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Indian start-up to provide unique search platform, data bank for Indian legal pros

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LegitQuest

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Pioneers in Asia: LegitQuest’s technology provides solutions to legal search problems with case references just a click away

In India, every industry or service sector is unique and gets impacted by technology differently. The legal service sector is one such critical sector which ensures that all rules and regulations constituted are implemented well.

The Indian legal services market expanded by 16 per cent through the 2007–12 fiscal years. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.9 percent between 2015 and 2018. The use and impact of technology arrived a little later in the Indian Legal Services Sector than in other sectors. The use of Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, deep learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP), already implemented in various other sectors, such as Healthcare, Banking, Services etc., is now picking up pace within the Legal Services Sector.

Many Indian Legal-Tech startups are looking to leverage such state-of-the-art, modern technologies to make the life of legal professionals easier, more efficient and simpler.

The legal profession is considered to be one of the largest, and a noble profession in India. About 17 lakh lawyers are currently practising in India. But in the years gone by, practising litigation had been a hard task for them. An active litigation requires a practitioner to put approximately a third of his/her time in carrying out solid legal research for his/her cases. And this can only happen if the professionals have sufficient and reliable resources to back their research. Gone are the days when lawyers used to maintain a vast library in their offices/homes.

In this era of digitization, most lawyers, judges and students have moved online to carry out their basic research. However, there is a scarcity of efficient search portals and research tools for them to use for the purpose. Yet 33.9 % of the attorneys frequently initiate their research by using Google, which is the most generic search engine.

And in this search, legal stakeholders are still wasting precious time scanning for relevant case laws or any other secondary source. That has remained a problem issue. There is a great need to have a legal data oriented smart-search engine. Also, case law data is still served in the raw form in India by many online legal data companies. Even when, after wasting a lot of time, the user gets the relevant data, they still have a hard time extracting a specific piece of information that he/she needs for a proper case analysis. The whole approach of reading and analysing case laws demands a revolutionary change. Only that will lead to more efficient and faster research.

LegitQuest as a solution provider

Such significant gaps in the legal research domain in India provide strong reasons for any young, courageous and innovative company to derive a solution. LegitQuest (https://www.legitquest.com/) is such a company.

LegitQuest is a Legal-Tech venture run by a versatile team of tech-savvy attorneys, engineers, designers and management professionals from top-notch universities and institutes who aim to make the practice of law simpler for its end users. Among the professionals are PhD’s and LLMs, sourced from IITs, IIMs and other reputable institutions.

LegitQuest seeks to transform centuries-old unorganised and unstructured legal data for the benefit of the legal fraternity. LegitQuest believes in providing access to a vast and comprehensive legal data bank to its users in the most reliable, accurate, valuable and speedy manner.

Who we are at LegitQuest

LegitQuest has eminent jurist Mr Ram Jethmalani as its investor, patron and advisor. The company is the initiative of Mr Karan Kalia who is also the CEO. He had previously worked with Mr Ram Jethmalani for more than six years. He has done his Masters of Laws (LLM) and the Wharton Business program from the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, USA. The core team also consists of Mr Himanshu Puri, who takes care of the business operations and management of the company. He has lately worked with one of the most renowned start-ups, UpGrad.com. He holds a Doctorate in Management and a Masters degree in Business Administration from IBS, Hyderabad.

The team also has Mr Rohit Shukla, who is head of Engineering and Technology of the company. He had been the technology head of Lexis India for five years within his vast experience of more than 20 years. He is an alumnus of IIT, Bombay and IIM, Calcutta.

The stakeholders

LegitQuest has built a one of its kind go-to platform with the most advanced technologies for the communities of attorneys, law firms, state judicial officers, law students, corporates, the government, consulting companies, litigants, and many other stakeholders in the legal system.

What we do (Search Engine & Research Tool) and How (the Technology)

To solve the issue of finding a relevant case law or another secondary source, LegitQuest  has come up with the most advanced search engine, called as iSearch, developed by using Artificial Intelligence. Such an engine helps find any case by typing the case citation, party name, judge name or anything as free text. It aids to improve user’s work processes, reduce cost and ultimately generates favourable results for users.

It is a known fact that our brain has a hard time processing unstructured and complex data. With the help of machine learning, LegitQuest has also transformed complex and raw data into a user-friendly form to help legal stakeholders to research faster and more efficiently. LegitQuest has a feature called as iDraf that provides the user with decision, reasoning, arguments and finding of a case with just a click. This tool contains tabs that take the user to specific portions of the judgment within a few seconds for making the job of analysing the case simpler and faster.

It must be mentioned here that iDRAF is an absolutely unique feature developed by LegitQuest. Such a feature is not available anywhere else in the world, including start-ups such as Westlaw, LexisNexis and Bloomberg. This is the USP of LegitQuest.

Experts have proven that visuals have a positive impact on the human mind for learning and memorising. LegitQuest is also coming up with iGraphics that condense the treatment of overruled, distinguished, followed and relied upon case laws in relevant figures and charts making data into a single canvas for easy reference and understanding.

The Vision – One Stop solution for legal stakeholders

It does not end here for LegitQuest. LegitQuest is in the process of devising various other features for its users to make their work easier. Some of them are in the pipeline, such as iAlert. Right now, lawyers and litigants spend substantial time in checking the cause list on a frequent basis to get themselves updated about their case hearings. iAlert will notify about the case hearing of a pending matter in various High Courts and the Supreme Court of India. The notification will be sent through SMS, Email and later on through Mobile App. LegitQuest envisions making the legal practice more convenient, effortless and qualitative in India and abroad. The team wants to make LegitQuest as a one-stop solution for its users with the help of such supporting features.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

India News

Why Hindenburg Research is shutting down: A personal note from the founder

Anderson emphasised that his choice was not prompted by any single factor. There are no external threats, health concerns, or urgent issues necessitating this decision. Instead, he described it as a natural conclusion to a significant chapter in his life.

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Nate Anderson, the founder of Hindenburg Research, has decided to shut down his short-selling venture, which has famously exposed alleged frauds amounting to billions and sent shockwaves through major corporations. From igniting a $150 billion crisis for the Adani Group to taking down giants like Nikola and Eros International, Hindenburg has become synonymous with financial scrutiny and controversy depending on one’s perspective.

In a comprehensive blog post titled “Personal Note From Our Founder,” Anderson revealed his decision, stating that the firm has fulfilled its mission and that it is time to move forward. “As I’ve shared with family, friends, and our team since late last year, I have made the decision to disband Hindenburg Research,” he wrote.

Anderson emphasised that his choice was not prompted by any single factor. There are no external threats, health concerns, or urgent issues necessitating this decision. Instead, he described it as a natural conclusion to a significant chapter in his life.

This announcement follows Hindenburg’s completion of its final investigations into alleged financial fraud, which have been submitted to regulators. “As of the last Ponzi cases we just completed and are sharing with regulators, that day is today,” Anderson noted.

Reflecting on his career, he acknowledged that his intense dedication to the firm had come at the expense of other life areas. Initially motivated by a desire to prove himself, he ultimately began to view Hindenburg Research as just one of many chapters in his life.

In the upcoming six months, Anderson plans to create and share content, including materials and videos, to transparently illustrate the firm’s investigative techniques. He hopes this will inspire others to pursue similar efforts.

Hindenburg Research operated with a small but committed team of 11 members. Anderson praised their dedication to precise, evidence-based reporting and their courage in uncovering financial fraud. His team’s efforts have significantly influenced the landscape of financial accountability, with nearly 100 individuals facing civil or criminal charges partially attributable to their investigations.

“Nearly 100 individuals have been charged civilly or criminally by regulators, at least in part due to our work, including billionaires and oligarchs. We shook some empires that we felt needed shaking,” Anderson stated.

Hindenburg garnered international attention in January 2023 when it published a report alleging fraud and stock manipulation by the Adani Group. This report triggered a massive selloff in Adani’s stock, erasing over $100 billion from Gautam Adani’s personal wealth and causing the market capitalization of 10 Adani Group companies to plummet from ₹19.19 lakh crore on January 24, 2023, to below ₹7 lakh crore by February 27.

Although Adani stocks eventually recovered, the Supreme Court later noted that allegations made by organizations like Hindenburg, without proper verification, cannot be considered valid evidence. Previously, Hindenburg’s investigations included exposing Nikola Corporation in 2020 for fraud, which resulted in the resignation of founder Trevor Milton.

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India News

Sensex sheds 1,049 points, Nifty drops below 23,100

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Sensex falls 1,049 points, Nifty slips below 23,100 amid market downturn

The Indian stock market faced another day of sharp declines on January 13, as bearish sentiments tightened their grip for the fourth consecutive session. Weak global cues, a surge in crude oil prices to a three-month high, and reduced expectations of a U.S. rate cut in 2025 contributed to the downward spiral.

At the close of trading, the Sensex plunged 1,048.90 points or 1.36% to settle at 76,330.01. The Nifty also fell significantly, shedding 345.55 points or 1.47% to close at 23,085.95.

Sectoral impact

All sectoral indices ended the session in the red. The realty index was the worst hit, slumping by 6.7%. Other sectors, including oil & gas, power, PSU, metal, and media, recorded losses in the range of 3-4%.

This broad-based sell-off saw investors’ wealth take a major hit. The market capitalization of BSE-listed companies dropped sharply by Rs 12.39 lakh crore, falling to Rs 417.28 lakh crore from Rs 429.67 lakh crore in the previous session.

Key drivers of the decline

Crude oil prices: Crude oil surged to a three-month high, stoking fears of inflationary pressures and higher input costs across industries.

Global market trends: Weak global markets added to investor apprehensions, as global indices reflected a cautious outlook amid economic uncertainties.

Interest rate concerns: Revised expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve may delay rate cuts in 2025 also weighed on investor sentiment.

Outlook

Market experts suggest that volatility may persist in the near term as global and domestic factors continue to influence investor behavior. A focus on corporate earnings reports and international economic trends will be critical in shaping market movements in the weeks ahead.

With a significant erosion in investor wealth, market participants remain cautious as they navigate the ongoing uncertainties.

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Latest business news

Pune entrepreneur asks Blinkit CEO to launch ATM service after Ambulance, sparks debate

It’s worth mentioning that similar services are already available, such as platforms like MakeMyTrip that offer foreign currency delivery.

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Days after Blinkit launched its 10-minute ambulance service, a start-up founder and YouTuber reached out to Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa with a request to introduce an “ATM-like” service. The founder suggested that this service would be “incredibly helpful.”

Harsh Punjabi, founder of The Dot Company and a YouTuber, posted on social media platform X: “Hey @albinder, please start an ATM-like service on Blinkit. Users could pay via UPI, and cash could be delivered to their doorstep in under 10 minutes. That would be super helpful!”

His rationale for this suggestion became clear in a follow-up tweet where he expressed, “Leaving for a trip and need cash. I only have Rs 100 at home. I don’t want to go to the ATM, but it looks like I’ll have to.”

Punjabi’s tweet sparked a variety of responses. Some users pointed out that delivery charges would incur an 18 percent GST, while others claimed that the idea would make Indians lazier. Many questioned the need for cash, given the widespread acceptance of UPI.

One user remarked, “The idea is good, but the 18 percent GST on delivery charges would ruin everything,” while another joked, “This scheme should be kept a secret.”

Another user lamented, “Why doesn’t Blinkit breathe on our behalf too? We’ve become that lazy,” and another added humorously, “Please, let’s not make India lazy to this extent.”

A user highlighted that similar arrangements exist where customers go to shops, pay extra for their bills, and take back the additional cash for tasks like paying rickshaw pullers.

“Why do you want cash? Cash should be eliminated. We need maximum digitalization,” one user opined, while another noted that acquiring smaller notes can be tricky, especially when UPI isn’t an option.

It’s worth mentioning that similar services are already available, such as platforms like MakeMyTrip that offer foreign currency delivery.

On January 2, Blinkit announced its ambulance service. Dhindsa stated, “We are taking our first step toward addressing the challenge of providing quick and reliable ambulance services in our cities. The first five ambulances will be operational in Gurugram starting today. As we expand, users will soon have the option to book a Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance through the Blinkit app.”

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