Thought Works Technologies India Private Limited v. Eureka Forbes Limited

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY

ORDINARY ORIGINAL CIVIL JURISDICTION IN ITS COMMERCIAL DIVISION COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION APPLICATRION NO. 339 OF 2025 Digitally signed by SHRADDHA KAMLESH TALEKAR Date:

2025.07.28 17:21:30 +0530 Thought Works Technologies India Private Limited ... Applicant Vs.

Eureka Forbes Limited .. Respondent(s) SHRADDHA KAMLESH TALEKAR Mr. Dharmesh S. Jain i/b Mr. Anil T. Agarwal, for Applicant. Mr. Vaibhav Singh a/w. Radhika Indapurkar and Sneha Nair i/b Veritas Legal, for Respondent(s).

CORAM : SOMASEKHAR SUNDARESAN, J.

Date : July 25, 2025 Order :

1.

This is an Application filed under Section 11 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 ("the Act"), seeking appointment of an arbitrator in connection with disputes and differences that are said to have arisen between the parties under the Master Service Agreement dated March 21, 2023 ["Agreement"]. The arbitration agreement is contained in Clauses 13.1 and 13.2. (found at Page [37] of the Application). In the interest of brevity, the arbitration agreement is not being extracted here. Suffice it to say that this matter falls within the jurisdiction of this Court.

2.

It is apparent from the record that the arbitration agreement was invoked by the Applicant on May 13, 2025. Respondent's reply to the invocation notice is dated June 5, 2025 (found at Page 65) of the Application in which the existence of the arbitration agreement is admitted. The parties have no quarrel to proceed to arbitration. However, they are unable to agree on the identity of the arbitrator.

3.

The scope of review under Section 11 is explicitly set out in Section 11(6A) of the Act. It is now trite law, with particular regard to the decisions of a seven-judge bench in the Interplay Judgement1 followed by multiple others, including SBI General2 and Patel3 that the Section 11 Court ought not to venture beyond examining the existence of a validly existing arbitration agreement that has been formally executed. Even questions of existential substance is a matter that falls squarely in the domain of the Arbitral Tribunal, in view of Section 16 of the Act.

4.

Being satisfied that an arbitration agreement is validly in existence, and that arbitration has been duly invoked, it is in the fitness of things to 1 In Re: Interplay Between Arbitration Agreements Under Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 & Stamp Act, 1899 - (2024) 6 SCC 1 2 SBI General Insurance Co. Ltd. v. Krish Spinning - 2024 SCC OnLine SC 1754 3 Ajay Madhusudan Patel v. Jyotrindra S. Patel - 2024 SCC OnLine SC 2597

refer the disputes and differences between the parties in connection with the aforesaid Agreement to arbitration by a Sole Arbitrator. 5.

In these circumstances, this Application is finally disposed of in terms of the following order:

A] Justice (Retd.) Anil Menon, former judge of this Court, is hereby appointed as the Sole Arbitrator to adjudicate upon the disputes and differences between the parties arising out of and in connection with the Agreement referred to above;

Office Address:- - office 4 & 5, Yashwant Chambers, 3rd Floor, 18/B, Burjorji Bharucha Marg, Fort, Mumbai - 400 023 B] A copy of this Order will be communicated to the Learned Sole Arbitrator by the Advocates for the Applicant within a period of one week from the date on which this order is uploaded on the website of this Court. The Applicant shall provide the contact and communication particulars of the parties to the Arbitral Tribunal along with a copy of this Order;

C] The Learned Sole Arbitrator is requested to forward the statutory Statement of Disclosure under Section 11(8) read with Section 12(1) of the Act to the parties within a period of two weeks from receipt of a copy of this Order;

D] The parties shall appear before the Learned Sole Arbitrator on such

date and at such place as indicated, to obtain appropriate directions with regard to conduct of the arbitration including fixing a schedule for pleadings, examination of witnesses, if any, schedule of hearings etc. At such meeting, the parties shall provide a valid and functional email address along with mobile and landline numbers of the respective Advocates of the parties to the Arbitral Tribunal. Communications to such email addresses shall constitute valid service of correspondence in connection with the arbitration; E] All arbitral costs and fees of the Arbitral Tribunal shall be borne by the parties equally in the first instance, and shall be subject to any final Award that may be passed by the Arbitral Tribunal in relation to costs.

6.

Needless to say, nothing contained in this order is an expression of an opinion on merits of the matter or the relative strength of the parties. All issues on merits are expressly kept open to be agitated before the Arbitral Tribunal appointed hereby.

7.

All actions required to be taken pursuant to this order, shall be taken upon receipt of a downloaded copy as available on this Court's website. [ SOMASEKHAR SUNDARESAN, J.]