Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited v. Siddiqui Salman Niyazahmd
Case brief
What is this about?
Unilateral appointment of sole arbitrator void ab initio; ineligibility raisable at any stage even in execution; arbitral awards set aside; Commercial Execution Applications / Execution Applications dismissed / disposed; fresh arbitration permitted with limitation exclusion from invocation till 8 June 2026; liberty to apply under proviso to Section 12(5) Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996 waiver; Bhadra International (India) Pvt. Ltd. vs. Airports Authority of India, 2026 SCC Online SC 7; office of Prothonotary & Senior Master finding; Bombay High Court, Abhay Ahuja J.; Serial Nos. 902-925.
What did the court decide?
Respective arbitral awards set aside; Commercial Execution Applications / Execution Applications and connected Interim Applications and Chamber Summons (if any) stand dismissed / disposed; parties free to initiate fresh arbitration proceedings in accordance with law, excluding the period from invocation of arbitration till today for limitation; liberty to apply where an express written agreement under the proviso to Section 12(5) waives the sole arbitrator's ineligibility or the right to object under Section 12(5).