In Brief
Pravin Electricals challenged a Delhi High Court order appointing an arbitrator to decide a dispute with Galaxy Infra over an alleged Consultancy Agreement dated 7 July 2014. The High Court had conclusively found an arbitration agreement existed based on emails and payments. The Supreme Court found the CFSL signature report inconclusive, noted anomalies (notarization by an unlicensed notary in a different state, draft agreement exchanged after the alleged signed agreement), and inconsistent pleadings. It set aside the High Court's conclusive finding but upheld the arbitrator's appointment, directing the arbitrator to first determine as a preliminary issue whether an arbitration agreement exists before deciding the merits, applying a prima facie standard without being bound by the Court's observations.
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