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Indian Law Partners (ILP) & Ashurst advise Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) on its Loan to SBI for development of City Gas Distribution Network in India

New Delhi, September 5, 2023: India’s largest bank State Bank of India (SBI) has secured JPY 13.5 billion (approx. INR 768 crore) finance from JBIC and other co-financers being MUFG Bank, Ltd. and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, a press statement said.

 

The loan is intended to provide, through SBI, the funds necessary for the development and operation of the city gas distribution (CGD) network business run by AGP City Gas Private Limited in India, in which Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. (Daigas) and Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation for Transport & Urban Development (JOIN) are indirectly investing.

 

According to the statement, ILP advised JBIC on the Indian law aspects, led by a team of Partners Gopika Pant and Vineet Gupta and assisted by Senior Associate Shradha Sharma and Associates Vinayek Mehra and Aradhana Pillai.

 

Ashurst Japan led by a team of Partner David Wadham, Senior Associate Akemi Kishimoto and Trainee Solicitor William Morgan acted for JBIC as international counsel.

DSK Legal’s Senior Manager Priyan Garg to join Khaitan & Co.

LE Desk

 

 

New Delhi, June 16, 2023:  Priyan Garg, Senior Manager at law firm DSK Legal, is joining Khaitan & Company.

 

 

Garg will take over his new role of Senior Manager – Practice Management, at Khaitan & Company and will function from their New Delhi office.

 

 

He joined DSK Legal in August 2019 as Manager for Business Development and Knowledge Management. Prior to that he worked with Karanjawala & Co. and LexisNexis India.

 

 

Garg is an alumnus of Amity Law School, Noida (2015) and also attended the Advanced Programme in Strategy for Leaders at the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (2022).

 

 

India International Arbitration Centre (IIAC) & IIM-Rohtak hold joint summit on Arbitration & Dispute Resolution: Creating conducive business climate

New Delhi, May 3, 2023: The India International Arbitration Centre and the Council for Strategic Affairs, Indian Institute of Management, Rohtak jointly organised a summit on ‘Arbitration & Dispute Resolution Creating Business Climate’ at the Delhi High Court, New Delhi.

 

The chief guest for the event was Justice Surya Kant, Hon’ble Judge, Supreme Court of India and the guest of honour for the ceremony was Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, Hon’ble Chief Justice, Delhi High Court, according to a press statement. 

 

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Indian International Arbitration Centre & the Indian Institute of Management Rohtak on the occasion.

 

The event also witnessed panel discussions on the topics, ‘Discussing best practices in commercial arbitration’ and ‘Efficient and effective dispute resolution to create a positive business environment’ with participation from experts and industry leaders like Mohit Saraf, Managing Partner, Saraf & Partners; Akhil Prasad, Member - Board of Directors, Boeing India; Gagan Puri, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal; Sunil Mehta, Chief Executive, Indian Banks’ Association; Deepak Gupta, Director Projects, GAIL India; among various other panellists, the press statement said. 

 

Justice Surya Kant in his valedictory address stated that arbitration incentivizes foreign businesses to enter the Indian market and holds the promise of smooth resolution of disputes through arbitration. “The MoU entered by IIAC and IIM Rohtak will help create a good pathway towards arbitration and spread awareness about arbitration to business particularly in cross border and international disputes. IIM-Rohtak has a world class expertise in management practices, consumer decision-making, supply-chain, public policy, technology, and economics and it can assist IIAC in leveraging its expertise. Together, this has a unique potential and opportunity to truly make India the arbitration hub for the world,” Justice Surya Kant said, as quoted in the press statement.

 

Justice Satish Chandra Sharma congratulated IIM Rohtak and IIAC for the MoU and said that it will help create responsiveness on arbitration. He stated that arbitration creates a beneficial environment for businesses for its disputes and that arbitration will keep growing. He further added that the most important thing right now in arbitration is to have a time frame.

 

Justice (retired) Hemant Gupta in his address said that the role of arbitration starts at the point of dispute itself. It is important to build self-esteem and bring trustworthy people to the table. He said that the Memorandum of Understanding between the Indian International Arbitration Centre and the Indian Institute of Management, Rohtak brings together both the institutes to conduct various seminar and certificate courses of about 52-60 hours and diploma courses which shall train the young minds in the field of arbitration. “IIM-Rohtak has an excellent programme of BBA+LLB. Thus, it is great initiative on the part of IIM-Rohtak that will create a platform to engage in and explore the field of arbitration,” Justice Gupta said, according to the press statement.

 

Prof. Dheeraj Sharma, Director, IIM-Rohtak in his inaugural address said, “Arbitration is key to save the humongous money wastage and lack of positive labor force that comes with not going for arbitration.”

DSK Legal CEO Padmini Rathore to join Khaitan & Co.

