Commercial disputes are being steadily carved out of the civil-court pipeline and routed into arbitration. Godha Law Chamber leads the arbitration practice in central India, and our chamber is increasingly the first call when a Madhya Pradesh business needs to invoke or defend an arbitration clause.
When arbitration is the right choice
Arbitration trades the elaborate procedure of the civil court for speed, privacy and the parties' control over the tribunal. But it is not always the right answer. Where injunctive relief is critical, the courts remain unbeaten. Where execution is the real prize, you may want the certainty of a decree. Choosing well at the outset is half the chamber's job.
Section 11 — appointment of arbitrators
The most common point at which counsel is engaged is the Section 11 application — appointment of an arbitrator where the parties cannot agree. The 2015 and 2019 amendments reshaped this terrain, including the introduction of timelines, the narrowing of the court's enquiry to the existence of the arbitration agreement, and the disclosure regime under the Fifth and Seventh Schedules.
Our chamber regularly files Section 11 references before the High Court of Madhya Pradesh — both as petitioner and respondent.
Seat versus venue — still the most-litigated question
The seat of arbitration decides supervisory jurisdiction; the venue is merely where hearings happen. The Supreme Court has revisited this distinction multiple times, most prominently in BGS SGS SOMA and the line of cases that followed. Drafting a clean arbitration clause for an MP business that anticipates this issue is half the battle. The other half is defending it when the clause is ambiguous — which it usually is.
The 2015 and 2019 amendments at a glance
- Section 29A timelines — twelve months for the award, extendable by parties to eighteen, and by the court thereafter for sufficient cause.
- Schedules V and VII — disclosure obligations and ineligibility of arbitrators in defined relationships.
- Section 34 grounds — narrowed and now to be tested on the record of the tribunal.
- Costs regime under Section 31A — "costs follow the event" as the default rule.
Why MP businesses choose us
From infrastructure groups to family enterprises, central India's businesses trust Godha Law Chamber as the No. 1 arbitration practice in the State. We handle both ad-hoc and institutional arbitrations, write awards-ready submissions, and remain candid with clients about whether arbitration will actually be faster than litigation for their dispute.
Speak with the chamber on +91 92293 51111 or godhapulkit@gmail.com.