Axis Bank Ltd. v. Abdul Rehman Shaikh
Execution of arbitral award – unilateral appointment of sole arbitrator
Case brief
What is this about?
Bombay High Court (Rajesh S. Patil, J.), 1 April 2026 — Axis Bank Ltd. v. Abdul Rehman Shaikh, Execution Application No. 191 of 2022 (with Notice No. 552 of 2025): unilateral appointment of arbitrator; arbitral award declared non-est, non-executable and void-ab-initio at the execution stage, following Bhadra International (India) Pvt. Ltd. v. Airport Authority of India (Supreme Court, Civil Appeal No. 37-38 of 2026, decided 5 January 2026) and L & T Finance Ltd. v. Sangeeta Bhansali (Commercial Execution Application (L) No. 5277 of 2022); execution application dismissed ex parte (none appeared); parties permitted to initiate fresh arbitration with limitation exclusion from invocation till the date of the order.
What did the court decide?
Execution Application No. 191 of 2022 dismissed; arbitral award declared non-est in law, non-executable and void-ab-initio; Notice No. 552 of 2025 and any interim applications disposed of; parties at liberty to initiate fresh arbitration with the period from invocation of arbitration till the date of the order excluded for limitation.