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The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has said that the statutory changes in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the coal compensation cess fall under the ambit of a ‘change in law’ event, and their impact will be adjusted or refunded to distribution companies. “The move is very progressive being prompt action by a regulator which will help in ensuring cost reflective tariff adjustment on real-time basis” said Amit Kapur, Partner with law firm JSA. Read more

India’s draft aircraft leasing rules may deter global lessors from leasing aircraft to domestic airlines, caution aviation legal experts. The cautionary note comes after the Centre enacted the Protection of Interests in Aircraft Objects Act, 2025, to align with the Cape Town Convention (CTC). According to Poonam Verma Sengupta, Partner at JSA Advocates and Solicitors, the draft rules remove the three-month cap and mandate the payment of such dues in full before repossession. This aspect, she said, could delay repossession for lessors as aircraft cannot be exported until all claims are first verified and settled.”It also adds unnecessary costs for lessors and conflicts with India’s Cape Town Convention commitments, particularly Article 13, which emphasises the creditor’s right to prompt possession of aircraft,” she said. The draft rules, Sengupta pointed out, risk undermining investor confidence unless they are rebalanced. Read more

 The CCI report observed that AI-driven price discovery is now being used as a strategic tool by some businesses to drive revenue optimization. However, these AI strategies introduce regulatory risks such as a lack of transparency. The report cautioned that AI could be used to implement predatory strategies by targeting below-cost pricing aimed at price-sensitive customers or those at risk of switching, while keeping prices unchanged for other consumers. “The rise of AI is reshaping industries and consumer behaviour, bringing both opportunities and regulatory challenges. The CCI’s AI market study is a crucial step, offering a roadmap to balance innovation with fair competition, and it expects businesses to embed transparency, accountability, and compliance into their AI strategies from the outset,” said Vaibhav Choukse, Partner, JSA. Read more

India is no longer just a country of promise. Today, it is a pivot in global supply chains, a magnet for investment, and a market brimming with talent and scale. But as the second discussion of Mint Leadership Dialogues 2025, Season 2 showed, there isa gap between aspiration and action. The question at the centre of the debate: Can India truly man of Suzlon Group, emphasized focus over geopolitics. Nisha Kaur Uberoi, partner at JSA Advocates & Solicitors, highlighted regulatory friction. “Indian industry has created tremendous value, but last-mile execution matters. Desire is there, but frameworks and enablers need to catch up.” “You cannot have policy and regulators which then cut Indian domestic champions down to size”. Read more

The Delhi High Court’s recent order to pass on the benefits of GST rate reduction to consumers through price cuts and not through grammage increase has set the FMCG industry into a tailspin, especially about small packs priced at popular price points. In response to GST rate cuts enforced last month, many FMCG companies passed on price reduction even on smaller packs priced at ₹5 or ₹10, leading to odd price points being visible on retail shelves, such as ₹4.50 and ₹9. But other companies cut prices on large packs and increased grammage on small packs, citing coinage-related challenges. Flagging implementation issues faced by FMCG companies, Manish Mishra, Partner & Head – Indirect Tax, JSA Advocates & Solicitors, said: “There are practical considerations that need to be factored for the FMCG sector where price reduction may not always be feasible given that the goods on offer may be high on volumes but low in terms of per unit price.” Read more

Some lapses have emerged in passing the GST benefits to consumers in FMCG products, leading to companies and distributors blaming each other for the issues with select packs on certain channels even as the government plans action against erring firms and distributor partners. While some companies said the lapses and delays are at the distributors’ end, distributors have alleged that some companies have selectively increased base prices of certain packs. “Distributors can pass only what shows in the system from the company’s end,” the chief of a large distributor entity told ET on the condition of anonymity. “A few large brands have increased base prices of some of their packs, which is not translating to lower prices,” the person alleged. The lapses are particularly being called out in packs of 20 and below, industry and trade executives said. Read more

