Allowability of expenditure linked to unverified sundry creditors requires examination under Section 37(1) where that provision is invoked. Section 69C is inapplicable when the source of the expenditure is undisputed. The absence of an express statutory reference in the assessment order does not by itself invalidate an addition. Deletion without a specific determination of the claimed expenditure's allowability under Section 37(1) is unsustainable and requires fresh consideration.

Reciprocal VAT exemption and refund facilities are extended to the High Commission of Jamaica for taxable goods purchased for official use and for the personal use of its diplomats. The Sixth Schedule to the Delhi Value Added Tax Act, 2004 is amended to include the High Commission in the List of Embassies. VAT refund remains subject to the prescribed minimum invoice value for each invoice, and the amendment operates from 21 November 2025.

Appellate Tribunal filing deadlines allow appeals concerning orders communicated before 1 May 2026 and applications concerning orders passed before 1 February 2026 to be filed up to 31 July 2026. Appeals relating to orders communicated on or after 1 May 2026 remain subject to the three-month period from communication, while applications relating to orders passed on or after 1 February 2026 remain subject to the six-month period from the order date. The framework is deemed effective from 30 June 2026.

Strategic restructuring of IDBI Bank Ltd. involves the sale of 60.72% of its shareholding to an approved Strategic Buyer, comprising holdings of the Government of India and LIC. Qualified bids were evaluated against a benchmark derived from independent Market Multiple and Asset Valuation methods, with volatile stock-market prices disregarded. Further steps require fit-and-proper assessment, a regulatory compliance roadmap, withdrawal of government and LIC board nominees, and management or sale of their residual shareholdings under applicable procedures.

Strategic restructuring of IDBI Bank Ltd. has been approved through sale of a 60.72% equity stake to a strategic buyer, with residual holdings retained by the Government of India and LIC. Bidder participation required fit-and-proper and security clearances. After initial bids fell below the reserve price, best offers were assessed against independent enterprise valuations based on the Market Multiple Method and Asset Valuation Method. The successful bid exceeded the benchmark and both fair-value estimates. Completion remains subject to regulatory credentials and a compliance roadmap.

Operation Parivartan uses ground surveys and drone technology to identify and destroy illicit cannabis cultivation at source, with Forest and Police Department support in difficult terrain. It also incorporates public dialogue and alternative crop development under the NDPS Policy 2012. CBN, as the apex drug law-enforcement and regulatory agency under the Department of Revenue, is responsible for identifying and destroying illicit cannabis and opium cultivation and continues such operations nationwide.

India's prohibition on direct or indirect import or transit of Pakistani-origin goods is alleged to have been circumvented through third-country routing and false origin documentation. Operation Deep Manifest identified rock salt imports routed through Colombo with purported UAE-issued certificates of origin and invoices. Preliminary investigation linked importers to an alleged transnational network using fabricated trade records and false declarations of origin. Containers, bank-held sales proceeds and Pakistan-origin dry dates were seized, and four persons were arrested under the Customs Act, 1962.

Income-tax issues include whether a disallowance for failure to withhold tax applies to interest paid to a head office or overseas branches under the rules for non-resident payments. They also address whether expenditure disallowance must be calculated using Rule 8D, and whether interest earned on loans to an associated enterprise forms part of the arm's-length-price margin for services rendered to that enterprise. The subject matter combines withholding-tax disallowance, exempt-income expenditure allocation, and transfer-pricing margin computation.

Fresh defamation pleadings may proceed after curing defects identified in an earlier rejection, where the prior order is disclosed. Pre-trial removal and restraint of online content may be granted despite a damages claim when a prima facie case, balance of convenience and irreparable injury are established. Material not supporting allegations of child abuse, coupled with tweet language exceeding permissible criticism and being prima facie defamatory, supported ad interim removal of the article and tweet and restraint on similar defamatory publications pending adjudication.

Section 93 permits post-death GST determination against a legal representative where a liable person dies. If the business is discontinued, tax, interest and penalty may be recovered only from the deceased's inherited estate and only within its capacity; the heir's independent assets remain outside that limit. Proceedings may be initiated without a pre-death notice, but must be addressed to the legal representative in that capacity, follow the applicable adjudication process, and provide hearing and a reasoned order.

