[Ashish Dholakia is a Senior Advocate at the Delhi High Court, Rohan Chawla is an Advocate at the Delhi High Court, and Ria Bansal is a 4th-year B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) student at Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law] The 2015 amendments to the Arbitration & Conciliation Act, 1996 (‘A&C Act’) dramatically changed the arbitration regime in India. A challenge to an award under section...
Flawed Foundations: Challenging the Right of Ineligible Arbitrators to Nominate
[Abhishek Gupta is a fourth year B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) student at National Law University, Delhi] In arbitration, the interplay between party autonomy and procedural fairness often presents complex legal challenges. A key issue arises when considering whether an ineligible arbitrator should have the authority to nominate an arbitrator. This question places party autonomy, a fundamental principle of...
Assignment and Arbitration Agreements: Assignee’s “Burden” to Arbitrate
[Chiranth Mukunda is a 2nd Year B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) Student at National Law School of India University, Bengaluru] In DLF Limited v. PNB Housing Finance Ltd (22 March 2024), while considering a petition under section 11 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996 ( A&C Act), the Delhi High Court observed that an assignee would be bound by the arbitration agreement in a claim brought by the...
The Debate Over Supreme Court’s Curative Intervention in Arbitration
[Madhav Goel and Anjali Sharma are researchers at the TrustBridge Rule of Law Foundation] In April 2024, the Supreme Court of India in Delhi Metro Rail Corporation v. Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Limited (‘DMRC v. DAMEPL’) overturned an arbitral award of nearly Rs. 8,000 cr against the DMRC which was to be paid to DAMEPL, a joint venture between Reliance Infrastructure Limited and...
Revisiting the ‘Settled’ Law on MSMED and Arbitration Acts: An Alternative Way Forward
[Ameya Sharma and Tassawar Ali are second-year students pursuing B.A., LL.B (Hons.) from NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad] In Gujarat State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd. v. Mahakali Foods Pvt. Ltd., the Supreme Court settled the conflict between the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006 [“MSMED Act”] and the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 [“A&C Act”]. It was...
The DMRC Case – Assessing Exercise of Curative Jurisdiction in Annulment of Arbitral Award
[Prince Todi is an Associate at AZB & Partners, Mumbai. Yavipriya Gupta is an Advocate practising at the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court of India] Perhaps, a pro-arbitration jurisdiction can be characterized as one having consistent laws, with a focus on expeditious adjudication of disputes, minimal judicial intervention, and a presence of strong enforcement framework aimed at...
Arbitration Realities: Patterns of Challenges and Judicial Responses
[Madhav Goel, Karan Gulati, Sonam Patel, and Anjali Sharma are researchers at the TrustBridge Rule of Law Foundation] Arbitration has become a widely used mechanism to resolve contractual disputes in India. It offers greater flexibility and better alignment with parties’ incentives than courts. Since the parties voluntarily choose arbitration, they are generally expected to accept the outcomes...
Advancing the Objectives of IBC: Why Arbitration Should Persist During Moratorium Periods
[Arunoday Rai is a 3rd-year B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) student at the National Law School of India University, Bangalore] There has been sufficient literature arguing for reconciliation between insolvency and arbitration proceedings. This post argues for the continuation of arbitration proceedings as it furthers the objectives of insolvency and enhances its efficiency. It critiques the position taken by...
Deciphering the Incorporation of Arbitral Clauses and Contractual Intent
[Ria Bansal is a 3rd year B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) student at Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab] Recently, the Supreme Court of India in NBCC (India) Ltd. vs. Zillion Infraprojects (P) Ltd. set aside the appointment of a sole arbitrator under section 11(6) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (“the Act”) on the basis that the arbitration clause had not been incorporated within...
Recourse to Section 34(4) of the Arbitration Act: An Unreasonably Constricted Approach
[Gautam Narayan and Asmita Singh are advocates practicing at the Supreme Court of India] In a departure from the principle that an arbitral tribunal becomes functus officio after having delivered the award, section 34(4) of the Indian Arbitration & Conciliation Act, 1996 (“Arbitration Act”) (which is based on article 34(4) of the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration...
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