In Brief
Brahmani River Pellets Limited sought arbitrator appointment under Section 11(6) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The central issue was whether the Supreme Court had jurisdiction to appoint the arbitrator, or whether the parties' agreement specifying Bhubaneswar as the seat of arbitration gave exclusive jurisdiction to the High Court. The Supreme Court held that parties have autonomy under Section 20 to choose the arbitration seat, and seat clauses are valid and enforceable. Consequently, the High Court in the agreed seat jurisdiction has exclusive authority to appoint arbitrators. The Court set aside the impugned order and allowed the appeal, directing the parties to approach the High Court for arbitrator appointment."
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.