Law firms and corporations are scrambling to tackle the human resources impact of the vexed H-1B matter, after US President Donald Trump’s latest immigration crackdown threw India’s $283 billion IT sector into turmoil. The new rule, which mandates that employers pay a staggering $100,000 fee for each first-time H-1B visa applicant, threatens to cost the country’s top IT services companies billions of dollars and has left thousands of employees in limbo. The new regulations aren’t just a corporate headache; they’re a personal blow to thousands of workers. Gerald Manoharan, a partner at JSA Advocates and Solicitors, says employees with offers from US firms who are “on the tarmac waiting for their H-1B visas” are now being presented with two unappealing choices: accept a lower salary or take on a flexible work-from-India role. Read more

A six-year-old Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rule meant to keep a check on banks’ lending to large corporate groups is once again causing heartburn for lenders. The framework, last revised in 2019, limits how much banks can lend to a company and to a group of connected companies. The rule aims to avoid overexposure to any group and concentration of resources. Banks need to keep single-company exposure at 20% of their capital base, and a group of connected companies at 25%.  “Effectively, term loans are committed and can be availed at any time- with no or negligible right with the bank to refuse such drawdown. That is unlike a working capital facility, which is recallable on demand and can be cancelled at any point in time by the bank,” said Utsav Johri, Partner, JSA Advocates & Solicitors. Read more

Our Partner, Sajai Singh, has been quoted by the Press Trust of India (PTI) regarding the recent increase in H-1B visa fees imposed by the USA, now set at USD 100,000 per employee. Sajai’s insights have been featured across prominent news platforms, including The Hindustan Times, The Hindu BusinessLine, The Economic Times, Mint, The Week, moneycontrol.com, ABP Live, The Pioneer, Business Standard, The Economic Times, Moneycontrol, Deccan Chronicle, The Week, and Business Standard.

Sajai has astutely highlighted the implications of this fee hike for IT companies. He warns that this significant increase in costs could compel organisations heavily dependent on H-1B visas to reevaluate their hiring strategies. This development presents a significant challenge for businesses seeking to maintain a competitive edge while effectively managing operational expenses.

Sajai also shared his views in a video which was published on X.com by PTI and can be seen here.

The move comes at a time when the IBC, once hailed as a game-changer for corporate rescues, is bogged down by delays that stretch resolutions beyond the 330-day cap, eroding asset values and frustrating lenders. With over 1,000 cases still pending at the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) as of July, the bill promises to slash bottlenecks and empower creditors. “The amendments address statutory charges and introduce pre-pack, group, and cross-border mechanisms—solutions we’ve clamored for,” says Soumitra Majumdar, partner at JSA Advocates & Solicitors. He flags the need for broader consultations to iron out kinks, but sees them boosting creditor muscle without stripping promoter incentives. Read more

India’s total warehousing stock has reached 533.1 million sq. ft, with emerging Tier 2-3 cities contributing approximately 100 million sq. ft with Gujarat leading the charge. Gujarat cements its position as a national logistics and industrial powerhouse, industry leaders share their perspectives on the state’s swift growth, progressive policies, strong infrastructure, and the opportunities and challenges defining its warehousing and industrial landscape. Read more

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has decided to relax entry norms for foreign portfolio investors (FPIs), seeking to counter their continued withdrawal from the nation’s equity market. The regulator eased initial public offering (IPO) issue sizes for large Indian companies to strengthen an already impressive pipeline of share sales that could hit a record this year. At its board meeting on Friday, Sebi decided to allocate a quota to insurance companies and pension funds in the anchor books of IPOs, while reducing the minimum investment limit in long-value private equity (PE) funds to boost investor participation, among several steps to bolster the capital markets. “This will pave the way for larger unlisted companies to become public more seamlessly,” said Arka Mookerjee, partner, JSA Advocates & Solicitors. “Most importantly, Sebi has adopted a multi-pronged approach to increasing institutional participation in IPOs, with public shareholding threshold relaxations, additional QIB (qualified institutional buyer) participation and increasing timeline for compliance.” Read more