Commercial Court Cannot Hear Challenge To Railways Land Acquisition Award: Chhattisgarh High Court

On 14 May, the Chhattisgarh High Court held that disputes arising from land acquisition proceedings under the Railways Act do not fall within the definition of a “commercial dispute” under Section 2(1)(c) of the Commercial Courts Act, 2015, and therefore cannot be adjudicated by a Commercial Court. A Division Bench of Justices Parth Prateem Sahu and Sachin Singh Rajput allowed an appeal filed by Sagarmal Agrawal, set aside an order of the Commercial Court, Bilaspur, holding that it lacked...

Bombay HC Grants Relief To Adtrack, Says Housing Federation Tried To 'Wriggle Out' Of Hoarding Deal

The Bombay High Court on Monday held that a housing federation was seeking to "wriggle out of contractual obligations" after changing its mind about the location of a proposed digital advertisement hoarding and granted interim protection permitting the project to proceed pending arbitration. Justice Sandeep V. Marne held that the federation had changed its mind about the site location of the hoarding and that the contractor would suffer irreparable loss if interim protection was denied. “A...

Bombay High Court Orders Disclosure Of Bhutan Contract In Xcalibur–Oil Field Exclusivity Dispute

On 8 June, the Bombay High Court held that parties cannot shield alleged breaches of exclusivity obligations under a joint venture agreement from judicial scrutiny by withholding the very contract in question on the ground of confidentiality. Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan allowed the appeal filed by Bengaluru-based Oil Field Instrumentation India Pvt. Ltd., set aside the arbitral tribunal's order under Section 17 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, and remanded the matter for fresh...

LiveLawBiz Arbitration Cases Weekly Digest: June 1 - June 6, 2026

NOMINAL INDEXNational Highways Authority of India v. T. Younis & Anr., 2026 LLBiz SC 216 Bennett Coleman and Company Limited v. Lord's Mark Industries Limited & Ors., 2026 LLBiz HC (DEL) 583 Ramacivil India Construction Private Limited v. Central Public Works Department & Connected Matters, 2026 LLBiz HC (DEL) 575 Midpoint Commodeal Private Limited v. Fidatocity Homes Private Limited & Ors., 2026 LLBiz HC (DEL) 580 Oracle International Corporation v. CIS IT Solutions Private...

Himachal Pradesh High Court Orders Arbitrator To Complete NHAI Land Compensation Case By 4 December 2026

On 3 June, the Himachal Pradesh High Court held that when a statute requires an authority or arbitrator to perform an act within a prescribed time, the obligation lies on that authority to comply with the statutory timeline and complete the task accordingly. A Single Bench of Justice Romesh Verma, while hearing Mohan Singh (deceased) through legal representatives v. National Highways Authority of India and others, directed the Divisional Commissioner-cum-Arbitrator, Shimla, to conclude the...

Dealership Agreements Terminable On Notice Cannot Be Restored Through Arbitration: Allahabad High Court

The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on 15 May held that an arbitral tribunal cannot restore a dealership agreement that either party can terminate by notice. Such a contract is determinable in nature and Section 14 of the Specific Relief Act bars its specific enforcement. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Jaspreet Singh allowed Indian Oil Corporation Limited's (IOCL) appeal, set aside the arbitral award directing restoration of the dealership, and quashed the...

Delhi High Court Appoints Former SC Judge Arun Mishra Arbitrator In NHIDCL Contract Dispute

The Delhi High Court on May 19 dismissed an appeal filed by National Highways Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL) against an order restraining the encashment of bank guarantees furnished by a contractor. With the consent of both sides, the court also appointed former Supreme Court judge Justice Arun Mishra as the sole arbitrator to adjudicate disputes arising from a highway project in Assam. A division bench of Justices Dinesh Mehta and Vinod Kumar upheld a February 24 order...

Supreme Court Refuses To Interfere With Arbitrator Appointment In Nissan Dealership Dispute

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to interfere with a Punjab and Haryana High Court order appointing an arbitrator to resolve disputes between Vision Plus Financial Services (Vision Datsun) and Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd arising out of a dealership agreement. A bench of Justices Manmohan and Vijay Bishnoi declined to entertain Nissan Motor India's challenge to the March 9, 2026, order by which the High Court appointed former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice Pramjeet Singh Dhaliwal...

Party Autonomy In Arbitration Is Being Misunderstood As Right To Choose Favourable Decision-Makers: CJI Surya Kant

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Friday said that the principle of party autonomy, often regarded as one of arbitration's defining strengths, has in some respects been misunderstood and stretched beyond its intended purpose, warning that it is increasingly being equated with an unrestricted ability to select favourable decision-makers. Speaking at the 4th International Conference on "Arbitrating Indo-UK Commercial Disputes: ADR as a Catalyst for Strengthening India-UK Economic Partnership,"...

Karnataka High Court Partly Sets Aside ₹79.58 Arbitral Award In Automotive Axles Housing Society Dispute

The Karnataka High Court on 1 June, partly set aside an arbitral award of Rs.79.58 lakh in favour of contractor K.S. Sridhar, holding that several claims allowed by the arbitrator lacked evidentiary support and were patently illegal. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Poonacha partly allowed the appeal filed by Automotive Axles Employees Housing Co-operative Society Ltd., modifying the arbitral award while sustaining certain monetary components in favour of...

Jharkhand High Court Appoints Arbitrator In Hindustan Dorr Oliver-Uranium Corporation Contract Dispute

The Jharkhand High Court on 8 May held that while exercising jurisdiction under Section 11(6) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, a referral court is required to undertake only a prima facie examination of the existence of an arbitration agreement and cannot enter into disputed questions relating to limitation, maintainability or the effect of insolvency proceedings. Chief Justice M.S. Sonak appointed former Andhra Pradesh High Court Judge Justice C. Praveen Kumar as the sole...

Arbitral Mandate Can Be Extended After Expiry; No Limitation Prescribed: Andhra Pradesh High Court

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has recently reiterated that applications seeking extension of an arbitral tribunal's mandate can be filed even after expiry of the prescribed period and that courts must adopt a liberal approach while considering whether sufficient cause exists for granting such extensions. Relying on the Supreme Court's decision in Rohan Builders (India) Private Limited v. Berger Paints India Limited and its own earlier ruling in Chidepudi Bhanu Srivastava v. Kancharla...