Legal News and Views -  Asia Pacific and Beyond

Exclusive: Nalsar Hyderabad has today disclosed the full copy of the three-judge report on the university to Legally India, containing around 50 additional pages of findings from the detailed four-month investigation published in September 2011, as Nalsar students called off a protest against the administration.

Deals with SNG & Partners, Dua Associates, AZB & Partners, Khaitan & Co, Vichar Partners, Majmudar & Co, J Sagar Associates (JSA) and more…

Exclusive: PXV Law Partners’ founders have agreed to separate, with managing partner Rohit Das and co-founding partner Arindam Pal reverting into the RDA Legal brand name in Mumbai and Kolkata, while the six remaining partners would continue in Delhi and Bangalore under the PXV banner. Both firms intend to restart offices to become national firms again.

The Vodafone tax case will not just be remembered for being one of the biggest in Indian history, but also for cementing the reputations of a raft of lawyers at the top of their game and others who are rapidly getting there.

Click here to read about how lawyers like Harish Salve, Rohinton Nariman, Dutt Menon Dunmorrsett (DMD) and others fought the case, exclusively in today’s Mint.

Mint’s Nikhil Kanekal argues in today’s edition of Mint that the Bar Council of India (BCI) should be stripped of most of its powers and replaced with an independent regulators who can better oversee legal education and the noble profession.

Pakistan Supreme Court summons Pakistani PM Gilani over giving immunity to Prez Zardari in graft cases; Bench to slap Gilani with contempt charges, directs PM to appear in person on Feb 13; Gilani’s lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan says he will appeal [Times of India]

SC erases law; Division bench of justices AK Ganguly & JS Khehar declare Section 27(3) of Arms Act of mandatory death penalty as ‘unconstitutional’. Say law was against fundamental tenets of constitutional law [The Hindu]

Allahabad HC rejects anti-graft warrior Shanti Bhushan’s writ petition challenging stamp commissioner’s order; Justice Arun Tandon says alternative remedy under Indian Stamp Act available [Times of India]

FIFA graft case goes to Swiss SC; Swiss Federal Tribunal says five case files opened; appellants’ names to be kept under wraps [Times of India]

Lawyer H Hariharan continues to fire rounds for 60 mins at Google & Facebook in Delhi HC; Google and Facebook to reply on Valentine’s Day; Hariharan says Google ‘responsible’ for content & is violating IT act [First Post]

SC ruling on 2G licenses a dis-service to nation?; is imposing a fine on the guilty a better remedy than cancellation?; how long will it take to convict the accused? [Economic Times]

Shipping lawyer Harsh Pratap has joined the Mumbai office of Clasis Law as a partner to head up the shipping & international trade division of the firm.

Pratap advises Indian and international clients on a variety of fields such as shipping matters, including commercial litigation and arbitration, stated a Clasis press release.

Pratap graduated from GLC, Mumbai in 2001 and obtained an LLM in maritime law from the University of Southampton in the UK.

He told Legally India: “After graduating from GLC I worked for a few years and then went to University of Southampton to do a masters in maritime law for one year. I returned and worked for another few years and then joined Clasis Law. Maritime law usually involves a lot of international law, so apart from Indian laws, other laws will usually be involved. It is exciting and I look forward to my work here. Our firm is venturing out into the field of shipping and international trade and I will be heading this division.”

Harsh had previously worked in the capacity of a senior associate with Prashant S Pratap Law Office in Mumbai and briefly set out on his own under the banner HP Law.

Clasis Law had hired former Parekh & Co lawyer Sumeet Lall late last year at the Delhi office and added former Trilegal of counsel Sagar Divekar in Mumbai.

Clasis’ legacy firm ALMT promoted four senior associates to partnership, Legally India reported yesterday.

The Madras High Court reserved its judgement yesterday and has begun deliberating on the fate of 31 international law firms and legal process outsourcing (LPO) outfit Integreon, and whether they face a ban of flying into India, after counsel for all sides concluded arguments.

NLIU Bhopal, in association with Surana & Surana International Attorneys is hosting a unique conference for moot organisers in India, which will attempt to debate, rationalise and standardise the various moot formats being followed in the country and come out with a single, unified moot format for the benefit of the mooting community.

On the first anniversary of A Raja going to jail, the Supreme Court today quashed all 122 2G spectrum licenses granted by the former telecoms minister in 2008, although the apex court passed to the trial courts the decision on union home minister P Chidambaram involvement.

Exclusive: Nalsar Hyderabad yesterday responded to Legally India’s Right to Information (RTI) request of 12 January, disclosing part of the highly critical September 2011 report of the three-judge committee headed by Justice Syed Shah Mohammed Quadri investigating the college.

