arbitration

India's law ministry has proposed to nullify the controversial Supreme Court judgement of Venture Global Engineering vs Satyam Computers Services by amending the Arbitration Act and preventing Indian courts from challenging international arbitral awards. Other proposals include making institutional arbitration mandatory for disputes over Rs 5 crores and narrowing "public policy" in light of the ONGC v Saw Pipes case.

The Delhi High Court has already referred three cases to its brand-new arbitration centre for adjudication, which was started up only two weeks ago.

The London Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) set up its India chapter in Delhi yesterday, following the Delhi High Court setting up an arbitration cell last week and the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) move to Delhi.

It hopes to promote alternative dispute resolution (ADR) under the chairmanship of Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) president Lalit Bhasin.

India needs to enhance its arbitration offerings and overhaul its courts’ processes to give its backlog of cases any chance of closure before the year 3000.

A trip to the neo-Gothic ­Bombay High Court is an entertaining experience that should be on every visiting lawyer’s travel itinerary. Once past the sandbagged machine gun emplacements outside, loosen your tie and spend a few hours wandering about open-air corridors between throngs of locals, hundreds of offices with unfathomable purposes and court rooms filled beyond bursting point.

Also spare a thought for the unfortunate litigants, who will most likely not find the experience as enjoyable.

The running joke in India goes that, if you litigate here, your sons and daughters will inherit your dispute.