear in a tariff appeal challenging the multi-year tariff orders that were issued by the state regulator.

Key clients of the firm include Bihar State Power Holding, Coastal Gujarat Power, Maithan Power, REC, Tata Power and West Bengal State Electricity Distribution.

Client feedback

“The partners and associates are very hands-on. They have a very good grasp of the law and latest market developments and they excel in providing innovative solutions to tricky issues. Their advice is practical and implementable. Their solution-oriented approach was impressive even as a counterparty.” – Commercial and transactions

“Sagus Legal has been the 'go to' firm for all the major disputes we have faced since vesting of the previous distribution utility. The firm provides an extremely nuanced work with a keen eye for details. The team of Sagus has a very professional approach and their delivery of work is one of the best in the business.” – Commercial and transactions

Shruti Kanodia

“Shruti is a master negotiator and her ability to juggle so easily between commercial views and legal views and provide simple solutions to complex issues is outstanding.”

Anand Shrivastava

“Anand is a 'hands on' guy. He is extremely thorough in his work. His experience in our specific industry sector really gives him an edge over his peers.”

Saikrishna & Associates is a top-tier firm for contentious intellectual property and technology, media and telecoms matters. In particular, its copyright litigation team is arguably the best in the country, regularly recognised and name-checked by peers and clients. The firm has featured in numerous first-of-its-kind litigations that helped shape the landscape of various industries like media and entertainment, sports broadcasting, standard essential patents (SEPs), pharmaceutical and life sciences, intermediary liability, publishing, information technology and new media and online anti-piracy.

Key contacts for disputes include managing partner Saikrishna Rajagopal and partners Ameet Datta, Sidharth Chopra, Thomas George, Himanshu Bagai, Nitin Sharma and Sneha Jain.

In a historic matter, the team represented Xiaomi against Interdigital in relation to the case that involved allegations of FRAND license infringement for SEPs relating to cellular and HEVC technology.Two judgements rendered in this case in the last year have revamped the jurisprudence on SEP infringement cases in India and globally.

For yet another high-profile case, the firm is defending Amazon Seller Services and their senior executives. The firm is helping its client to navigate complex legal issues arising from multiple criminal actions filed pan-India against its senior executives. Issues involved related to the balance between free speech and hurting of religious sentiments and ensuring personal liberty and avoiding arrest.This case poses important questions of personal liability of senior company executives who are involved in production of content which could contain any religious overtones, and significant issues relating to technology overtaking the entertainment business. The ruling would also have an impact on sectors such as media and e-commerce, which also regularly face risk of actions for publishing content that could have religious implications.

Key clients include Apple TV, Adobe Systems India, Audible Singapore, Bytedance, Fox Star Studios, HarperCollins, Panasonic, Penguin Books, Star India, Walt Disney Company and WeWork.

Samvad Partners is a multi-specialist law firm with a solid dispute resolution offering. The firm’s core litigation areas encompass commercial, employment, competition, intellectual property and financial disputes. The litigation and arbitration team comprises five partners and 17 associates spread across the firm’s five offices in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi. It is rapidly developing its mediation and insolvency and debt recovery practices in the wake of Covid-19. Another interesting feature is the firm pioneering and advocating for more online dispute resolution.  

Five partners round out the disputes team: Arjun Krishnan, Poornima Hatti, Rohan George, Savani Gupte and Harish Narasappa. Collectively, they cover antitrust, construction, government, insolvency, IP, labour and international arbitration dispute matters.

A disclosable marquee matter for the firm last year was its representation of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in a high-profile, landmark case concerning allegations of anti-competitive selling arrangements entered into by e-commerce platforms Amazon and Flipkart, and their respective ‘preferred’ sellers on the platforms, specifically in the context of the sale of newly launched smartphones. The case is important because it is the first investigation launched by the CCI into the e-commerce sector, which is perceived to be a source of market power that falls outside the pigeonholes of traditional concepts in antitrust law. Although the case relates to smartphones, it has implications for the entire e-commerce sector generally.