 

LE Correspondent

 

New Delhi, May 1, 2023: Padmini Rathore, the CEO of top law firm DSK Legal, is joining competitor firm Khaitan & Company, sources have informed LegitEye.

 

Ms Rathore will soon take over her new role of Chief Practice Officer at Khaitan & Company and will function from their Delhi office.

 

Ms Rathore joined DSK Legal in February 2018 as the Chief Executive Officer. Prior to that she worked with Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas as Director, Business Planning and Compliance (Managing Partner’s Office) and Director, Strategy.

 

She is an alumnus of the Mudra Institute of Communications (MICA), Ahmedabad and also attended an Executives’ program at the Harvard Business School.  

DSK Legal advises Excel Controlinkage, Promoters regarding sale of their shareholding to Greaves Cotton

LE Desk

New Delhi, April 29, 2023:  DSK Legal has advised Excel Controlinkage Private Limited and its Promoters in relation to sale of their 100% shareholding in Excel to Greaves Cotton Limited (GCL) in four tranches, the Law Firm has said.

The first tranche will comprise of sale of 60% shareholding in Excel. The deal value is approximately Rs 385 crores, it said.

The scope of work of DSK Legal included: (i) reviewing, revising, negotiating and finalizing the transaction documents including the binding term sheet, the share purchase agreement and the shareholder’s agreement; and (ii) assisting in the execution of the transaction documents. Going forward, DSK Legal will be involved in closing of various tranches of the transaction including assisting in fulfillment of conditions precedent and other completion deliverables.    

The team representing DSK Legal comprised of Kunal Mehra (Partner), Danish Khan (Principal Associate) and Aakrit Aditya Sharma (Associate).

GCL was represented by JSA. Singhi Advisors acted as the investment bankers to Excel and its Promoters, the statement said.

Excel is one of the largest players in mechanical and electronic motion control systems with an integrated capability to manufacture push pull cables, levers & sensors, the Law Firm said. Excel’s portfolio includes heavy‐duty push‐pull cables, mechanical levers & linkages, and electronic throttle levers catering to customer segments like commercial vehicles, construction equipment, agriculture, material handling, marine and SPVs, supplying directly to vast majority of the original equipment manufacturers as well as for aftermarket.

DSK Legal advices, represents Red Chillies Entertainments in suit filed in Delhi HC seeking restraining of social media platforms from committing any infringement in relation to its forthcoming film ‘Jawan

LE Desk

 

New Delhi, April 26, 2023:  DSK Legal has advised, assisted and represented Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt. Ltd in a suit filed on their behalf before the Delhi High Court against Ashok Kumar/ John Doe, Twitter INC, Youtube LLC, Google LLC, Reddit INC and 35 others, seeking restraining and injunctive reliefs against the defendants from committing any infringement in relation to its forthcoming cinematographic film ‘Jawan’ or any part thereof.

The film stars well-known actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi and others, and is directed by Atlee Kumar. The said film is scheduled to be released on 2nd June 2023.

The DSK Legal team comprised of Partners Parag Khandhar and Chandrima Mitra. They were assisted by Advocate Krishan Kumar, the Law Firm said in a press statement.

Senior Counsel Rajshekhar Rao along with Counsel Nizamuddin Pasha were briefed in the matter, it said.

DSK Legal advises SRL Limited in acquisition of business of Lifeline Laboratories

LE Desk

 

New Delhi, April 17, 2023: DSK Legal has advised SRL Limited, a subsidiary of Fortis Healthcare Limited, in relation to acquisition of the business of Lifeline Laboratories to expand SRL’s footprint in Delhi NCR region in the diagnostic services domain, the Law Firm has said. 

 

DSK Legal assisted and advised SRL Limited on all legal aspects of the transaction, including: conducting legal due diligence of Lifeline Laboratories;

transaction structuring, drafting, negotiating, and finalizing the definitive agreements for the acquisition of the business undertaking; assisting in closing of the transaction, the Firm said in a press statement.

 

The team representing DSK Legal comprised of Jayesh Kothari (Partner), Rajlaxmi Kale (Senior Associate), Sharmishtha Bharde (Associate) and Kais Umani (Associate). Hemang Parekh (Partner) acted as engagement partner for the transaction.

 

Lifeline Laboratories is engaged in the business of providing diagnostic services with its operations located in the Delhi-NCR region.

DSK Legal advises Religare Enterprises in acquisition of 100% shareholding of MIC Insurance Web Aggregator from iGear Holdings

LE Desk

 

New Delhi, April 13, 2023: DSK Legal has advised Religare Enterprises Limited in relation to its acquisition of 100% shareholding of MIC Insurance Web Aggregator Private Limited from iGear Holdings Private Limited, an Indian Express Group entity, the Law Firm has said.

DSK Legal assisted and advised Religare on the legal aspects of the transaction such as conducting the legal due diligence, transaction structuring, drafting, reviewing, and finalising the definitive agreements for the acquisition of 100% shareholding of the Target Company, the Firm said in a press statement.

