[Anushka Kanabar is a third-year student at the National Law School of India University, Bangalore] The conception of parties “claiming through or under” parties to an arbitration agreement has undergone a significant evolution since the Supreme Court judgement in Cox and Kings v. SAP India. Appearing in sections 8, 35, 45, 54, and 73 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (“the...
PWD’s Recent Notification : A Setback for Arbitration Reform in India?
[Anvita Sharma is a penultimate year student at Jindal Global Law School] As the cornerstone of resolving complex infrastructure disputes globally, arbitration is valued for its efficiency, confidentiality and enforceability. Against this backdrop, on 21 April 2025, the Public Works Department (‘PWD’) of Delhi issued a notification removing arbitration as a dispute...
Not So Enka-dible: Why the Indian Supreme Court Must Rethink the Law Governing Arbitration Agreements
[Akash Kumar Surya is a IV year student at the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru] When parties agree to resolve disputes through arbitration, three distinct laws typically come into play: the lex contractus (governing the rights and obligations under the contract), the law governing the validity and interpretation of the arbitration agreement (LGAA), and...
Appointing Arbitrators Following the Approval of Resolution Plans: Adopting A Pro-IBC Stance
[Udai Yashvir Singh and Aditi Gupta are 5th year students at National Law University Delhi] The principle of clean slate was propounded by the Supreme Court in the seminal case of CoC of Essar Steel India Limited v. Satish Gupta. The principle essentially entails that any claim which is pending before a court or arbitral tribunal or any claim which has not been...
To Register or Not to Register ? – MSMEs and Arbitration Act
[Anirudh Goyal is a practicing advocate at the Calcutta High Court, and Jaspreet Singh is a final year undergraduate student at the WBNUJS, Kolkata] On multiple occasions, the Supreme Court, followed by various High Courts, has emphasised upon registration being a prerequisite for availing benefits under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006 (“MSMED Act...
Party Autonomy vs. Judicial Oversight: The Arbitration Dilemma
[Rishab Chand Jain and Jitya Singh are in the 3rd year and 4th year respectively in B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) programme at the National Law School of India University, Bangalore (NLSIU)] Party autonomy, impartiality, and independence in appointing arbitrators have always been a tussling point in Indian arbitration jurisprudence. The Indian judiciary has juggled between two differing lines of reasoning...
Tax or Contractual Payment: The Prospect of an ISDS Claim
[Kartikey Mahajan is a Partner, Jatan Artur Rodrigues a Senior Associate, and Keshav Somani an Associate, all part of the Dispute Resolution practice group of Khaitan and Co. The authors would like to thank Rohan Sanjith (Paralegal at Khaitan & Co and a final-year student at Indian International University of Legal Education and Research) for his contribution] On 25 July 2024, a nine-judge...
Emergency Arbitration: Will the SIAC’s New Rules Face Judicial Resistance in India?
[Gayatri Kondapalli and Aditi Kanoongo are 4th year B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) students at NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad] On January 1, 2025, the seventh edition of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre Rules (“SIAC Rules, 2025”) came into effect, introducing significant procedural changes, particularly in the context of emergency arbitration. Although the rules enhance expediency in...
Interim Relief under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996: The Dilemma that Wasn’t
[Saranya Ravindran is a 4th year law B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) student at NALSAR University of Law in Hyderabad] Interim reliefs are crucial to ensure the enforcement of an arbitral award, as the opposing party may no longer possess sufficient assets post-award, rendering enforcement ineffective. Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, which allows a party to seek interim relief from a...
Beyond the Group of Companies Doctrine: Rethinking Joinder of Non-Signatories
[Shyamal Anand is a Principal Associate at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas and Co and Divyansh Morolia a IV year student, National Law Institute University, Bhopal] As commentators have observed, arbitration is essentially a private process, having party autonomy and consent at its core. The arbitration tribunal derives its jurisdiction from the agreement of the parties. However, under some limited...
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