AZB & Partners was the busiest and fastest growing law firm in India this year according to year-end rankings released separately by Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters.

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) Delhi partner Piyush Mishra, who had been hired in 2015 from Luthra & Luthra, has resigned the firm and is understood to in advanced talks to be joining AZB & Partners.

AZB & Partners Mumbai lateral partner and compliance and investigation practice head Ajay Upadhyay has moved to KPMG as a partner in its forensic practice, two years after having joined from E&Y.

“Airtel will sell a 15% stake in the DTH business to Warburg Pincus entity Lion Meadow Investment for Rs 1,623.76 crore, the telecom firm said in a stock exchange filing on Tuesday. Another group company that holds 5% of Bharti Telemedia will offer its entire stake to the PE firm. The deal values Bharti Telemedia at close to Rs 11,300 crore. This may make it India’s second largest DTH player by valuation, according to industry experts,” reported The Economic Times.

KKR India Asset Finance, the realty-focused investment unit of global PE Firm KKR & Co. have invested INR 500 crores (USD 82 million) in a township project of the Bangalore-based Bhartiya City Developers Group by extending a term loan facility, as reported by Mint.

KKR India Asset Finance, the realty-focused investment unit of global PE Firm KKR & Co. have invested INR 500 crores (USD 82 million) in a township project of the Bangalore-based Bhartiya City Developers Group by extending a term loan facility, as reported by Mint.

Nettle Infrastructure Investment, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bharti Airtel Limited has sold a stake of 4.49% in mobile masts operator Bharti Infratel for an estimated Rs 3,289 crores (approximately USD 510 million) through block deals in the open market, as reported by Mint and The Economic Times ...

In the latest bi-annual rankings compiled by consultancy RSG India, AZB & Partners has topped the table ahead of Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (SAM) and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM), which had topped the table in 2015 when still united in one firm as Amarchand Mangaldas before their break-up (see full table below).

Vodafone India, Vodafone Mobile Services and Idea Cellular have announced their proposal separately to sell their standalone telecom tower businesses to ATC Telecom Infrastructure, a majority-owned subsidiary of American Tower Corporation for about INR 7,850 crores ($1.2 billion), as reported by Mint. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and receipt of necessary regulatory approvals.

Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas advised and acted as the legal counsel for Axis Bank and was led by the private equity group of their general corporate practice team for all the legal aspects of the transaction. The transaction team was led by executive chairman Shardul Shroff, Mumbai-based regional practice head Raghubir Menon (M&A and PE, General Corporate), partners Abhishek Guha, Yogesh Chande, and senior associates Ankit Kejriwal and Anwesha Haldar, associates Kanwardeep Kapany, Gaurav Malhotra and Keegan Pavrey.

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (MSDF), along with Aspada Investment Company have raised INR 6.7 crores (USD 1 million) through the acquisition of debentures in Chennai-based school financing firm Shiksha Financial Services, a non-banking financial company focusing on school and student loa...

“The board of Tata Chemicals Ltd has approved the sale of its non-bulk phosphatic business to IRC Agrochemicals for Rs 375 crore,” reported Mint.

“Kotak Realty Fund, a part of Kotak Investment Advisors, has invested Rs. 240 crore in an under-construction shopping mall in Chennai and Rs. 80 crore in an ongoing office project in Mumbai from its $250 million offshore fund,” reported Livemint. Both the deals have been funded through debt financing by the issue of listed, secured, non-convertible, redeemable debentures by C&J Corporate Park, a group entity of National India Bullion Refinery to Kotak Realty.

Visage Holdings and Finance owned NBFC Kinara Capital, has raised Rs 96 crore (USD 15 million approx) in a fresh round of investment by way of primary infusion and purchase of shares from mid-market PE firm Gaja Capital along with Spanish impact investment firm Gawa Capital and existing investors, a...

Kochhar & Co Chennai-based partner Hufriz Wadia has joined AZB & Partners as counsel in Mumbai on 16 October.

US-based spirits maker Sazerac Company has acquired 28% equity stake in India’s leading liquor John Distilleries (JDPL) from leading independent private equity firm Gaja Capital, as reported by VCCircle and Livemint . The remaining 15% stake held by Gaja is said to be acquired by Sazerac in the seco...

Indiabulls Ventures Ltd, the financial services arm of the Indiabulls Group, approved raising Rs 2,000 crore (USD 305 million) either through rights issue of shares, to meet the funding requirements and to support future growth of consumer finance and assets reconstruction businesses carried out by the Company, through its subsidiary companies, as reported by The Economic Times and Livemint

Chemicals company BASF India has sold its leather chemicals business to Stahl India Private Limited for Rs. 197.63 crores (USD 30.35 million) through a slump sale, as reported by Livemint and Business Standard.

K Law partner Abhishek Shinde has joined AZB & Partners as a corporate partner in Delhi, reported Bar & Bench.

AZB & Partners partner Gautam Saha and partner Pallavi Meena, with associates Pragya Sood and Ayan Das have acted for Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC).