Exclusive: Amarchand and Mangaldas has replaced last year’s project finance leader Luthra & Luthra to secure the top rank among India’s 10 highest cap project deal firms in 2011, according to data provider Dealogic.

Khaitan & Co has advised Yes Bank on granting of Rs 84 crore rupee term loan facility to Integrated Coal Mining for the development and setting up of a 9MW solar photovoltaic plant in Kutch region of Gujarat.

Desai & Diwanji has advised Wadia group-owned budget airline GoAir on the company’s acquisition of 72 Airbus 320 NEO Aircraft for $7.2bn.

SNG & Partners, Trilegal, Boston-based Rich May and Spanish law firm Uría Menéndez have advised on Spanish Grupo T-Solar Global’s investment into Astonfield Renewable Resources heralding a strategic partnership to finance, operate and develop 200MW of solar power plants in India.

Exclusive: Dua Associates Hyderabad has advised on the construction of a major NCC Infrastructure Rs 7,047 crore power project with Amarchand Mangaldas Delhi leading for the lenders, one year after India Legal merged with Dua following Tatva Legal’s mega-breakaway.

Kochhar & Co partner Ngangom Junior Luwang has won the tender to draft the legislation and framework of the government’s India’s National Population Register (NPR) and Residency Certification Project, which is set to create a database and issue residency cards to all Indian residents.

Amarchand Mangaldas has taken an early lead in the 2011 Indian first quarter project finance rankings, racking up higher deal values than both Link Legal and last year’s busiest firm Luthra & Luthra combined, followed by Trilegal and Fox Mandal.

India Law Services (ILS) and Laware Associates, which was set up in 2007 by a Nalsar Hyderabad graduate, have advised on two National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) expressway and toll road projects of nearly Rs 3,000 crore ($660m).

Exclusive: R&A Legal, S&R Associates, Latham & Watkins, Spanish firm Uria Menendez and India Law Services have advised on the internal restructuring of Spanish infrastructure company Grupo Isolux Corsan’s investments into an Indian Rs 4,518 crore ($997m) road project.

Trilegal and Link Legal have advised power producer Caparo Energy’s $ 1.28bn contract for supply of wind power projects equipment with India’s largest turbine manufacturers Suzlon India.

Exclusive: Luthra & Luthra has maintained its lead in the project finance domain as the top Indian and second-ranked law firm globally by deal volumes. Amarchand Mangaldas, S J Law Advocates, India Law Services and AZB & Partners followed up in the domestic rankings, where 163 projects worth $81.4bn were completed in India in 2010, according to data provider Dealogic.

Luthra & Luthra has built on its lead in the Dealogic Indian project finance league table of the first three quarters of 2010, as Amarchand Mangaldas completed four project financings in the last quarter and caught up into second place ahead of newcomers such as Axon Partners LLP and R&A Legal Advocates. Globally the top two firms are also in the top 10 of project finance legal advisers by value.

Luthra & Luthra was the most active project finance legal advisers both by value and volume in the first half of 2010, followed by India Law Services, SJ Law Advocates & Solicitors,  Amarchand Mangaldas and AZB & Partners and SN Gupta & Co, according to data compiled for Legally India by data provider Dealogic.

Luthra & Luthra has closed two project finance deals out of Delhi and Mumbai this week, acting on the Rs 1,497 crores ($325m) Gujarat road development project and the Rs 4,000 crore ($850m) syndicated term loan for Cairn India to develop oil fields.

Luthra & Luthra, India Law Services and Amarchand Mangaldas have leapfrogged to the top of global project finance deal rankings over the last six months, benefiting from Indian project finance deals rising by 158 per cent against the same period last year to almost $32bn (Rs 154,000 crore).