Chennai-based NBFC Samunnati Financial Intermediation & Services has raised Rs 150 crores ($23.5m) in a Series-C funding round led by Swiss investment firm responsAbility with participation from existing investors Elevar Equity and Accel Partners, as reported by VCCircle and The Hindu. The investment was done by way of subscription to 100 equity shares and 317,423 compulsory convertible preference shares of Samunnati.

The Supreme Court refused to entertain adjournment pleas by senior advocates in today's hearing of the Bar Council of India (BCI) writ against the entry of foreign law firms into India, reported Bar & Bench.

Itochu Petroleum Co, the Singapore-based subsidiary of Japanese trading company Itochu Corporation has announced the acquisition of 19.7% stake in Aegis Logistics' wholly-owned subsidiary, Hindustan Aegis LPG (HALPG), for INR 239 crores (apporximately $37.8m), as reported by Business Standard and VC Circle in May of last year. In addition to India, Itochu Corporation, the Japanese multinational trading group specialising in oil & gas, metals and other commodities, operates LPG import hubs in Japan and the Philippines.

Acadgild, the Bengaluru-based online education startup operated by Edvista Education Services has recently been acquired by Aeon Learning in an all-stock deal amounting to Rs 64 crores ($10m) as reported by VC Circle and Mint. Acadgild focuses on online degrees and skill development programmes in big data, deep learning and UI/UX design web development, among others and had raised initial investment from venture capital firm Jupiter Capital and K. Ganesh of GrowthStory.

KKR India Asset Finance, the realty-focused investment unit of global PE Firm KKR & Co. have invested INR 500 crores (USD 82 million) in a township project of the Bangalore-based Bhartiya City Developers Group by extending a term loan facility, as reported by Mint.

The promoters of Mumbai-based Donear Group have announced the acquisition of OCM Woollen Mills from its existing owner, a private equity fund house, as part of the strategy to consolidate their top position in Indian textiles industry, as reported by The Economic Times. OCM is one of India’s best-quality manufacturer of premium range of high-quality all-wool and wool-blended worsted suiting fabrics.

India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL) has said to have provided a term loan of Rs. 156 crore (USD 23.8 million) to Gurugram based Mihit Solar Power under its Takeout Finance Scheme, for substituting the outstanding principal amount of the loan sanctioned by L&T Infrastructure Finance, for the purpose of developing and commissioning a 74 MW Solar Power Project in Mansa District, Punjab.

Subhash Chandra-owned, Essel Finance Management, the financial services arm of the Essel Group has acquired the controlling stake of insurance policy aggregator Bimadirect, operated by Coretree Insurance Brokers (India) for an estimated amount of Rs. 25-30 crores (approximately $3.8 - $4.6 million), as reported by The Economic Times & VC Circle. The deal will see Essel Finance paying 75% of the deal amount upfront, and the rest over a period of two years.

“State-owned Andhra Bank has dragged Housing Development & Infrastructure to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in an insolvency petition because the Mumbai-based real estate developer failed to pay back Rs 55 crore invested by the bank in the company's non-convertible debentures (NCDs),” reported The Economic Times

“Kotak Realty Fund, a part of Kotak Investment Advisors, has invested Rs. 240 crore in an under-construction shopping mall in Chennai and Rs. 80 crore in an ongoing office project in Mumbai from its $250 million offshore fund,” reported Livemint. Both the deals have been funded through debt financing by the issue of listed, secured, non-convertible, redeemable debentures by C&J Corporate Park, a group entity of National India Bullion Refinery to Kotak Realty.

Tags: J. Sagar Associates (JSA)PepsiCo India Holdings (PepsiCo) has sold its franchise rights for the State of Odisha and parts of Madhya Pradesh to Varun Beverages Limited (“VBL”), PepsiCo’s largest bottler in India and the flagship company of the R K Jaipuria Group, as reported by Money Control and Business Standard. VBL will now be a franchisee for PepsiCo products across 18 states and 2 union territories in the country.

Auto-ancilliary major Precision Camshafts (PCL) has announced its acquisition of 95% stake in Nashik-based precision component maker MEMCO Engineering for an undisclosed amount, as reported by The Economic Times and VCCircle.

Chemicals company BASF India has sold its leather chemicals business to Stahl India Private Limited for Rs. 197.63 crores (USD 30.35 million) through a slump sale, as reported by Livemint and Business Standard.

Realty firm Embassy Group has entered into a joint-venture of about Rs 900 crores with US-based Taurus Investment Holdings in an SPV called Winterfell Realty Private Limited, to develop commercial projects, including an IT/ITES SEZ, encompassing 2.5 million square feet on a 10-acre land parcel as part of Phase III of the Technopark SEZ in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala as reported by Livemint and The Economic Times.