Corporate Law

Alternative Investment Funds ("AIF") in India are governed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Alternative Investment Regulations), 2012 ("AIF Regulations") and regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India ("SEBI"). AIFs are investment funds that are established or incorporated in India that are privately pooled from foreign or Indian sources, in the form of trusts, companies, bodies corporate and limited liability partnerships. ......

The Company Law Committee published its third report ("Report") on April 13, 2022 which makes recommendations to the Government on changes to the Companies Act, 2013 ("Companies Act"), the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008 ("LLP Act") and the rules framed thereunder. The amendments and new additions proposed in the Report aim to bring Indian company law in line with global practices and improve the ease of doing business in India. ......

On April 8, 2022, in the case of Noel Harper vs. Union of India , the Supreme Court upheld the validity of certain amendments made to the provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (hereinafter referred to as the “FCRA”) which came into effect in September, 2020, clarifying that “the strict regime had become essential because of the past experience of abuse and misutilisation of foreign contribution”. ......

On February 21, 2022, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) published the draft India Data Accessibility and Use Policy on its website. The draft of the policy was made available for the purpose of inviting public feedback till mid-March, 2022. Since then, the policy has garnered considerable attention and critical acclaim. ......

On March 14, 2022 the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (“DPIIT”) reviewed the Consolidated FDI Policy Circular of 2020 (“FDI Policy”) for the purpose of allowing foreign investment in the Life Insurance Corporation of India (“LIC”), along with providing clarity and consistency in other sections of the FDI Policy including those provisions relating to real estate businesses. ... ...

In its board meeting held on 15 February 2022, SEBI has decided to change the requirement for listed companies to separate the posts of Chairperson and MD/ CEO to voluntary from mandatory. This decision has been taken in view post multiple representations from corporates and industry bodies expressing difficulties in complying with the mandate. After multiple delays, this rule shall fully come into force on 1 April 2022. We analyse SEBI’s recent decision and its implications. ... ...

The laws that govern the provision of medical advice in India play a major role in ensuring that the healthcare machinery is robust and the best interests of the patients are always kept at the forefront. Broadly, these laws attempt to ensure that general medical practitioners are free to tailor their medical advice to fit the requirements of their patients, and limit certain conduct to prevent the aforesaid discretion from resulting in adversities for the patients. ......

Gift vouchers for salons and discounts for spa visits – these are the kinds of sops routinely offered to women come March 8. But is this really what women want? One day of the year dedicated to nominally “celebrating” the achievements of a gender that makes up half the population, wrapped in pinks and frills, is nothing short of being disrespectful of the achievements and the achievers themselves. ......

Under Indian law, defamation is both a criminal (punishable with imprisonment) as well as civil offence (punishable through the award of damages). Defamation as a civil offence is punishable under the law of torts, whereas, the criminal law on defamation is codified under the Indian Penal Code, 1860 ("IPC"). ......