Massive day in SC tomorrow: 2G scam judgment on Chidambaram will be out at 10:30am, according to causelists [via @courtwitness1]

Mumbai special TADA court says Abu Salem’s trial to continue; rejects Salem’s application seeking closure of case based on Portuguese SC ruling [Hindustan Times]

Who burnt Godhra? Narendra Modi breathes sigh of relief; Gujarat HC division bench Justices Akil Kureshi & Sonia Gokani reject NGO application asking Nanavati Commission to summon the CM in 2002 Godhra riots probe [Economic Times]

Country’s premier probe agencies welcome SC ruling on nailing 2G corrupt; Former Vigilance Commissioner Sudhir Kumar says SC ruling gives voice to aam admi [India Today]

Infamous 1996 fodder scam continues: main accused ex-Bihar CM Lalu Prasad & Jaganath Mishra  to appear in Special CBI court of PK Singh [Times of India]

SC directs cash-strapped IOC to pay UP Gov Rs 979 cr in taxes [Business Standard]

Mahindra Satyam escapes I-T net; Andhra HC stays move of I-T dept to encash Rs 617 Cr worth of bank guarantees [Times of India]

Delhi-ites to have mega traffic Lok Adalat on Sunday, organised by Delhi Police & Delhi Legal Service Authority ( DLSA). Delhi-ites can approach Saket, Dwarka, Patiala House, Rohini, Tis Hazari & Karkardooma courts to settle challans [Indian Express]

Why judge when you can teach? Prof Abhishek Mishra of NUJS says teaching more satisfying and fulfilling as opposed to competitive law firm job [Law Schools Terrace]

Exclusive: ALMT Legal has promoted four senior associates in Mumbai and Bangalore taking its total global partner strength to 18.

DSK Legal advised Bangalore-based pharmaceutical company Strides Arcolab in the sale of its 94 per cent shareholding in its Australian and Southeast Asian subsidiary Ascent Pharmahealth to US- based Watson Pharmaceuticals for A$375m (Rs 1965 crore), alongside Herbert Smith and Australian firms Freehills and Middletons.

SC rules in favour of Swamy as Justice AK Ganguly holds three months sufficient for sanctioning prosecution against government, upholding citizens’ constitutional right to invoke POCA [Mint]

Ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt’s criminal proceedings stayed by Gujarat HC in Modi-affidavit case [Indian Express]

ICAR begins 3-month probe to ascertain whether BN-Bt cotton intentionally falsely copied from bt cotton or was accidentally contaminated with Monsanto cotton [Mint]

Senior advocate, amicus curiae, Raju Ramachandran tells SC today in anti-death penalty petition that “brainwashed young” Kasab was not part of waging-war conspiracy and not given fair trial [Deccan Herald]

Justice Singhvi taken in by Gov’s defence of Radia whose tapes showed inconsistent starting and ending of conversation, and were “quite possibly” tampered [Times of India]

Sexual harassment of women employees in army, air force, navy soon to be examined by new committee, as per Gujarat HC order [Law et al News]

SC hears Democratic Youth Federation of India’s petition for permanent ban on pesticide Endosulfin that is banned in 81 countries [Law et al News]

Nalsar Hyderabad vice chancellor Veer Singh has been accused of “favouritism, abuse of authority, gross academic indiscipline and financial irregularities”, by Supreme Court and High Court judges in a report unearthed by state auditors, a copy of which Legally India has unsuccessfully tried to obtain for more than two weeks.

Exclusive: The Bar Council of India (BCI) has been restrained from publishing the results to the third All India Bar Exam (AIBE) due today by the still effective Calcutta High Court’s stay.

Luthra & Luthra has advised Tata Global Beverages on its joint venture with US coffee chain giant Starbucks Corp, which drafted in Amarchand Mangaldas.

Exclusive: “I don’t wish it on my worst enemy, and it’s not just a question of wanting to keep the record for myself,” jokes Andre Jerome about whether he’s ever likely to see a comparable case.

It is surprising that Jerome still has a sense of humour about it - as general counsel (GC) of Vodafone India Services Private Limited, he was literally at the beginning, middle and end of the storm surrounding its four-year court battle with the tax man.

SEBI changes lock-in periods for preferential allotment of shares [Press Release / Corporate law blog]

DIPP set to shield Indian gov’t from private party disputes in International forums by excluding bilateral trade pacts clause [Mint]

WSJ interviews Vodafone tax law firm Dutt Menon Dunmorrsett lawyer Fereshte Sethna [WSJ]

Madras HC CJ M Yusuf Eqbal inaugurates Salem court building & sub-judge quarters, tells legal fraternity to abstain from boycotting courts & increase camaraderie [TOI]

CBI’s drive to nail Essar & Loop continues as law min Khursheed locks horns with AG, says cheating cases against companies baseless [ET]

MP HC dismisses catholic bishop’s PIL challenging “unsecular” introduction of ‘Gita Sar’ in school curriculum. Says it is “philosophical”, not “religious” [Indian Express]

Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters is India’s new tool to dig up stashed black money. Right tax, right time, right place to follow for MNCs [Hindu]

Gov avoids judging euthanasia; Law Commission tells law min no new study on subject required [Hindustan Times]

Man coughs up 20K for wasting court time; Man claims CBI wasted his time [TOI]

SC quashes K’tka Lokayukta probe against Krishna, represented by K K Venugopal; Prashant Bhushan appears for complainant; SC calls probe “premature” [TOI]

2G-Swamy on anticipatory bail in controversial letter case; Senior KTS Tulsi represents Swamy, says case part of conspiracy against Swamy for exposing 2G scam [Hindu]

Mumbai sessions court may give its verdict today in 2007 abduction-and-murder of Adnan Patrawala [NDTV]