https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=790000 A dispute resolution clause stating that disputes "can be settled by arbitration" does not, by itself, create a binding arbitration agreement. The Supreme Court of India treated the parties' chosen words as the best evidence of intent and held that "can" denotes permission or possibility, not a mandatory commitment to arbitrate. Because the clause did not make arbitration the exclusive mode of resolution and did not show that the parties were already ad idem on arbitration, it left arbitration as a future possibility requiring further agreement. The request for appointment of an arbitrator therefore failed. en-us Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0530 Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:30:00 +0530 TaxTMI RSS Generator https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=790000 A dispute resolution clause stating that disputes "can be settled by arbitration" does not, by itself, create a binding arbitration agreement. The Supreme Court of India treated the parties' chosen words as the best evidence of intent and held that "can" denotes permission or possibility, not a mandatory commitment to arbitrate. Because the clause did not make arbitration the exclusive mode of resolution and did not show that the parties were already ad idem on arbitration, it left arbitration as a future possibility requiring further agreement. The request for appointment of an arbitrator therefore failed. Case-Laws Indian Laws Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0530 https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=790000