Corporate Law Research Topics: IBC, SEBI and More

Good corporate law research topics in 2026 and 2027 follow the big reforms: the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Act, 2026, the Securities Markets Code Bill, 2025, competition law’s deal value threshold, decriminalisation under the Jan Vishwas laws, and the Income-tax Act, 2025. This guide lists specific topics across corporate, commercial, insolvency and securities law, with tips on narrowing and sources.

Insolvency and bankruptcy

• Creditor-initiated insolvency resolution: The 2026 amendment adds a creditor-led process that starts outside the tribunal for specified financial creditors. Will it reduce admission delays, or move disputes to the conversion stage?
• Group insolvency: The amendment empowers the Centre to make rules on group and cross-border insolvency. What should Indian group insolvency rules borrow from the UNCITRAL Model Law on Enterprise Group Insolvency?
• Admission within 14 days: Does limiting grounds for rejecting Section 7 and 9 applications settle the debate after Vidarbha Industries (2022)?
• Avoidance transactions: The look-back has been widened and creditors can pursue claims when the professional does not. Who funds this litigation?
• Liquidation timelines: Are the new 180-day limits realistic given asset sale markets?
• Statutory dues: After the amendment excludes statutory dues from “security interest”, is the controversy from State Tax Officer v. Rainbow Papers (2022) resolved?
• Pre-packs for MSMEs: Why has uptake of the pre-packaged process been low since 2021?

Securities and capital markets

• Securities Markets Code Bill, 2025: Introduced in December 2025 to merge the SEBI Act, the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act and the Depositories Act. Does consolidation improve accountability of SEBI, or concentrate power?
• Separation of functions in SEBI: Should investigation and adjudication be separated within the regulator? Compare with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority.
• Finfluencers: SEBI’s restrictions on regulated entities associating with unregistered advisers. Free speech and investor protection.
• F&O retail losses: Is suitability regulation the right tool for derivatives trading by retail investors?
• Related party transactions: Effectiveness of majority-of-minority approval under the LODR Regulations.
• ESG disclosure: BRSR Core and value chain assurance. When does a sustainability statement become a misstatement?

Company law and governance

• Independent directors after a decade of the Companies Act, 2013: independent in form, dependent in fact?
• Class actions under Section 245: why have so few been filed?
• Fast-track mergers and the role of the NCLT: has the 2016 framework reduced tribunal load?
• Beneficial ownership disclosure and the SBO rules: enforcement gaps.
• Corporate criminal liability after decriminalisation of minor offences: does compoundability weaken deterrence?

Competition and digital markets

• Deal value threshold: The Competition (Amendment) Act, 2023 requires notification of large deals regardless of asset or turnover size. Is the “substantial business operations in India” test workable?
• Ex ante regulation: The draft Digital Competition Bill, 2024 has not moved forward, and the government has commissioned a market study. Should India adopt ex ante rules, and for whom?
• Settlements and commitments: Early experience with the 2023 tools at the CCI.
• Algorithmic collusion: Can the Competition Act, 2002 reach pricing algorithms without human agreement?

Commercial law, arbitration and contracts

• Modification of awards: After Gayatri Balasamy v. ISG Novasoft (2025), courts have a limited power to modify awards. Where exactly is the line?
• Third-party funding of arbitration in India: a regulatory proposal.
• Pre-institution mediation under Section 12A of the Commercial Courts Act, 2015: mandatory in law, optional in practice?
• Smart contracts and the Indian Contract Act, 1872: offer, acceptance and mistake in code.

Business regulation, labour and tax

• Jan Vishwas laws: The 2023 Act and the 2026 Act passed by Parliament convert many offences into civil penalties. Is there evidence that compliance improves?
• Labour Codes: In force from 21 November 2025. How does the uniform definition of wages change employer cost structures and gratuity?
• Fixed-term employment: Is it a substitute for contract labour under the Industrial Relations Code?
• Income-tax Act, 2025: In force from 1 April 2026. How should courts use precedents decided under the 1961 Act when provisions are renumbered and redrafted?
• GST rate rationalisation: Anti-profiteering after the move to two main slabs in September 2025.

How to narrow a corporate law topic

1. Choose a stakeholder. Minority shareholders, operational creditors, retail investors or MSMEs. A topic gets sharper when you know whose problem it is.
2. Choose an instrument. One regulation, circular or section. For example, Regulation 23 of the LODR Regulations instead of “related party transactions”.
3. Add data where possible. IBBI quarterly newsletters, SEBI annual reports and CCI orders allow small empirical studies.
4. Frame a question. Our guide on research questions and hypotheses shows how.

Worked example

Sources to use

• IBBI regulations, discussion papers and quarterly newsletters; NCLT and NCLAT orders.
• SEBI regulations, circulars, consultation papers and orders; the PRS summary of the Securities Markets Code Bill.
• CCI orders and annual reports; the Committee on Digital Competition Law report (2024).
• MCA notifications and the Companies Law Committee reports.
• Reports of Parliamentary Standing Committees on Finance and on Labour.

Read our guide on how to write a legal research paper before drafting. For other subjects, see 100 research paper topics in law for 2027, and for technology-linked business topics see cyber and technology law topics.

Law and economics papers on insolvency, markets and regulation are welcome at the Lexfolio Journal of Law, Policy and Social Sciences. See the call for papers.

Frequently asked questions

Has the Securities Markets Code been enacted?

As of late 2026 it is a Bill. It was introduced in December 2025 and examined by the Standing Committee on Finance. Check its current status before you submit.

Is the IBC creditor-initiated process fully operational?

The amendment creates the legal basis. Some parts depend on rules and regulations, so confirm what has been notified on the IBBI and MCA websites.

Can I write an empirical paper without a dataset?

Yes. Build a small dataset from public orders, such as 50 NCLT admission orders from one bench, and code them for delay and grounds.

Do I need to know economics to write on insolvency or markets?

Basic concepts help, such as recovery rates and incentives, but a careful doctrinal paper with clear data from IBBI or SEBI reports is enough for most journals.