Khaitan & Co LLP > Mumbai, India > Firm Profile

Khaitan & Co LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings

India > Antitrust and competition Tier 1

With expertise in enforcement, cartelisation, and leniency matters, as well as merger controls, M&A transactions, and restructuring, Khaitan & Co LLP‘s antitrust and competition practice is capable of handling a wide range of matters, both domestically and internationally. The group has particular strengths in the manufacturing, steel, and technology sectors, and its notable client roster continues to expand. Anshuman Sakle heads up the practice and is highly regarded in the market for his extensive experience advising on merger control matters, abuse of dominance and cartel investigations, and joint venture and distribution agreements, alongside regulatory compliance and antitrust audits. He is instructed by businesses from a wide range of industries including financial services, pharmaceutical, and infrastructure. Other notable names in the team are Manas Kumar Chaudhuri, who frequently acts before the CCI and the NCLAT and is adept at advising on cross-border merger control cases, as well as Anisha Chand and Pranjal Prateek.

India > Banking and finance Tier 1

Counting major corporates, international banks, NBFCs, and financial institutions among its impressive roster of clients, Khaitan & Co. fields a large and experienced banking and finance team with expertise across the full spectrum of financing transactions. Finance and restructuring specialist Kumar Saurabh Singh advises leading domestic banks and financial institutions on cross-border transactions; national practice head Devidas Banerji is a key name for acquisition financing transactions, particularly in the pharma space; and co-head Rajeev Vidhani is a key contact for debt issuances, securitisation issues, and insolvency and restructuring mandates. Siddharth Srivastava is also recommended for restructuring and insolvency work. Manisha Shroff’s expertise spans debt capital markets transactions, offshore financings, and cross-border and syndicated financings.

India > Capital markets Tier 1

The ‘technically sound’ team at Khaitan & Co LLP retains a varied offering that extends across the sectors of pharma, renewable energy and financial services, among others. The team is capable of assisting with international bond issuances, private credit deals and a variety of other transactions. The practice is led by Sudhir Bassi, who excels in marquee capital raising, Abhimanyu Bhattacharya, who is engaged to manage IPOs and private institutional placements, and Manisha Shroff, who maintains a diverse practice spanning debt capital markets. Aditya Cheriyan handles the full gamut of transactions in this space, while Gautham Srinivas is entrusted to assist with IPOs and the management of private equity funds. Another key name to note in the practice is Madhur Kohli, an expert on the equity capital markets side.

City focus: Chennai > Leading firms Tier 1

Khaitan & Co. is renowned for managing high-profile and complex transactions across a wide array of sectors, spanning manufacturing, insurance, pharma, logistics, and financial services. The team is experienced in working with a diverse client base that includes listed and unlisted companies, promoters, and family offices. Promode Murugavelu and Vivek Sriram advise domestic and international clients on M&A transactions and investment strategies, while the duo of Arva Merchant and Thriyambak J. Kannan specialises in dispute resolution and commercial litigation. Karthika Ravi Menon has significant experience handling corporate restructuring and private equity transactions, with a special focus on the healthcare and edtech sectors.

India > Corporate and M&A Tier 1

Steered by Aakash Choubey, Rajat Mukherjee and Ganesh Prasad, 'client-centric' Khaitan & Co LLP routinely operates across a plethora of sectors, from insurance and e-commerce to healthcare and gaming, regularly advising on private and public M&A, restructuring and compliance work. Increasingly the department is involved in various transactions embedded in the fields of tech, renewable energy and electric vehicles. Choubey excels at managing Indian corporate and investment laws, Mukherjee is well-versed in the pharma space and Prasad's capabilities include a range of transactions and corporate restructurings. Mumbai's Haigreve Khaitan is frequently entrusted by a litany of clients, from Indian promoters to international companies, while Rabindra Jhunjhunwala bolsters the practice with his considerable strengths in foreign investments and regulatory approvals. New Delhi's Bharat Anand is highly experienced at handling joint ventures and M&S across a stable of sectors.

