Arbitration Update: Madras High Court Recognises Cryptocurrency As Property

India has formally moved to regulate deepfakes and AI generated content by notifying the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2026.

On June 3, 2026, the Supreme Court of India’s AI Committee released preliminary draft of the Regulations for Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Courts, 2026 (“The Draft”). This marks a shift from scattered experiments with AI tools for translation, transcription, research and case management. With over 93,000 pending matters as of March 2026, the guidelines aim to ease processes for officials and citizens. AI could help reduce backlogs through automated cause-list preparation, transcription, research, and defect scrutiny, but its use also raises serious concerns.

The Supreme Court of India, through notice dated 03.06.2026, has published the draft Regulations for use of Artificial Intelligence in Courts, 2026 (“Draft AI Regulations”). Comments and suggestions from all stakeholders and the general public are invited on the Draft AI Regulations by 20.06.2026

India's fintech market is one of the fastest growing in the world, and it shows no sign of slowing down. Estimates put the market at about USD 145 billion at the end of 2025, growing at a compound annual rate of 30.55% to reach roughly USD 550 billion by 2030. India's fintech adoption rate is around 87%, reportedly the highest anywhere and well above the global average of roughly 64% to 67%. Add the world's second-largest digital population and the runway looks long.

In a seismic event that has rattled the foundations of India's cryptocurrency landscape, WazirX, the nation's largest cryptocurrency exchange, suffered a devastating cyberattack that resulted in the theft of over $240 million in investor funds.

In a rare use of its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution of India, the Supreme Court heard a curative petition filed by DMRC, challenging an earlier order that had upheld the arbitral award. The judgment brings finality to a decade-long contractual dispute that began in 2013 with arbitration proceedings.

Cybersecurity regulation in India has, until now, largely spoken to the entity that suffers the breach. The 2022 CERT-In Directions issued under Section 70B of the Information Technology Act, 2000 fixed a six-hour reporting clock on the organisation that detects an incident. The new Guidelines flip the lens onto the entity upstream of that breach, the OEM or technology provider that built the product in the first place. For the first time, vendors supplying software, firmware, cloud platforms, or APIs into India carry direct, time-bound, and independently verifiable obligations of their own and not obligations that are merely passed through a customer contract, but obligations CERT-In itself may enforce.

For most technology vendors, cybersecurity has been a promise made to a customer, set out in a statement of work and enforced, if at all, through the contract. For vendors supplying India's power sector, that is changing. The Central Electricity Authority (Cyber Security in Power Sector) Regulations, 2026, notified on 31 July 2026 under the Electricity Act, 2003, impose obligations directly on vendors, alongside a far more demanding set of requirements for the power-sector entities they serve. Most of these provisions come into force on 1 April 2027.

Between May and August 2026, AI regulation has continued to develop rapidly, with a focus on accountability, transparency, human oversight and protection against AI-related harms.

On May 21, 2025, the NPCI introduced new guidelines to streamline the Unified Payments Interface ("UPI") and its Application Programming Interface ("APIs"), effective August 1, 2025.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ("MEITY") has now formally notified the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 ("DPDP Rules" or "Rules") on 13 November 2025.

India's Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code undergoes significant reform through the 2026 Amendment Act, introducing stricter timelines, enhanced creditor oversight, and frameworks for group and cross-border insolvency. The amendments address persistent challenges in resolution efficiency, withdrawal restrictions, and fraudulent transaction scrutiny while aligning with international best practices to strengthen investor confidence.

Businesses increasingly depend on global cloud infrastructure, international group companies, overseas vendors and remote service providers. As a result, cross-border data transfers have become an important legal and operational issue for organisations operating in India.

The Supreme Court of India in Shanti Devi v. Jagan Devi & Ors. (2025 SCC OnLine SC 1961) has clarified that when a property ownership dispute...

Starting a company in India involves several legal procedures and regulatory approvals. One of the most important aspects of incorporation is preparing accurate Company Registration Documents.

The Supreme Court of India has delivered a landmark ruling in a redevelopment dispute, firmly establishing that Permanent Alternate Accommodation Agreements executed under the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Act are statutory instruments, not mere private contracts. This decision addresses critical questions about developer obligations, occupant rights, and regulatory authority when redevelopment projects fail to honor commitments made to original tenants.

For many entrepreneurs, the choice between a registered and unregistered partnership is treated as a procedural matter. In reality, the issue of registered vs unregistered partnership firm in India has serious legal...

The Supreme Court has clarified how property registered in the joint names of two wives of a common husband should be treated for succession purposes under the Indian Succession Act, 1925. In a case involving a 1959 property purchase where the husband provided consideration but registered the land in his two wives' names, the Court held that the property vested in the wives themselves, not the husband. The judgment demonstrates how Sections 33, 35 and 38 of the Act must be applied sequentially and separatel

Managing or living in a housing society involves far more than day-to-day maintenance. Co-operative Housing Society Laws in Maharashtra govern ownership rights, member obligations...

Starting a business involves several important steps after incorporation, and one of the first operational requirements is to Open Company Bank Account in India. A dedicated business bank account allows a company...