New Delhi, Sept. 23 -- The Supreme Court has recently discussed whether a Civil Judge (Senior Division) notified as a Commercial Court under the Commercial Courts Act, 2015 can entertain a trademark infringement suit.

They questioned the possibility despite Section 134 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999 barring such suits before a court inferior to a District Court. The court has referred to a Larger Bench with the question.

A Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran noted an apparent conflict between two earlier Supreme Court judgments on the interplay between special statutes and the Commercial Courts Act.

Conflict Between Earlier Rulings

The issue arose after the Jharkhand High Court notified a Civil Judge (Senior Division) as...