India > Data protection Tier 1

The data protection practice at Khaitan & Co. covers the full spectrum of data protection and cyber security mandates, from public policy work and regulatory compliance, to data breaches, ransomware issues and cyber security incidents. The department is characterised by its diverse sector capabilities, acting for prominent clients in the healthcare, automobile, finance, telecom, and manufacturing industries. Kolkata-based Supratim Chakraborty oversees the team and has in-depth expertise in assisting clients with all data protection obligations, including compliance strategies and transactional matters. NCR-based Harsh Walia routinely assists corporations with international data transfers and has extensive expertise in data breaches, while Abhinav Chandan is a key contact for telecom regulatory matters.

India > Dispute resolution: arbitration Tier 1

Khaitan & Co.‘s capabilities have notably been bolstered by the recent opening of the Ahmedabad office which complements its presence in Kolkata, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, and Singapore. With national and cross-border reach, alongside its extensive experience acting before a variety of arbitration centres including the SIAC, LCIA, and the HKIAC, the dispute resolution practice continues to attract new clients from the infrastructure, mining, and aviation sectors, to name a few. Sanjeev Kapoor, Ajay Bhargava, and Raj Panchmatia co-head the department alongside Chakrapani Misra, Kingshuk Banerjee, and Vanita Bhargava. Kapoor specialises in commercial and investment arbitration and stands out for his aptitude in handling matters before domestic and international institutional and ad hoc arbitral tribunals, while Bhargava concentrates on commercial arbitration and subsequent enforcement proceedings. On the contractual dispute front, Panchmatia is the main contact in the group.

India > Dispute resolution: litigation Tier 1

Khaitan & Co LLP is well versed in the intricacies of litigation, holding extensive experience handling a range of disputes before judicial and regulatory bodies including the Supreme Court and High Courts across India. The dispute resolution practice has particular expertise in regulatory, constitutional, and commercial issues, as well as corporate, property, and consumer disputes. With a breadth of capabilities and an aptitude for advising on cross-border matters, the group has built an immense client roster consisting of companies from the construction, financial services, and tech sectors, among others, which continues to expand. Ajay Bhargava is a notable name for his prowess in constitutional, employment, and corporate and commercial disputes, while Ravitej Chilumuri is adept in shareholder disputes and pre-litigation strategy. Another key practitioner in the department is Divya Chaturvedi who specialises in regulatory disputes arising from the electricity, airports, and aviation sectors.

India > Insurance Tier 1

Khaitan & Co. leverages the firm’s strong corporate, commercial, and M&A capabilities to advise leading insurers, private equity investors, and industry associations on the full range of transactional and regulatory mandates. Recently, the group has seen an uptick in contentious mandates, advising insurance companies before the Securities Appellate Tribunal. Nikhil Narayanan takes point on cross-border mandates as well as regulatory issues, Niren Patel is the name to note for M&A and private equity deals, while Aravind Venugopal, who re-joined the firm in 2023, brings in-house expertise from the insurance industry. Narayanan, Patel, and Venugopal jointly oversee the team, which also includes Harsh Khemka, who advises insurers and reinsurers on transactional and regulatory matters.

Intellectual property Tier 1

Khaitan & Co LLP handles the full spectrum of matters, assisting with trademarks, patents, design, copyright, domain names and trade secrets. Leadership of the group is shared between the Mumbai-based Adheesh Nargolkar, who handles prosecution, enforcement and transactional work and Nishad Nadkarni whose broad workload encompasses contentious and non-contentious matters. Smriti Yadav, who handles prosecution, advisory and litigation work and Shailendra Bhandare, who deals with enforcement, contentious and transactional matters, also lead the team from Mumbai. In Delhi, Ankur Sangal is a key contact for contentious IP matters and Nirupam Lodha for trademark disputes and tech transactions.

