Article 19 was construed holistically to determine the juridical...

Article 19 was construed holistically to determine the juridical seat: the clause conferring exclusive jurisdiction on courts at New Delhi evidenced party intent to select India as the seat, while reference to ICC Rules was held to govern only procedure/administration and the later ICC fixation of Singapore indicated a venue for convenience, not seat; consequently, Indian courts retained exclusive supervisory jurisdiction. Applying lex fori of the seat, standards of independence and disclosure were governed by the A&C Act, and the arbitrator's omission of prior professional involvement was treated as material non-disclosure under the Fifth Schedule, justifying doubt as to impartiality. A foreign anti-suit injunction from the venue court lacked subject-matter competence and could not operate as res judicata against the seat court; the appeal challenging the interim anti-arbitration injunction was dismissed. - HC