Supreme Court Appoints Former SC Judge Abhay Oka As Mediator In IMAX–E-City Arbitration Enforcement Dispute

The court was hearing the matter arising out of the Bombay High Court's December 2025 judgment reviving enforcement proceedings in favour of IMAX.

A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan was further informed that the hearing on merits would require at least a full day of arguments and would take considerable time. In view of the pendency of the matter and the prolonged history of the dispute, the court deemed it appropriate to explore the possibility of an amicable resolution.

“We are of the view having regards to the fact that this litigation between the parties is now two decades old. They should make all possible endevours to sit, talk and try to arrive at some equitable settlement. In such circumstances, we appoint Hon'ble Justice Abhay Oka, former judge of this court to act as mediator between the parties.”, the court said.

Counsels appearing for E-City informed the court that pursuant to the court's January 23 order, the directors of E-City submitted their undertakings. 

The supreme court while hearing the appeal on January 23, had ordered the E-City group to maintain status quo over all its assets and disclose details of its movable and immovable properties while taking up a fresh challenge to the Bombay High Court's decision that revived enforcement of foreign arbitral awards in favour of IMAX Corporation.

The dispute goes back more than two decades to a 2000 agreement under which IMAX leased six IMAX theatre systems to E-City for a 20-year term.

After E-City failed to meet its obligations, IMAX initiated arbitration before an International Chamber of Commerce tribunal in London. The tribunal passed a liability award in February 2006, followed by a quantum award in August 2007, directing E-City to pay IMAX USD 9,406,148, along with interest and arbitration costs. 

Years of litigation followed in Indian courts, including repeated objections on limitation and attempts by the E-City group to resist enforcement of the awards. In its December 2025 judgment, the Bombay High Court restored the enforcement proceedings, holding that limitation objections could not be reopened at a later stage and that the principle of res judicata applied even between different stages of the same enforcement petition.