Hon’ble Finance Minister, Government of India, while presenting the Union Budget 2020 today stated that her proposals are structured around the themes of ‘Aspirational India’, ‘Economic Development’, and a ‘Caring Society’. As we start decoding the fine print of her tax proposals please find hereinbelow key tax highlights of the Finance Bill, 2020 ...
On March 5, 2020, the Karnataka Labour Department issued a circular (“Circular”) requiring all establishments in the State to grant 28 days of paid sick leave to any employee who has been infected by the COVID-19 virus (“Coronavirus”). These precautionary measures laid out by the Government aim to prevent the spread of Coronavirus ...
Author: Samiron Borkataky (Partner) and Srishti Kanwar (Senior Associate) On January 30, 2024, the Ministry of Women and Child Development released the National Minimum Standards and Protocol for Crèches (Operation and Management) (“NMSPC”). The NMSPC provides a comprehensive framework for setting up and managing crèche facilities and seeks to ensure quality childcare services by standardizing and institutionalizing care practices ...
India Business Law Journal Article Published on November 6, 2023 Our annual ‘State of the Legal Market’ survey finds that AI, specialist firms, discerning clients and the paired trends of fragmentation and consolidation are preoccupying the legal community. Katherine Abraham reports Big changes are afoot in the Indian legal landscape with the arrival of foreign firms and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technology ...
Introduction The balance of trade between India and China continues to be heavily tilted in favour of China. Trade remedies such as anti-dumping and countervailing duties have been used frequently by India to curtail import of Chinese goods. To overcome such barriers, India has long suspected that China has been routing its goods through the ASEAN countries by misusing the Free Trade Agreements (‘FTA’) ...
The statutory framework for copyright in India encompasses the Copyright Act, 1957 (“CA”) and the Copyright Rules, 2013 (“CR”). This now stands amended in the form of Copyright (Amendment) Rules, 2021 (“CAR”) by the Central Government by virtue of powers conferred under section 78 of the CA. The Ministry of Commerce & Industry (Govt. of India) has duly notified this amendment[1] under Gazette notification bearing number G.S.R ...
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (“MCA”) has issued an advisory that is applicable to all Indian companies and limited liability partnerships (LLPs) registered with the MCA. As per the said advisory, all companies and LLPs are required to take the following immediate steps in order to aid social distancing for reducing transmission of COVID-19: To follow “Work from Home” as a temporary measure until March 31st 2020 ...
HIGHLIGHTS OF UNION BUDGET 2022-2023 Key Indirect Tax Proposals Special Economic Zones Act to be replaced Special Economic Zones Act is set to be replaced with a new legislation, under which Customs administration would be IT driven, and a Customs National Portal would be set up for this purpose. This is being done to encourage paperless processing and ease of doing business ...
HIGHLIGHTS OF UNION BUDGET 2022-2023 Key Direct Tax Proposals Personal Taxation Tax rates, TDS rates, Standard deduction and relief for savings etc. remain unchanged. Rates of surcharge have been rationalized in case of Long - term capital gain other than listed shares, and for Cooperative societies. Medical relief provided by employers or any other person in relation to COVID-19 will be exempt from F.Y. 2019-20 onwards ...
The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020 (“Act”) was enacted to encourage private employers in Haryana to boost local employment. The Act was called upon for application from January 15, 2022, for a period of 10 years. The constitutionality of the Act was challenged in multiple writ petitions before the Punjab & Haryana High Court (“Court”). The Court stayed the implementation of the Act on February 3, 2022 ...
Even after four years of the introduction of Goods and Service Tax, there is a lack of clarity on many substantive and procedural issues. One such issue is the absence of complete relief from the ill effects of an inverted duty structure, that is where the GST rate paid on purchases is more than the GST rate payable on sales, resulting in an accumulation of credits. The difficulty arises because the taxpayer has to pay tax to its vendors on its purchases in cash ...
