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The Supreme Court held that an exclusive jurisdiction clause selecting Goa courts fixes the arbitral seat, invalidating the Delhi High Court’s Section 11(6) appointment and clarifying that such clauses override venue provisions for parties and courts.
The Allahabad High Court has ruled that an exclusive jurisdiction clause designating New Delhi as the sole forum for disputes overrides the mere designation of New Delhi/Noida as arbitration venue, establishing New Delhi as the legal seat. This clarifies that party autonomy in choosing jurisdiction trumps geographic convenience, binding future arbitration agreements to enforce seat over venue - a critical precedent for corporate contracts with multi-city operations.
The Delhi High Court has ruled that an exclusive jurisdiction clause in an arbitration agreement, even without explicitly naming the seat, operates as a de facto designation of the forum court’s jurisdiction as the legal seat under Section 11. This clarifies a critical gap in arbitration practice, binding parties to litigate disputes in the named jurisdiction and limiting challenges to venue under Section 34.
Bombay HC rules that civil courts retain jurisdiction over property disputes where a landlord denies tenancy and treats the occupant as a trespasser, despite the Rent Act's bar on civil court intervention. The judgment clarifies that the Rent Act's exclusive jurisdiction clause does not apply when the landlord-tenant relationship itself is disputed.
Calcutta High Court rules that contractual designation of the seat of arbitration under Section 2(1)(e) of the Arbitration Act grants exclusive jurisdiction to courts at the seat, superseding objections based on territorial connections or pending stamp duty adjudication. The court also extended the arbitrator's mandate for six months to conclude proceedings, reinforcing the primacy of the seat in determining jurisdiction.