CorporateAct No. 26 of 1996In Force

The Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996

India's primary legislation for domestic and international commercial arbitration, based on the UNCITRAL Model Law. Major amendments in 2015, 2019, and 2021 have focused on making India an arbitration hub: mandatory timelines, automatic stay provisions, Arbitration Council of India, and streamlined enforcement. The Act also governs conciliation proceedings and enforcement of foreign awards under the New York Convention.

Sections

Schedules

Ministry

Ministry of Law and Justice

Last Amended

2021-11-04

Key Provisions

→Arbitration agreement — requirements, separability, and kompetenz-kompetenz

→Appointment of arbitrators — domestic and international courts (S.11)

→Interim measures by arbitral tribunal and courts (S.9, S.17)

→Conduct of arbitral proceedings and rules of evidence

→Time limit: 12-month award (extendable by 6 months) — S.29A

→Setting aside of award: limited grounds under S.34

→Enforcement of domestic and foreign awards

→Conciliation proceedings — voluntary, non-binding initially

Related Practice Areas

commercial-arbitration corporate-advisory commercial-litigation employment-law

arbitrationconciliationarbitral awardsection 11section 34UNCITRALinternational arbitrationADR

Section-by-Section Reference

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Indian government legislation is in the public domain under S.52(1)(q) of the Copyright Act, 1957. This reference is for educational purposes. Laws are amended frequently — verify the current text on the e-Gazette of India before relying on it for legal proceedings.