The GST Council in its 39th meeting held on 14 March 2020 has made the following recommendations: Movement in Tax Rate Goods Increase in GST rates on mobile phones and specified parts to 18% from 12% Handmade and other than handmade matches rates rationalised to 12 %, thereby solving the HSN classification issue: Increase in handmade matches from 5% to 12 % Decrease in other matches from 18% to 12% Services Reduction in GST rates on maintenance, re
This is an update with regard to the recent order issued by NCLT, Mumbai in the miscellaneous application of Videocon Group vs CGST Department in the matter of State Bank of India vs Videocon Industries Limited, wherein section 14 of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (‘IBC’) has been invoked prohibiting initiation or continuation of any proceedings by any authority against the debtor during the moratorium period ...
Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group, Kochhar & Co. Delhi Health and safety are everyone’s priority today as COVID-19’s unprecedented impact continues to grow each day. Needless to say, the outbreak of Covid-19 has left its impact on litigation and arbitration in various ways, ranging from an increased use of remote hearings to general court closures, depending on the countries and institutions concerned ...
Indian patent law does not permit the filing of patent applications outside the territory of India unless a patent application is filed in India first. The Patent office examines the application to ensure that it does not fall under the defence sector or has any relation to atomic energy ...
HAS SUPREME COURT TAKEN A STEP BACK IN ITS RECENT JUDGMENT IN “NAFED VS. ALIMENTA S.A.”? The Supreme Court on April 22, 2020 declared a foreign award unenforceable on the ground that one of the provisions of the Agreement in question was hit by Section 32 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872 and thus violative of public policy of India. Brief Background: NAFED and Alimenta S.A ...
A recent judgment of the Madras High Court: Woman Giving Birth After Twins Not Eligible for Maternity BenefitsIn a recent judgment of theMadras High Court,a working woman who gave birth to a child in her second delivery after having twins in the first delivery has been held to not be entitled to maternity benefits, as the second delivery should be treated as the third child ...
The pandemic of COVID-19 has severely affected functioning of various business activities across the globe and has posed a threat to legal services. The risks to legal services posed by the spread of COVID-19 were highlighted a few weeks back when international law firm Baker McKenzie closed its London office after a staff member was suspected to have been at risk of contracting the novel coronavirus ...
The key Direct tax changes as announced by the Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Smt ...
The Government of India has been very active in putting in place the necessary framework to implement the objectives of the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’. The ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ or a program of self-reliance announced by the Government of India intends to focus on the five key pillars of economy, infrastructure, system, vibrant demography, and demand ...
The Union Budget for 2023-24 was presented by the Hon’ble Finance Minister, Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2023. The policy initiatives outlined in the budget proposals are intended to ensure macroeconomic stability of Indian economy in the face of global recession, while giving momentum to economic growth. The budget seeks to build on the foundation laid over last two years after the Covid pandemic ...
In an attempt to ensure that the spread of COVID-19 is contained effectively, the Indian Government has mandated a complete nationwide lockdown for 21 days beginning from March 25, 2020, 00:00 hrs. Mandatory Closure of Commercial Establishments All shops, commercial establishments, factories, workshops and offices, excluding establishments engaged in providing essential are required to be shut down ...
As a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Government of Karnataka through Department of Factories, Boilers, Industrial Safety & Health has issued a circular dated March 14, 2020 (“Circular”) providing certain guidelines for factories / manufacturing entities situated within the State ...
Tips on how to mitigate losses: Mall Leases: Mall leases have ceased to be in the nature of a tenancy agreement. The clauses are no longer limited to availability of the premises, rent, lock-in period, repairs, and exit. Mall owners have come to impose sale targets on the retailers operating from their malls. Rent consists of both a percentage of the revenue earned by the retailer as well as a fixed monthly payment ...
Introduction In light of cessation of routine judicial activities in recent times on account of the Covid-19 pandemic, the decision of the High Court at New Delhi on April 20, 2020 in Halliburton Offshore Services Limited vs. Vedanta Limited and Anothercomes asa welcome breather in an area otherwise seemingly parched for development of case law ...
