Trilegal and Sood & Sood have advised bankers and Datawind, the manufacturer tasked with producing millions of Aakash tablet computers for the Indian government, on the Indian elements of the company’s initial public offering (IPO) on the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada on 9 July.

The company raised CAN$30m (around Rs 165 crore) and was advised on Canadian law by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt, with the underwriters briefing Borden Ladner Gervais.

Trilegal partner Charandeep Kaur, counsel Ramakant Rai and associates Chandni Chawla, Prithwijit Gangopadhyay and Arjun Shiv advised the underwriters on Indian law elements of the deal.

Sood & Sood partner Manpreet Sood advised Datawind on the IPO.

The Canadian company, set up by two brothers of Indian origin, had won the contract to produce cheap tablets for the Indian government in 2011, which were to be given to school children at a subsidised cost of only $35. The project was intended to be a collaboration with IIT Rajasthan.

However, the project was beset by delays, and an inability to meet demand, and the first version of the product was ultimately panned by users and reviewers, though subsequent versions of the Aakash tablet fixed some of the more glaring problems.