Road Transport Ministry Revises Highway Contracts, Bars Arbitration For ₹10 Crore-Plus Disputes

Disputes valued at Rs 10 crore or more, as well as declaratory and non-monetary disputes, under national highway contracts will no longer be referred to arbitration, under a circular issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on January 12, 2026. Such disputes will instead be dealt with through conciliation, without barring the parties from approaching civil courts. The circular updates the dispute resolution clauses in standard contracts used for Build-Operate-Transfer (Toll),...