Exclusive: Economic Laws Practice (ELP) competition and trade law partner Samir Gandhi is joining AZB & Partners in Delhi as the first partner at the firm to focus on competition law full-time.

This fortnight’s deals package conspicuously features international investors, not only in terms of cross-border M&As and investments but also on the litigation side.

Economic Laws Practice (ELP) Delhi corporate and intellectual property (IP) partner Tushar Chawla has joined ALMT Legal’s Delhi office.

Economic Laws Practice (ELP) Mumbai has absorbed the year-old capital markets and securities boutique Prism Partners & Advocates, founded by PR Ramesh and Yogesh Chande, in its capital markets practice last month, ending the start-ups’ short-lived referral relationship with Naik Naik & Co amicably.

Desai & Diwanji advised the Ashok Piramal Group in its Rs 1250 crore to Rs 1500 crore ($250m to $300m) three-way joint venture (JV) with Canadian engineering group SNC-Lavalin, which was advised by Economic Laws Practice (ELP), and IDFC project equity’s investment fund India Infrastructure fund (IIF), which was advised by Khaitan & Co.

Khaitan & Co took home the winning trophy at the ELP Masters Cup 2012 last weekend, as 16 law firm teams battled it out on the grounds of the Police Gymkhana in Mumbai. Two-time defending champions Wadia Ghandy failed to make the cut.

Economic Laws Practice (ELP) and Nishith Desai Associates (NDA) analysed the legal implications of the Vodafone judgment yesterday – a decision law firms across the board commended for boosting India’s image as an investment destination, upholding the rule of law and settling many questions.

Four-month-old start-up Alliance Legal has advised Fourcee Infrastructure Equipments, with Economic Laws Practice (ELP), Wadia Ghandy and Amarchand Mangaldas respectively assisting the exiting, entering and continuing private equity investors Mayfield Fund, General Atlantic and India Equity Partners.

Mirah Hospitality with Desai & Diwanji; Amarchand, Rajani, Khaitan on $350m Welspun PE; Luthra in EU pharma tax case; ELP AP tax victory for MAS-GMR; Khaitan-Clifford on StanChart loan; SRGR-KJSV project; JSA-Prolegal consultancy.

The latest round-up of Indian associate movers and shakers.

Exclusive: Economic Laws Practice (ELP) and Australian firm Blake Dawson have advised Adani Enterprises-owned Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone Limited (MPSEZ) on its acquisition of Australia’s Abbot Point coal terminal for $2bn.

Exclusive: Economic Laws Practice (ELP) has hired former KPMG senior manager Ajit Tolani as its first associate partner in Pune, while promoting Aqeel Sheerazi and Ritesh Kanodia to associate partnership in Mumbai.

Economic Laws Practice (ELP) has won a Rs 257 crore service tax reprieve for clients Jetlite before the Custom Excise & Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) which held that brand promotion without reference to services offered under business auxiliary services (BAS) category is not taxable.

For the second year in a row Wadia Ghandy won the 2011 Mumbai ELP Masters Cricket Cup last weekend, besting Nishith Desai Associates (NDA) in the finals after Economic Laws Practice (ELP) was foiled by the flip of a coin in the semi-finals.

Amarchand Mangaldas has challenged the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) jurisdiction in a writ petition filed for Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to prevent the anti-trust regulator, which is represented by Economic Laws Practice, from deciding on an aviation fuel suppy dispute with Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) represented by R Sariprabhu Advocates.

Exclusive: Economic Laws Practice (ELP) has been called in to draft Afghanistan’s new competition law regime together with the UK think tank Adam Smith Institute in a project funded by the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID).

Economic Laws Practice (ELP) has boosted its private equity and corporate practice with the hire of ARA Law partner Darshan Upadhyay under the new associate partner designation, which reduces the size of ARA’s partnership to one.

AZB & Partners and Economic Laws Practice (ELP) have advised in the private equity investment led by Nokia Growth Partners (NGP) and Cisco in the IT hosting service provider Netmagic Solutions resulting in a 12 per cent equity buy worth Rs 46.5 crore ($10.6m).

The Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) appellate tribunal does not have the power to second-guess the CCI’s decisions to investigate anti-competitive behaviour, the Supreme Court held today in an “emphatic victory” for the CCI and Jindal Steel and their lawyers Amarchand Mangaldas, Economic Laws Practice (ELP) and counsel Harish Salve and Gopal Subramanium.

J Sagar Associates (JSA) advised US spice-manufacturer McCormick and Company in its acquisition of a 26 per cent stake in Keralan curry ingredient maker Eastern Condiments for $35m (Rs 162 crores), which was advised by Bangalore firm MD&T Partners with Economic Laws Practice (ELP) Mumbai representing the main selling shareholder.