The revival of the Indemnity

Payal Chawla This article was first published in Bar and Bench on 17.11.2017 In India, while the contracts of indemnity are perhaps the most negotiated clauses in a contract, they are paradoxically the least litigated. The paucity of legal precedence on this subject may be one of the reasons, despite some early pronouncements on the…

Limitations on Arbitral Procedure

Payal Chawla It is common knowledge that an arbitral tribunal is not bound by the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 and the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908. This is enshrined in s.19(1) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (ACA). S.19(1) has sometimes been misunderstood as to its scope and whether the Code and the Evidence…

Designation of Seat is akin to Exclusive Jurisdiction

Payal Chawla In a welcome recent decision of Indus Mobile Distribution Pvt. Ltd. v. Datawind Innovations Pvt. Ltd. [(2017) 7 SCC 678], the Hon’ble Supreme Court provided the much-needed clarity on the juridical seat in relation to domestic arbitration. Brief facts of Indus Mobile: The appellant (Indus Mobile) and respondent No. 1 (Datawind Innovations) entered into a contract whereby…

The Arbitration Agreement – Keep it Simple!

Payal Chawla The purpose of arbitrating a dispute is to avoid a protracted court battle. But that purpose can oft be defeated, if the parties get caught in a dispute on the interpretation of the arbitration clause itself. Therefore, it is important to keep the arbitration clause simple, only incorporating essential aspects. An example of…