India > Labour and employment Tier 1

With a pan-India presence, the team at Khaitan & Co. handles both contentious and non-contentious employment law matters related to workplace discrimination and harassment, workforce management and industrial disputes. Mumbai-based partner Anshul Prakash brings an unparalleled wealth of expertise in assisting domestic and international clients and is adept in employment litigation. Bengaluru-based Vinay Joy is a seasoned labour specialist who advises on all aspects of business transfers, and is an expert in internal investigations and domestic inquiries. Delhi-based Abhimanyu Pal‘s key strengths lie in labour standards compliance and the drafting and review of employment documents. Kruthi Murthy, based out of Mumbai, is well-versed in conducting external investigations into employee fraud and misconduct. The team is further strengthened at the senior level with the joining of Avik Biswas and Vaibhav Bhardwaj from IndusLaw.

India > Life sciences and healthcare Tier 1

Khaitan & Co.‘s cross practice offering provides a full service in these sectors; from IP and regulatory regimes to corporate, commercial contracts, tax and competition. This wide-ranging service is helmed by the team heads – Bharat Anand, Aditya Patni and Anand Mehta who attract an impressive range of clients including foreign and Indian corporates, funds, start-ups and social business enterprises. The team is able to keep clients appraised of the developments and risks in the sectors and so guide them through strategic decisions.

India > Private client Tier 1

Khaitan & Co LLP‘s private client practice attracts clients praise for its ‘extensive knowledge and experience,’ and is regularly instructed by large family businesses, individuals, and wealth managers to act on the full range of issues, both contentious and non-contentious. Direct tax specialist Bijal Ajinkya heads up the practice, which also includes senior partner Haigreve Khaitan, trusts, wills, and private wealth management expert Divi Dutta, and Anuj Shah, who focuses his practice on M&A and private equity. For succession planning and estate management, Aditi Sharma is a key port of call; Ipshita Bhuwania and Varsha Reddy are other key individuals here.

India > Private equity funds (including venture capital) Tier 1

Counting a diverse multitude of private equity funds, banks and hedge funds among its key roster of clients, the ‘super-collaborative’ Khaitan & Co LLP retains a broad offering that encompasses fund formation, regulatory compliance and a significant amount of private equity investment. Bharat Anand, who principally focuses on private equity investments and joint ventures, Aakash Choubey, who excels in an array of corporate and commercial transactions, and Kartick Maheshwari, who has handled significant joint ventures and investment work, jointly helm the practice. Other key names to note include the ‘very knowledgeable’ Siddharth Shah, who oversees multimillion-dollar deals, as well as Haigreve Khaitan and Shreya Dua.

India > Projects and energy Tier 1

Khaitan & Co LLP has wide experience in M&A and financing for energy projects, regularly advising on coal-based power plants as well as renewable energy developments. NCR-based Dibyanshu co-heads the practice and oversees energy mandates including joint ventures, acquistions and procurement. Also overseeing the practice from Mumbai are energy financing specialist Gahan Singh; Akhil Bhatnagar, who handles infrastructure investments and oil and gas project development; and Shivanshu Thaplyal, who covers the transport, power and mining sectors. Fellow practice co-heads are Shivanshu Thaplyal, who undertakes acquisitions from Bengaluru, and Atman Desai, who joined the Ahmedabad team from Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.

India > Real estate and construction Tier 1

With notable strength in private equity investments and distressed real estate acquisitions, Khaitan & Co. counts leading developers, investors, and real estate companies among its impressive roster of clients. The group also handles contentious mandates, including land disputes and disputes arising out of construction contracts. Harsh Parikh focuses his practice on property issues, title due diligence, and redevelopment projects; Avnish Sharma takes point on the real estate front and has a strong track record advising on foreign investments, onshore and offshore structuring, and developments; and Devendra Deshmukh handles a broad array of real estate transactions. Parikh, Sharma, and Deshmukh jointly lead the practice.

