Sudeep D. Cecil
Partner
Education
- LL.B., Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur
Sudeep David Cecil is a Partner at KNM & Partners and brings over 23 years of diverse legal experience, advising clients across sectors such as real estate, infrastructure, FMCG, automobiles, mining, chemicals, logistics, and financial services. His practice focuses on real estate transactions, corporate and legal due diligence, regulatory compliance, labour laws, intellectual property, data privacy, labour laws and corporate advisory.
Sudeep has extensive experience in real estate and infrastructure transactions, real estate regulations, customer documentations, regulatory approvals, compliance frameworks, data privacy aspects and labour advisory for Indian and international clients, including Japanese and European conglomerates. He has played a pivotal role in facilitating greenfield and brownfield investments in India, especially in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu, and has actively engaged with investment promotion agencies such as Invest India, iNDEXTb Gujarat, and Guidance TN.
His expertise extends to labour law advisory, drafting HR policies and compliance manuals, conducting regulatory audits, advising on employee disputes, severance negotiations, and social security compliances. He is also well-regarded for his advisory on legal metrology laws, environmental and pollution law compliances, and mining laws, including complex mining transactions, regulatory interventions, and High Court litigation support.
Sudeep regularly assists overseas entities in meeting the compliance framework on Indian laws and establishing manufacturing or trading units in India. He has also handled documentation and advisory for business transfers, joint ventures, and real estate developments.
Practice Areas
Key Experience
Real Estate, Infrastructure & Regulatory
- Advised a leading Japanese auto parts company on setting up a manufacturing facility in India, including advising on explosives laws and obtaining approvals from PESO, DPIIT, and state agencies in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
- Conducted extensive due diligence of a Gujarat-based pharmaceutical company for a European investor, covering environmental issues, effluent discharge, and freshwater sourcing, and coordinated high-level negotiations with GIDC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, City Municipal Corporations and Central Ground Water Authority.
- Advised a European group on setting up a chemicals and fertilizers manufacturing unit in a port-based SEZ in Maharashtra, including regulatory strategy with MoEFCC and SEZ authorities.
- Advised Indo-Japanese and Indo-European JVs on real estate development projects in NCR, including drafting joint development agreements, construction contracts, and advising on NGT issues.
Mining & Environmental
- Structured and documented iron and manganese ore mining transactions in Jharkhand and Odisha, including negotiations on ore raising, marketing, and financing.
Advised clients on environment clearance issues, regulatory disputes, and High Court litigation for mining and infrastructure projects.
- Structured and documented iron and manganese ore mining transactions in Jharkhand and Odisha, including negotiations on ore raising, marketing, and financing.
Corporate Advisory
- Structured and documented financing transactions for real estate and infrastructure projects, including loans and equity investments for NBFCs, funds, and debt platforms.
- Advised India’s leading integrated infrastructure services company on the transfer of business involving charitable trusts and prepared transaction documentation.
Labour & Employment & Regulatory Compliance
- Conducting labour law audits, policy drafting, and workshops for clients, including a leading Japan-based railways and signalling company.
- Advising Japan-based two-wheeler and music instruments manufacturer and German automotive clients on legal metrology compliance and conducting regulatory audits.