#Arbitration Law India

Madras High Court reaffirms that courts cannot re-examine evidence or substitute their opinion for the arbitrator’s factual findings under Section 34 of the Arbitration Act. The ruling underscores that challenges to arbitral awards are confined to patent illegality, ensuring finality in commercial disputes and reducing judicial interference in arbitration.

Bombay High Court rules that an arbitral award based on unilateral arbitrator appointment is void ab initio and unenforceable, even at the execution stage. Parties are granted liberty to initiate fresh arbitration, with the limitation period excluded from the date of arbitration invocation. This reinforces the Supreme Court’s stance in Bhadra International on procedural fairness in arbitration.