Delhi High Court Clarifies Jurisdiction under Arbitration Act When No Seat or Venue is Specified

The Delhi High Court has ruled that when an arbitration agreement does not specify a seat or venue, the court's jurisdiction under Section 11 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, is determined by Sections 16 to 20 of the Civil Procedure Code (CPC).

Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri held that courts should consider where the respondent resides or conducts business and where the cause of action arose.

The case involved a contract dispute over construction work in Odisha.

The petitioner argued for Delhi’s jurisdiction, citing part payments made there, but the court found the integral cause of action arose in Odisha and dismissed the petition.