Conference programme

Some recent decisions of the higher judiciary in India have seriously questioned the process of allocation of scarce resources and privileges by the highest levels of government, and sought to cancel allotments and licences. There is also a growing concern that the judiciary is perhaps not respecting separation of powers. In all this, is the genuine investor at risk of being the proverbial baby in the bathwater?

The discussion will also cover the speed of the judicial system, PIL litigation, monitoring of the legal process by the Supreme Court, due process, and international jurisprudence on the subject.

This panel will discuss issues impacting offshore holding companies, changes in various tax treaties, BEPs and the OECD guidance, and current case law. It will also examine some of the recent tax rulings that have unnerved many corporates and forced them into protracted and expensive litigation with tax authorities, including making BIT claims.

How is corruption being tackled by governments? Are Asian countries being affected by the extraterritorial reach of the UK Bribery Act and the US FCPA? Are national laws merely playing catch-up to these laws? What practical steps are companies taking to prevent corruption in their organisations? Is procurement in companies under greater scrutiny?

The panel will discuss principles of constitutional law, regulatory policies, child labour, human rights and environmental laws, including case studies.

• Are the various economies of the Asia Pacific and Middle Eastern regions growing in consonance with the principles of the rule of law?
• Are these principles being upheld in the quest for unbridled growth?
• Are Asia’s teeming billions getting equal rights and treatment under the law?
• Is the environment under pressure, and are there other ways in which poverty alleviation can be achieved?