Parliament Passes Specific Relief Amendment Bill 2018
The Rajya Sabha, on July 23, 2018 passed the Specific Relief (Amendment) Bill 2018 (“SR Bill”) which brings about significant changes to the Specific Relief Act, 1963. The SR Bill makes specific performance of contract compulsorily enforceable unlike before when it was the enforceable at the discretion of the court. The SR Bill also introduces the concept of substituted performance wherein a party affected by the breach of a contract, can choose to get the contract performed by a third party, at the cost of the contracting party at default. The Lok Sabha had previously passed the SR Bill on March 15, 2018.
Lok Sabha Passes Amendment to Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881
The Lok Sabha, on July 23, 2018 passed the Negotiable Instruments(Amendment) Bill, 2017 (“NI Bill”). The NI Bill introduces section 143A which gives power to the court to order the drawer of the cheque to provide interim compensation to the complainant, payable within 60 (Sixty) days of the court’s order.
TRAI Asks Operators to Employ Blockchain to Control Spam
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, issued Draft Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, in May, 2018 asking telecom operators to employ blockchain technology in order to ensure that telemarketers and other third party’s do not have access to the users database.
Delhi HC Orders CBDT to Allow IT Assesses to Opt Out of Aadhar – PAN Linkage
The Delhi High Court, on July 24, 2018 in the case of Shreyasen & Anr vs. Union of India, ordered the Central Board of Direct Tax to allow people filing income tax returns to opt out from the mandatory Aadhar linkage with PAN. The Court recommended a 1 year window for opting out which ends on March 31, 2019.