Pending Criminal Proceedings Even In Life Imprisonment Cases Don't Bar Arbitration: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday held that criminal proceedings or allegations of serious offences, even those punishable with life imprisonment, do not by themselves make a dispute unsuitable for arbitration. Before declining to hear such a dispute, an arbitral tribunal must explain how the allegations amount to "serious fraud" with wider public implication Justice Gauri Godse allowed Capalpha Trade Pvt Ltd's appeal and set aside an arbitral tribunal's August 3, 2023 order. The tribunal had...

Bombay High Court Upholds Award Rejecting LPG Distributor's ₹40 Crore Claim Against Reliance Petro

The Bombay High Court has recently upheld an arbitral award rejecting most of an LPG distributor's nearly ₹40 crore damages claim against Reliance Petro Marketing Ltd. It held that the arbitrator's interpretation of the distribution agreements and the evidence on record warranted no interference. Justice Kamal Khata held that the award dated March 25, 2021 was neither vitiated by patent illegality nor contrary to the fundamental policy of Indian law. "Accordingly, this Court is of the...

Bombay HC Protects Bombay Group's Continued Use Of 'Vadilal' Trademark Pending Family Settlement Arbitration

The Bombay High Court has recently granted interim protection to one branch of the Gandhi family behind the Vadilal brand. It restrained Vadilal Industries Ltd., Vadilal International Pvt. Ltd. and other Ahmedabad Group entities from interfering with the Bombay Group's continued use of the "Vadilal" trademark in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana until arbitration over a family settlement is decided. Justice Amit Borkar held that the Bombay Group had established a...

LiveLawBiz Arbitration Cases Weekly Digest: June 22 - June 28, 2026

Nominal IndexT.K.A. Padmanabhan v. Abhiyan Cooperative Group Housing Society Ltd., Through Its Secretary, 2026 LLBiz SC 229M/s Bafna Global Venture Pvt. Ltd. v. National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) & Anr., 2026 LLBiz HC (DEL) 639NHAI v. Patel Karsanbhai and Others, 2026 LLBiz HC (GUJ) 73M/s. Soham Consultancy Services v. Limbdi Nagarpalika, 2026 LLBiz HC (GUJ) 74Pandya Naresh Chandra Through POA Gaurang Bhavsar v. Shalin Infrastructure & Ors., 2026 LLBiz HC (GUJ)...

Madras High Court Restores Arbitral Award, Says District Judge Erred In Calling It 'Hypothetical'

The Madras High Court at Madurai has recently set aside an order of the Madurai Principal District Judge insofar as it annulled an arbitral award granting ₹14.04 lakh as an early completion bonus to a contractor in a dispute with the Union of India over the construction of a Kendriya Vidyalaya school building at Sivagangai. The bench of Justice V. Lakshminarayanan held that the Principal District Judge's characterisation of the arbitral award as "hypothetical" reflected non-application of mind....

Calcutta High Court Upholds Setting Aside of ₹19.68 Crore Arbitral Award Against SAIL Over Demurrage Claim

The Calcutta High Court has recently dismissed an appeal filed by Vizag Seaport Private Limited (VSPL) and upheld an earlier order setting aside a majority arbitral award. The award had directed the Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL) to pay nearly ₹19.68 crore towards claimed demurrage and storage charges. The court held that the parties' Short Term Agreement (STA) did not provide for such charges. It also held that VSPL had waived its right to claim them by not seeking to include such a...

Bombay High Court Sets Aside ₹32.79 Crore Arbitral Award To Adani Enterprises In Machhakata Coal Block Dispute

The Bombay High Court on Thursday set aside an arbitral award directing Mahaguj Collieries Ltd to pay about ₹32.79 crore to Adani Enterprises Ltd towards land acquisition expenses incurred for the Machhakata coal block in Odisha. The court held that the dispute could not have been decided through a summary award. Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan held that the arbitral tribunal had not analysed the Coal Mining Services Agreement (CMSA) or applied Sections 56 and 65 of the Contract Act to the...

Delhi High Court Restrains NCERT From Invoking ₹6.09 Crore Bank Guarantee Against Paper Supplier

The Delhi High Court has restrained the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) from taking coercive steps to invoke a ₹6.09 crore bank guarantee furnished by a paper supplier. It also directed that no coercive action be taken pursuant to NCERT's order terminating the supply contract and debarring the company for two years, until the next hearing on July 20. Justice Mini Pushkarna passed the interim order in an arbitration petition filed by Bafna Global Venture Pvt. Ltd....

Madras High Court Allows Telecom Contractor To Bid In Fresh BSNL Tender Pending Arbitration

The Madras High Court has granted interim relief to Universal Tele Services by allowing it to submit a bid in a fresh Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) tender for telecom operations. The dispute over the termination of its contracts will meanwhile be decided through arbitration. The court directed that BSNL should process the bid only after the arbitrator passes orders. Justice K. Kumaresh Babu passed the order. The court also clarified an earlier order appointing former High Court judge...

Telangana High Court Refers Cinepolis-Sree Thirumala Dispute To Arbitration, Appoints Former Acting CJ

The Telangana High Court has appointed former Acting Chief Justice Justice P. Naveen Rao as an independent arbitrator to adjudicate disputes between Cinepolis India Private Limited and Sree Thirumala Infra Private Limited. The order was passed by Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh after the parties agreed to the appointment. The court also took on record the statutory disclosure submitted by the proposed arbitrator. Cinepolis and Sree Thirumala Infra had entered into a Memorandum of...

Uttarakhand High Court Upholds Award, Finds No Bar To Arbitration After Partial Settlement Of Insurance Claim

The Uttarakhand High Court has recently upheld an arbitral award directing Oriental Insurance Company Ltd. to pay ₹34,000 to Vigyan Chemical Industries in an insurance claim dispute. The court rejected the insurer's contention that acceptance of a lower amount against the claim prevented the insured from seeking the balance through arbitration. Justice Ravindra Maithani heard the appeal filed by Oriental Insurance against a District Judge's order refusing to set aside the award. Observing that...

Madras High Court Stays Release Of Dileep-Starrer 'Neekkam' Over Financial Dispute

The Madras High Court has restrained the release, distribution, and exhibition of the Malayalam film 'Neekkam', starring Dileep and directed by Jagan Shaji Kailas. The temporary order came on a plea filed by A.V. Anoop, proprietor of AVA Productions, who claimed a contractual charge over the film after alleging that its producer had failed to repay advances extended under earlier production agreements.Justice K. Kumaresh Babu granted ad-interim protection to AVA Productions. The court also...