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Disposal of Unsubscribed Portion in Rights Issue: Legal Position in India

Summary: The Board’s discretion to dispose of unsubscribed portion of rights issue to non-shareholders was made a bit easier by the Companies Act, 2013, by giving more flexibility to the Board as compared to the language used in the 1956 Act. However, whether such disposal is tantamount to a preferential allotment or a public offer (when offered to more than 200 persons) has always been a subject of legal debate. This blog demystifies the legal position and clarifies the applicability of the RBI’s pricing guidelines under FEMA, when such allotment is made to a non-resident investor.

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Summary: The Indian sports endorsement sector has evolved from informal handshake deals to sophisticated, legally enforced contracts, driven by exponential growth in sports fandom, digital rights, and player recognition. Modern endorsement agreements require careful negotiation of product categorisation, exclusivity terms, social media deliverables, and provisions governing players’ personal choices to create resilient, commercially meaningful partnerships.

Continue Reading Winning Off the Field: The Changing Face of Sports Endorsement Deals in India
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Special Rights to Shareholders: Analysis of Regulation 31B of SEBI LODR Regulations

Summary: This article analyses Regulation 31B of SEBI’s LODR Regulations, which requires listed companies to obtain shareholder approval every five years for special rights granted to certain shareholders, addressing concerns about perpetual rights that survive dilution. Whilst the regulation seeks to balance commercial flexibility with shareholder protection, its broad scope has generated debate about proportionality, with most companies deferring approval requests until the 2028 deadline.

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FIU-IND’s Annual Report 2024-25: Trends and Takeaways for India’s Digital Assets Industry

Introduction

The Financial-Intelligence Unit – India (“FIU-IND”), India’s nodal enforcement agency for anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism (“AML/CFT”), has released its Annual Report (“Report”) for FY 2024-25.[1] The Report signals two clear trends: one, the continued expansion of India’s digital assets industry, with a focus on bringing offshore virtual digital asset service providers (“VDASP”) within the regulatory ambit; and two, the FIU-IND’s emphasis on data-driven information sharing for enforcement. This FIG Paper explores key areas of the FIU-IND’s focus in the previous year and offers insights into the future of digital assets regulation in the new year.

Continue Reading FIG Paper No. 53 (VDA Series 8) FIU-IND’s Annual Report 2024-25: Trends and Takeaways for India’s Digital Assets Industry
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Insurance Distribution in India: Emerging Channels, Compliance, and Data Governance

Summary: This continuation of Part I delves into the evolving insurance distribution landscape in India, focusing on other channels such as web aggregators, insurance marketing firms, and common service centres, alongside traditional intermediaries like PoSPs, MISPs, and agents. It highlights regulatory prohibitions that safeguard ethical practices, policyholder-centric reforms under the IRDAI framework, and the impact of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act on intermediaries. The article underscores how compliance, transparency, and data security are shaping a future-ready distribution ecosystem that balances innovation with consumer trust.

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India’s Intellectual Property Ecosystem: A Record-Breaking Year Insights From The Annual Report 2024–25 Published By The Patent Office

Insights from the Annual Report 2024–25 published by the Patent Office

Summary: India’s intellectual property ecosystem achieved a record-breaking year in FY 2024-25, with total filings surging nearly 20% across patents, trademarks, designs, GIs, and copyrights. This growth signals rising confidence in domestic innovation and the effectiveness of modernisation initiatives like digitisation and AI integration. For readers, the report highlights India’s evolving IP landscape, offering insights into opportunities, challenges, and the country’s strengthening global position in intellectual property protection.

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Understanding Insurance Distribution in India: A Comprehensive Guide

Summary: This blog provides an overview of India’s insurance distribution framework, explaining the roles of intermediaries like brokers, corporate agents, TPAs, and surveyors under IRDAI regulations. It highlights recent reforms introduced by the Insurance Amendment Bill, 2025, which aim to simplify compliance, expand intermediary definitions, and strengthen policyholder protection. Understanding these evolving rules is crucial for insurers, intermediaries, and stakeholders to navigate the market effectively and ensure transparent, compliant distribution.

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The Securities Market Code, 2025 (Bill No. 200 of 2025): Raising the Bar to Embrace the Future

Summary: This blog examines the Securities Market Code Bill, 2025, in terms of key changes, and their implications for SEBI and the securities market. SEBI’s regulatory role, along with increased involvement of market infrastructure institutions, securities market service providers and self-regulatory organisations, is poised for significant reform. While the shift towards a principle-based statute upholding good governance, natural justice, transparency and accountability is laudable, certain challenges relating to implementation and capacity-building should be addressed.

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Supreme Court’s Landmark Ruling: A Tenant Can Never Become an Owner based on Adverse Possession

Summary: This blog explains a landmark Supreme Court ruling in Jyoti Sharma vs. Vishnu Goyal, clarifying that tenants can never become property owners through long occupation. It highlights how the judgement strengthens landlords’ rights, ends false ownership claims, and brings clarity to tenant-landlord relationship in India.

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Summary: Every time a serious governance failure is discovered, the subject of corporate governance and the role of independent directors take centre stage and become the subject matter of intense media debate. The reality is that independent directors are non-executive directors and have a limited role to play in the day-to-day management of the company. This blog examines the need for regulators to strike a healthy balance between authority and responsibility. The author appeals to the regulators to re-examine the roles and responsibilities of independent directors and set realistic expectations.

Continue Reading India Inc’s Governance Dilemma: Are Expectations from Independent Directors Unrealistic?