Argus Partners

Argus Partners is a leading Indian law firm with offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Kolkata.

The professionals of the firm are business lawyers who understand businesses and the financial issues associated with it which in turn help in identifying real risks and provide practical legal solutions to drive the growth of our clients' businesses.

Each of the lawyers are trained to have a multi-disciplinary and holistic approach while addressing any issue and to offer the most efficacious legal solutions to our clients’ business needs. The firm’s approach is to treat each client as the only client. The firm strives to understand their business, aspirations, concerns and constraints in order to structure transactions in a manner that enables clients to efficiently overcome business challenges and effectively achieve their goals.

The firm has built a formidable reputation for its consistent high performance. The partners and associates of the firm have a rich domestic and international experience and have been recognised and awarded by several publications. The presence across India also gives the firm a distinct advantage in serving its clientele that includes industry and business leaders from all segments of the market.

Notable work:

• Advised the Board of Control for Cricket in India on the tendering of media rights for the Indian Premier League for more than USD 6 billion, making it the 2nd most valued sporting league in the world in terms of per match value.
• Advising Tata Steel in the proposed mega merger of its seven group companies (4 being listed) into Tata Steel.
• Advised HDFC Limited on its proposed merger with HDFC Bank to create India`s second largest bank. This deal marks India’s largest ever public M&A transaction valued at USD 60 Billion.
• Advised India Resurgence Fund promoted by Piramal Enterprises Limited and Bain Capital Credit in its investment of up to Rs 615 crore ($83 million) in Gujarat-based Setco Group.
• Advised HDFC Limited in inking the landmark deal wherein HDFC Limited has entered into an agreement to sell 10% of the fully diluted paid-up share capital of its wholly owned subsidiary, HDFC Capital Advisors, to an affiliate of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).
• Advised Tata Steel Limited, in their bid to acquire Rohit Ferro-Tech Limited through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Tata Steel Mining Limited, under the aegis of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.
• Advised HDFC Limited on the investment in HDFC Capital Affordable Real Estate Fund – 3 (H-CARE-3). H-CARE 3 is one of the largest funds raised to invest in the residential real estate sector in India, with investors committing in excess of $1.22 billion towards the first close- which combined with potential reinvestments by the fund- creates an estimated total fund corpus of $1.88 billion.
• Advised Polygenta Technologies Limited (a leading PET recycling company engaged in sustainable circular economy), on Indian law aspects on the external commercial borrowing raised from DEG - German Investment and Development Company mbH and Danish development financier IFU.
• Advised fintech unicorn, CRED (Dreamplug Technologies Private Limited), on raising USD 140 million in its Series F funding round with a post money valuation of USD 6.4 billion.
• Advising and handling various matters for Ex. Partners of Price Waterhouse in the Satyam Scam before various fora like SEBI, SAT, High Courts, Supreme Court, ICAI, etc.
• Advised Gruh Finance Limited (a subsidiary of HDFC Ltd) in the merger with Bandhan Bank Limited. We were the lead lawyers advising HDFC/Gruh Finance on the transaction. This is probably the largest deal in the financial services space with a combined market cap of approximately USD 12 billion on the date of announcement of the deal.
• Advised the Committee of Creditors of Binani Cement Limited, which has been one of the most contentious matters under the IBC. The acquisition of Binani Cement under the aegis of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 involved several challenges and nuanced points of law. Ultimately, some of the issues raised in this matter were decided by the judiciary in a landmark decision.
• Advised Tata Steel Limited on its acquisition of the steel division of Usha Martin. This deal was one of the larger deals in the distressed M&A space outside the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.
• Representing the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority before the Supreme Court in the matter involving mandatory linking of Aadhaar in order to avail various benefits under Government Schemes.
• Advising the liquidator of Concast Steel & Power Limited. This is one of the largest liquidation cases under IBC with a total creditor claim in excess of Rs 10,000 crore. This is also one of the first of the cases where the ‘sale as a going concern of a unit of a company under liquidation’ was ordered by the NCLT.
• Advised the Resolution Professional (who was assisted by Grant Thornton) on the acquisition of Monnet Ispat by the consortium of JSW Steel and AION Capital.