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Historic mandate

Historic mandate

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Applause for the efficient running of the recent elections has been loud and long. With 900 million potential voters, 12 million polling workers, and a million polling booths, the carefully calibrated voting to the lower house of the Indian parliament are unlike any other on the planet. That it was mostly peaceful and that the process used is relatively credible is laudable. It is a crucial test for the ruling party and a source of pride for the large population.

It should instill in the old and new parliamentarians the drive to interrogate and legislate wisely. India faces considerable and complex challenges that deserve an efficient and effective parliament that respects the voter. Only this could justify the enormous cost to the exchequer in conducting the elections and the process’s gravity.

One of the many tasks before the new government was to breathe life into the many companies weighed down by debt. This month’s Cover story analyzes how far the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC) has succeeded. It is generally agreed that “the defaulter’s paradise is lost,” as stated by the Supreme Court in a recent ruling that upheld the constitutionality of the IBC. Also, many of the critical legal questions asked in implementing the IBC have been answered.

Alarm bells have been ringing for some time now about the all-important timelines in the IBC being overrun. Add to that indication that creditors wanting to realize better value could be looking to sidestep the IBC – a case in point being Jet Airways, where creditors have not yet invoked the IBC.
Running in circles, we spotlight the country’s complex and challenging advertising laws. While proactive self-regulation has long been the game’s name for advertisers, a recent push to control and prevent false and misleading advertisements has resulted in a dramatic shift. Three laws implemented in 2018 aim to preserve the interests of consumers in specific industry sectors. Still, they have had a far-reaching impact on how we brand and advertise products in India. Our coverage details the implications of the legal changes and asks what lies ahead for companies.

This month’s Vantage point provides a view from the real estate industry. Parveen Mahtani, general counsel of Tata Realty and Tata Housing, argues that although the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, has ushered in accountability in the sector, some concerns remain. These include penalties imposed on developers for delays in the registration of agreements and defaults in taking over projects. She writes that the act’s implementation has led to increased project costs, tighter liquidity, higher capital cost, and delays in project completion. However, the test of its effectiveness will be its ability to resolve disputes successfully, expeditiously, and with a degree of finality.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India’s 20 March discussion paper on allowing dual-class shares, or differentiated voting rights (DVR) as the regulator has named it, is the subject of this month’s What’s the deal? While rising demand from issuers and growing competition between global stock exchanges is prompting lawmakers and regulators to re-think their opposition to dual-class shares, the paper has divided opinions among capital markets practitioners, founders, and investors.

Regulations allow listed companies to offer shares with lower voting rights, which usually come with higher dividends. Still, they have been rarely used, and investors have shown a marked preference for proportionate voting rights. Shinoj Koshy, a partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, says: “There is a strong case for allowing shares with superior voting rights in India, especially for technology companies.” Will the regulator introduce dual-class shares for a limited number of sectors, startups, or asset-light companies? The debate continues.

In this issue’s Intelligence report, we investigate the ongoing turf war between lawyers and accountants, who allegedly provide legal advice violating the Advocates Act of 1961. Such battles are not new, and a recent investigation launched by the Bar Council of Delhi into the type of work handled by accountants has required the Big Four accounting firms to provide details of the lawyers they work with.

The Society of Indian Law Firms’ complaint, which prompted the Bar Council of Delhi’s action against India’s accounting firms, dates back to 2015. Tie-Ups between law and accounting firms stretch back even further. Clients typically seek out accounting firms for legal advice and assistance because of their excellent bench strength and lower costs than large law firms. While the blurred boundary between lawyers and accountants raises interesting questions about law firms’ future, ironing out the differences could prove challenging.

Elizabeth Coleman

I am a lawyer by profession and a blogger by passion. I started blogging to express my views on various issues.The blog has now become one of my passions. After seeing so many of my friends and colleagues using blogs for their business purposes, I decided to share my views through my blog.I love reading other people's blogs. I am trying to write one every day, and sometimes when I have time I write two or three posts per day.

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