Delhi High Court Ruling on Arbitration-Related Pleas
The Delhi High Court has reiterated that once a court entertains an arbitration-related plea, only that court can be approached for all subsequent applications concerning the arbitration, including a challenge to the arbitral award.
A Division Bench of Justices V Kameswar Rao and Vinod Kumar passed the ruling, disagreeing with a Delhi district court's refusal to entertain a plea challenging an arbitral award on the ground that the arbitration was conducted in Chennai.
The High Court found that even though the venue of arbitration was in Chennai, the seat of arbitration remained in Delhi.
- The court has jurisdiction over arbitration-related pleas.
- Only one court can entertain all subsequent applications.
- The seat of arbitration determines the court's jurisdiction.
Author's summary: Delhi High Court limits jurisdiction for arbitration pleas.