All three arbitrators appointed in the dispute between the late Rajiv Luthra, Founding Partner of Luthra & Luthra Law Offices, and the firm's former Senior Partner Mohit Saraf, have decided to tender their resignations.
The arbitral tribunal was comprised of esteemed former judges of the apex court, namely Justice RV Raveendran, Justice AK Sikri, and Justice Madan B Lokur. Justice Raveendran was nominated by Mohit Saraf, while Justice Sikri was appointed by Rajiv Luthra. Justice Lokur was nominated by the two arbitrators.
According to credible sources, Justice Lokur has formally notified both parties that all three arbitrators are no longer inclined or willing to continue with the arbitration proceedings.
The decision to disband the tribunal follows a communication from Saraf's legal representative, Raghvendra K Singh, who sent an email on September 28th, informing the judges of Saraf's intention to seek the replacement of the tribunal members.
After deliberating on the contents of the email with the other members of the tribunal, Justice Lokur has now conveyed to the parties that the arbitrators have withdrawn from the case.
In a correspondence addressed to the concerned parties, Justice Lokur also alluded to the remarks made by Saraf's legal representative in the email. While disputing the accuracy of Singh's observations, the former judge opted not to delve into the matter further in the letter, given the decision to discontinue the arbitration process.
The letter concludes by stating that the tribunal's authority has expired and that this communication is being sent to prompt the parties to establish a new tribunal instead of seeking an extension of the existing tribunal's mandate through the court.
In October 2020, Saraf approached the Delhi High Court after being ousted from the L&L partnership by Luthra.
Following a suggestion put forth by the Court, Senior Advocate Harish Salve agreed to mediate between Luthra and Saraf. However, this attempt proved unsuccessful. A previous endeavor to resolve the matter through mediation had also failed.
Upon the case returning to the High Court, a single judge issued an injunction against Saraf's termination from the L&L partnership.
Luthra subsequently appealed against this ruling, contending that the single judge's order contained numerous inconsistencies.
Meanwhile, the dispute proceedings were pending before the arbitral tribunal, which has now been dissolved.
TAGS: Rajiv Luthra Mohit Saraf Justice AK Sikri Justice Madan B Lokur Justice RV Raveendran