India > Tax Tier 1

Khaitan & Co LLP fields a sizeable taxation team with strength across the full range of transactional, contentious, and advisory matters, both concerning indirect and direct tax. On the direct taxation front, key names include Sanjay Sanghvi and Bijal Ajinkya; Sanghvi handles contentious matters before tax and transfer pricing authorities, in addition to advising on the tax aspects of corporate M&A, while Ajinkya specialises in international tax advisory and cross-border litigation. Key names for indirect tax include Dinesh Agrawal, who focuses on customs valuation, classification, and GST, supply chain tax specialist Arvind Baheti and Ayush Mehrotra, a key contact for tax controversies. Indruj Rai left the team in March 2024.

India > TMT Tier 1

Combining their considerable dispute capabilities with transactional and regulatory expertise, Khaitan & Co LLP is well positioned to advise global clients on technically complex mandates. New Delhi’s Harsh Walia, who principally focuses on the regulatory and transactional side, and Mumbai’s Tanu Banerjee, who excels in the commercial aspects of tech, content licensing, advertising and a variety of other mandates, jointly lead the practice. Other key names to note include Abhinav Chandan, who specialises in the realms of telecoms and data protection, and Ishan Johri.

India > White-collar crime Tier 1

The ‘substantively strong and extremely commercial’ white-collar crime and corporate investigations team at Khaitan & Co. runs the gamut of matters, handling investigations, enforcement action, and regulatory compliance work. Ajay Bhargava advises on corporate criminal investigations, Susmit Pushkar handles agency enforcement investigations, while Rajiv Bhatnagar takes point on criminal prosecutions relating to money laundering, corruption, the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, and the PBPT act. ‘Terrific practitioner‘ Manavendra Mishra specialises in anti-corruption investigations and cross-border disputes and Vinay Joy is the name to note for whistleblower investigations; Bhargava, Pushkar, Bhatnagar, Mishra, and Joy jointly lead the team. In August 2024, the team was further strengthened with the arrivals of Avik Biswas and Rithika Reddy from IndusLaw.

India > Restructuring and insolvency Tier 2

The restructuring and insolvency practice at Khaitan & Co LLP is a popular choice for resolution professionals, lenders, and financial institutions, among others, due to its aptitude in handling high-value, high-profile, and cross-border matters. The group has extensive experience assisting with corporate insolvency resolution processes, resolution applications, and debt settlements. Kumar Saurabh Singh is instructed by lenders, equity investors, and borrowers and stands out for his expertise in debt and non-performing account restructuring, while Siddharth Srivastava is a notable name because of his prowess in dealing with insolvency resolution processes and financing matters. He predominantly represents resolution professionals, financial and operator creditors, and bidders. Riya Agicha concentrates on debt financing and stressed asset resolutions.

India > WTO/international trade Tier 2

Working in close collaboration with the firm’s tax practice, the international trade team at Khaitan & Co. stands out for its expertise in indirect tax-related trade issues. Under the leadership of indirect tax specialist Sudipta Bhattacharjee, the group advises clients in the tech, metals, and manufacturing industries on anti-dumping investigations, GST matters, and customs issues; key names here include Dinesh Agrawal and Udayan Choksi.

India > Aviation (including aerospace and defence) Tier 3

India > Fintech and financial services regulatory Tier 3

Khaitan & Co LLP fields an ‘excellent team of fintech lawyers with strong legal and market knowledge,' with notable strength in investment and transactional mandates. Key names in the team include securities regulatory specialist Moin Ladha; Niren Patel and Vidushi Gupta, who co-head the financial services regulatory offering; and Sanjay Khan Nagra, a key name for emerging tech and fintech instructions. Ladha, Patel, Gupta, and Nagra jointly lead the offering, working alongside Prashanth Ramdas, another key name on the financial services regulatory front.