Legal Digest: SC Rules on Royalty Tax, GST Exemption, and Quashes NDTV Reassessments

• The Supreme Court dismissed the Income Tax department's ₹101 crore appeals against Nestlé India regarding royalty payments to its Swiss parent, ending a long-standing tax dispute.
• The dispute centered on licensing fees paid by Nestlé India to Société des Produits Nestlé S.A. for intellectual property and technical know-how, which tax authorities deemed excessive.
• In *State of Karnataka vs. Taghar Vasudeva Ambrish*, the Supreme Court ruled that GST exemption for residential leases applies to hostels, as property character, not lessee identity, determines residential use.
• The Delhi High Court quashed income tax reassessment notices against NDTV founders Radhika Roy and Prannoy Roy, imposing a ₹2 lakh cost on the department for harassment and arbitrary actions.
• The High Court found that all relevant transaction information had been previously disclosed by the Roys, and repeated reassessments for the same year were unwarranted.