Punjab Goods and Services Tax administration amends a prior notification issued under the statutory power to grant exemptions in the public interest. The amendment substitutes the previously prescribed date of 30 September 2018 with 30 September 2019, thereby extending the period specified in the earlier notification by one year.

Section 37A permits seizure of equivalent domestic assets only where the authorised officer records written reasons to believe that foreign assets are held in contravention of FEMA. The competent authority must examine the material after hearing both sides and either confirm or set aside seizure. A reasoned non-confirmation based on an absent statutory threshold is substantive on seizure, though it does not finally decide the underlying contravention. Pending appeal, the adjudicating authority cannot displace that finding or adopt a contrary premise; Section 37A(4) applies only to confirmed seizure.

Where an oppression and mismanagement petition has been dismissed, a pending appeal without an appellate stay does not itself restore a former director's authority or suspend the dismissal's operative effect. Sections 241 and 242 require statutory prejudice and prescribed Tribunal findings; procedural irregularities in director removal may be relevant but do not alone establish oppression. Banks should ordinarily follow formally authorised company instructions rather than decide unresolved management disputes, unless a binding judicial or statutory restraint applies.

Benami-property claims based on a claimant's payment for property titled in another person's name may fall within the statutory definition when the property is alleged to be held for that claimant's benefit. A Will, succession claim, or other later instrument does not provide an independent basis of title where the pleaded foundation is restoration of beneficial ownership. The statutory scheme prohibits benami arrangements, bars enforcement of claimed beneficial ownership, and treats prohibited re-transfers as invalid; self-acquired title in the named holder's name does not displace the pleaded funding arrangement.

Punjab SGST exemption schedule adds sal, siali and sisal leaves, sabai grass, broom-making vegetable materials, specified leaf-based goods, deities, sanitary towels, sanitary napkins, tampons and Rakhi other than items made from Chapter 71 goods. It also replaces the de-oiled rice bran entry and clarifies its exemption from 25 January 2018. Coir pith compost remains subject to conditions concerning unit containers, brand names and voluntarily foregone brand-name rights under Annexure I.

Portfolio manager-client agreements must define the manager's fiduciary role, permitted services, discretionary and non-discretionary responsibilities, investment mandate, client authorisations, risk disclosures, duration, termination, custody and separate client accounts. They must provide for client consent to material changes, access to records, periodic reporting, fee and billing disclosures, and liability provisions. Client liability is restricted to the investment amount, while arrangements for death or disability, assignment, governing law, grievance redressal, dispute resolution and arbitration must also be included.

Portfolio managers must act honestly, fairly and diligently in investors' interests, deploy client investment money promptly, and pay client dues without delay. They must avoid or disclose conflicts of interest, give fair treatment to clients, preserve confidentiality, and not prioritise proprietary interests over client interests. Investors must receive true and adequate information and risk awareness without misleading claims. Market manipulation, improper disclosure or use of unpublished price-sensitive information, and undisclosed positional interests in public investment advice are prohibited.

India's Finance Minister will participate in multilateral and bilateral economic discussions addressing economic developments, financial-sector issues, the global economic outlook, development priorities, international financial cooperation, and reform of the international financial architecture. Related engagements will examine trade resilience, investment opportunities, and mobilisation of private capital for urban and water infrastructure, while highlighting India's economic performance and reform priorities.

Portfolio managers must pay fixed application, registration, and three-year renewal fees. Fees must be remitted by direct credit into the designated bank account using NEFT, RTGS, IMPS, online payment through the SEBI Payment Gateway, or another payment mode specified by the Board. The fee structure imposes separate payment obligations for application, registration, and periodic renewal.

Repeal and savings preserve continuity when the 2026 Portfolio Managers Regulations replace the 2020 framework. Pre-repeal registrations, approvals, suspensions, cancellations, adjudications, enquiries, investigations, and show-cause notices are treated as actions under corresponding 2026 provisions. Pending applications transfer to those provisions, while accrued rights, liabilities, penalties, proceedings, and remedies remain unaffected. Existing regulatory references are read as references to corresponding 2026 provisions.