Akshat Jain

Partner
[email protected]
+91 11 4937 0604
New Delhi

ABOUT
EXPERIENCE

ABOUT

Akshat specializes in handling sector specific commercial litigation and his primary focus area is regulatory proceedings before statutory authorities, tribunals and courts, commercial litigation, and Constitutional & Administrative law litigation with focus on energy sector.

He handles varied aspects of legal, regulatory and policy issues and is regularly consulted on sectoral policy issues; tariff disputes; competitive market development and functioning including open access to bottleneck infrastructure, trading, forwards and futures; mitigating risks of unforeseen changes including force majeure and change in law; optimal structuring of generation projects; transmission and distribution issues; diverse disputes relating to energy sector including renewable purchase obligations; EPC disputes et al.

He regularly appears before the Supreme Court, High Courts, Appellate Tribunal for Electricity, State Electricity Regulatory Commissions for generating companies (conventional and renewable), and licensees across trading, distribution and transmission segments. He recently advised and represented a generating company in arbitration proceedings and successfully defended the claim for liquidated damages against the company. Akshat was recently recognized as a recommended JSA lawyer in the Disputes practice by RSG India Report 2019; a Top Individual Lawyer in the Forbes India Legal Powerlist 2023; India Super 50 lawyers for 2024 by Asian Legal Business.

Memberships

Bar Council of Delhi
Delhi High Court Bar Association

Publications

Co-authored a chapter titled “Legal Framework and India’s Energy Transition” published as a part of the India Infrastructure Report, 2025
Co-author for the article titled “Time to revisit Arbitration in the Power sector” published by SCC OnLine in October 2024
Co-authored the India chapter of ‘Alternative Energy & Power 2021 – Trends and Developments’ published in The Chambers Global Practice Guides in September 2021
Co-author for the article titled ‘The Path to the Pipeline’ published in Construction Line in January 2021
Co-authored the India chapter on ‘Environmental Law 2020 – Law and Practice’ published by Chambers & Partners in November 2020
Co-authored the White Paper on ‘Infrastructure – The Opportunity and Challenges’ for the Global Business Summit, 2020
‘Adapting to and Mitigating Climate Change through Legal-Regulatory Frameworks’ alongwith Amit Kapur published in American Bar Association
‘Power woes: Govt cracks whip on defaulting discoms, but is it enough?’ published in CNBC TV 18

Education

B.B.A.LLB, Symbiosis Law School, Pune

Languages

English
Hindi

EXPERIENCE

Some of the key assignments in these areas handled and being handled by Akshat amongst others, cover the following:-

Evaluation of contractual arrangements / regulatory & legal framework to facilitate compliance, and advising clients on processes to avoid / mitigate risks in the conduct of business.
Providing strategic advice and anchoring disputes on regulatory issues such as generation and distribution tariff(s), change in law issues, parallel licensing issues, open access, transmission infrastructure, captive power plant and allied issues, both for conventional and renewable energy power plants.
Advising clients on issues related to emission standards and risk mitigation in terms of applicable Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change directions.
Consulted by generating companies, distribution utilities, traders on risk mitigation and advisory, analysing policy decisions, regulations and its impact.
Appearing before the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity for thermal power generating companies for their complex disputes relating to cost plus as well as bid out tariff(s).
Advising and appearing on behalf of leading thermal power plants on issues relating to installation of FGD, in principle approvals and declaration of change in law for securing finances from lenders.
Advising and appearing for renewable power generators (wind, solar, bagasse, bio-mass) before the Appropriate Commission(s) and advising on day to day operational issues.
Advising and appearing for a leading cement manufacturer before the Madhya Pradesh ERC and the Appellate Tribunal securing favouarable orders qua issues on cross subsidy surcharge, additional surcharge et al.
Advised various generating companies on contentious contractual issues related to disputes with the procurers due to interpretation of force majeure clauses in the contract in the wake of Covid 19 pandemic and the resultant claw backs of payment to be made to such generating companies.