The legal due diligence exercise team comprised of Chirag Jain (Principal Associate), Amrita Mehdiratta (Senior Associate), Parikalp Gupta (Associate), and Aankhi Anwesha (Associate).

The transaction structuring, drafting, and finalisation of the definitive documents was led by Rishi Anand (Partner) along with Chirag Jain (Principal Associate), and was assisted by Snigdha Prakash (Associate).

With this acquisition, Religare aims at expanding its foothold in the insurance distribution space, the statement said.

The Target Company, as the country’s first IRDAI approved and registered insurance web aggregator, operates a portal at www.myinsuranceclub.com.

DSK Legal advises Redcliffe Labs on acquisition of Medicentre Sonography & Clinical Lab

New Delhi, April 10, 2023: DSK Legal has advisedRedcliffe Labs on the acquisition of Medicentre Sonography & Clinical Lab by way of a slump sale transaction, the Law Firm has said.

DSK Legal assisted and advised Redcliffe on all legal aspects of the transaction, including conducting legal due diligence, transaction structuring, drafting, negotiating, and finalizing the definitive agreements, and closing of the acquisition transaction, the firm said in a press statement.

The team representing DSK Legal comprised of Nakul Batra (Partner), Palak Sehgal (Senior Associate), Kunal Garg (Associate), Snigdha Prakash (Associate), Udit Rao (Associate) and Yash Tiwari (Associate). Rishi Anand (Partner) was the engagement partner for the transaction.

Medicentre was advised by Law of Madhavan Srivatsan (LOOMS).

Medicentre is engaged in the business of providing diagnostic services, with its operations located across the state of Rajasthan via multiple diagnostic laboratories, collection centres, and hospital labs management.

The deal will expand Redcliffe’s footprint in India in relation to the delivery of diagnostic services, the statement said, adding that the consideration payable to the sellers was a mix of cash and equity.

DSK Legal shifts to new offices in Mumbai & Pune

By LE Desk

 

Mumbai, April 8, 2023: In line with its continuing growth, DSK Legal has shifted to larger offices in Mumbai and Pune, the Law Firm has said.

 

Equipped with the necessary amenities and state-of-the-art infrastructure, the new offices will provide a harmonious work environment for lawyers and clients, it said in a press statement.The Mumbai office is now the entire 17th floor in Tower 2B at One World Centre, and the Pune office is on the ground floor at 1 Modibaug, Shivajinagar.

 

The Firm’s Managing Partner, Mr Anand Desai, said, “We are delighted to continue to grow our firm, and to have excellent office space to meet our requirements.”

 

At present, the Firm has 66 Partners and Associate Partners, and over 250 advocates across offices in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad, the statement said.

DSK Legal appoints 4 Partners, 3 Associate Partners

By LE Desk

New Delhi, April 3, 2023: DSK Legal has promoted Associate Partners Abhishek Singh Baghel, Jayesh Kothari, Mitali Naik and Nakul Batra as Partners,and Principal Associates Akanksha Tiwary, Prachi Garg and Prachi Gupta as Associate Partners, the Law Firm has announced.

With this round of promotions, the Firm has 57 Partners and 9 Associate Partners across its offices in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad, it said in a press statement. 

1. Abhishek Singh Baghel - Abhishek is experienced in Competition Law – litigation, advisory, policy and compliance, and represents clients in matters before the Competition Commission of India, Appellate Tribunal, High Courts and the Supreme Court of India. Abhishek also has experience in Media Law, and regularly represents high profile clients from the Indian film Industry and film production studios.

2. ​Jayesh Kothari - Jayesh has extensive experience in corporate and commercial law, including in the areas of cross-examination-border M&A, Private Equity/Venture Capital transactions, and advisory work, across various industry sectors.

3. Mitali Naik - Mitali has extensive experience in real estate laws and transactions, including for real estate developers and financiers (equity and debt).

4. Nakul Batra - Nakul is experienced in corporate and commercial laws, including M&A, Private Equity/Venture Capital transactions. He is also a computer science engineer, and his practice has a particular focus on technology and data protection laws.

5. Akanksha Tiwary - Akanksha is experienced in corporate and commercial laws, including M&A, Private Equity/Venture Capital transactions in the private and public space, as also strategic alliances and joint ventures involving domestic and international clients.

6. Prachi Garg – Prachi is experienced in commercial Dispute Resolution work, both litigation and arbitration, and has a background in general corporate and M&A work as well.

7. Prachi Gupta - Prachi is experienced in corporate and commercial laws, including M&A, Private Equity transactions involving domestic and international clients.

Commenting on the promotions, Managing Partner, Mr Anand Desai said, “Each of our newly appointed partners and associate partners have been with us for several years, and have grown very well in their respective roles and responsibilities. I am confident they will continue to add great value in our ongoing journey.”