Gupte joined in the spring of 2021 from Khaitan & Co. Another senior associate was hired in the summer, Arjun Sarathy from CrestLaw Partners.

The firm’s client stable includes Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction, Phasorz Technologies, QD Seatoman Designs, Society for Informal Education and Development Studies, Tata Projects, Yes Bank and Zetwerk Manufacturing Businesses.

Client feedback

“The firm is proactive in its communications, and has trustworthy engagement and sound local knowledge. They are a cost-effective and affordable firm for top-line litigation work in south India. They were able to assimilate technical issues well, and provide cohesive and precise strategic advice.” – Commercial and transactions

“The lawyers understand the client's needs and respond appropriately. They have a good handle on what other companies are doing in the market to offer pragmatic solutions and options.” – Labour and employment

Poornima Hatti

“She is a valued counsellor to the company on various labour-related matters.”

“Proactive engagement, sound local knowledge and precise legal advice.”

Vineetha MG

“Vineetha understands the requirements of her clients, is highly professional, insightful and an expert in her field.”

A core pillar of Bengaluru-based Sanctum Law is dispute resolution. Apart from this, the firm is focused on real estate and general corporate law. In the south, the firm is recognised for its expertise in construction agreement-related arbitrations and agreement negotiations, and regulatory litigation against the government. The team’s experience covers a wide range of sectors such as commercial, regulatory, real estate and intellectual property litigation, domestic arbitration and contentious matters relating to company, family, competition, consumer, service, labour, trade and criminal law. In the last 12 months, the firm has been proud of the 90% success rate of its construction and real estate cases, winning 180 out of 200 matters. One of its major successes recently was spearheading the arguments in several writ petitions in challenging the constitutional validity of a draconian piece of legislation, which led to several modifications and interpretations of the Act and its implementation. The firm’s founder, Sammith S, is the sole empanelled legal adviser on the board of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India for Bengaluru and Karnataka.

The key disputes lawyers are Sammith S and Shivananda S.

The team successfully represented more than 75 leading real estate developers in Bangalore in the challenge to various arbitrary levies such as ground rent, licence fee, scrutiny fee, security deposit, lake rejuvenation fee, and upfront collection of labour welfare cess, which were all held to be arbitrary, illegal and unsustainable. In similar triumphs, the team also acted for leading real estate players, tech parks and individuals in challenging land acquisition proceedings.

Singhania & Partners is an established, respected full-service firm with a sizeable and experienced dispute resolution team. Its core litigation and arbitration areas are commercial, construction, and government and regulatory. The firm has developed specialties in disputes related to contracts with government authorities, consulting agreements, construction projects, building contracts and road construction. It sits on the legal advisory panels of Abhyudaya Housing & Constructions, Bawana Infra Development, Ramky Infrastructure, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation, National Hydropower Corporation and Shapoorji Pallonji & Company.  

The disputes teams are led by seven senior lawyers, including managing partner Ravi Singhania, senior partner Shilpa Shah, and partners Vikas Goel, Shambhu Sharan and Madhu Sweta.

The firm is representing Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation[WC(1]  of India in an arbitration arising out of three separate design-build lump-sum contracts for the construction of the eastern arm of the dedicated freight corridor awarded to the contractor. The contractor has sought costs towards prolongation of the contract period. Client Punj Lloyd has instructed the firm in its dispute arising out of a contract with Indian Oil Corporation in relation to a comprehensive high-value lump-sum turnkey design and construction project.

In a high-value conflict, the firm represented the National Highways Authority of India in its appeal before the Supreme Court against an environmentalist in relation to a flagship highway development project. The client challenges the order of the High Court of Madras which quashed the notification for land acquisition for a major highway project on the ground that an environmental study was not completed before identifying the route of the project.

Key clients of the firm for contentious work include Bravura Solutions India, C&C Constructions, Gujarat Maritime Board, Indian Railways, iQoR India Services, National Highways Authority of India, Power Finance Corporation, RailTel Corporation of India, Rural Electrification Corporation, Solar Designs India and Tupperware.

SNG & Partners is well known for its strength in the banking and finance arena. Its dispute resolution offering complements this with a wide-ranging arbitration and litigation offering that covers banking and finance, competition, criminal, foreign exchange, human resources, employment and industrial laws. The firm also represents clients in economic offences, conciliation and arbitration work. It also routinely handles matters relating to the Economic Offences Wing and the Enforcement Directorate.

Six senior lawyers helm the disputes group, including senior partner Sanjay Gupta and partners Varsha Kripalani, Navneet Gupta, Ajay Monga, Ateev Mathur and Rajnish Gaur. Their practices focus on a wide range of areas such as arbitration, banking disputes, insolvency battles, labour disputes and criminal litigation.

The team acted for a large private bank with an Indian presence before the Supreme Court of India in a matter contesting the issue of ‘tenant at sufferance’ in the light of the regime of the Securitisation Act. This is a significant judgement from the banking perspective in as much as various persons claim the protection of their being a tenant in the property which is secured as a mortgage by the banks, and attempt to defeat the claim of the bank when the bank initiates action under the Securitisation Act and takes possession of such property for the purposes of recovering the dues.

In another highlight, the firm successfully defended a private client in an interim injunction on the release of a commercial film on Netflix in a suit instituted before the Delhi High Court. It was also instructed by an asset reconstruction company in India to obtain a stay of an order passed by a statutory authority under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, by which the assets secured by the client as mortgage for a financial facility extended to a borrower, were attached to the detriment of the clients.

The firm bid adieu to partner B Gopalkrishnan, who left to found his own firm, BGK Law Associates

New Delhi-based intellectual property boutique Sujata Chaudhri IP Attorneys has been in operation since 2014. The firm provides services for all contentious IP matters, be it prosecution, litigation or enforcement. Its clients span multiple sectors such as fashion, fast-moving consumer goods, luxury and pharmaceuticals, among others. The team has a steady success record of handling infringement, passing off, and counterfeit disputes before several district courts and the Delhi High Court, in addition to handling domain name disputes and other enforcement-related matters.

Principal Sujata Chaudhri is the main contact at the firm.

In one notable matter, the firm assisted its US-headquartered clothing brand client settle a dispute through court mediated settlement. The client had filed a suit in the Delhi High Court seeking an injunction to restrain the defendants from manufacturing, marketing, offering for sale, selling directly or indirectly any goods bearing the client’s[WC(1]  mark. In another highlight, the lawyers helped its fashion accessories-related client obtain an order from the Delhi High Court regarding payment of costs and a court fee refund.

Client feedback

“She is wonderful at everything! From timely communications to considered and practical strategies, this firm stands out as an exemplary provider in the IP services space worldwide.” – Intellectual property

Sujata Chaudhri

“Our business involves dealing with multiple IP owners and her opinions are always on point. She is also able to provide innovative solutions and keep in mind our budget.”

Full-service firm VR Associates has a focused litigation practice on family and matrimonial, real estate, criminal, intellectual property and environmental law. The firm is headquartered in Faridabad Delhi, and serves a wide range of clients, from individuals to high-net-worth individuals to financial institutions. With an established network of professionals across 36 locations in India, the firm is capable of addressing all contentious matters across diverse practice areas and industry sectors.

Family law specialist and managing partner Ved Tiwari is the firm’s main contact.

Tiwari and his team have worked on numerous interesting family law cases, including ones that centred around the issue of polygamy, the adoption of infant twins, and assisting a family in rescuing a young girl from her abusive father and putting her under foster care. The firm has also been busy with a string of cybertheft-related matters in the past year.