Rijiju pitches for institutional arbitration

New Delhi: Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday batted for institutional arbitration in the country and pointed at loopholes in "ad hoc" arbitration, saying such proceedings are susceptible to court interventions which delay the final outcome. He also said artificial intelligence (AI) can help arbitrators in tasks such as document review and analysis, legal research, and drafting of awards. Addressing a Delhi Arbitration Weekend event at the Delhi High Court, he said majority of the people go for "ad hoc" arbitrations where the proceedings are not governed by pre-determined rules. As a result, these proceedings are susceptible to court intervention at various stages which leads to delay in final decision for the parties involved.

On the other hand, Rijiju pointed out, institutional arbitrations are regulated by the rules of an institution that provide for a more structured and secure process. In addition, parties can benefit from the expertise of the arbitral institution having good quality infrastructure, he said. He said the government's Vision 2030 is to see arbitration space remain dynamic, amendable to adopting best practices, as also conscious of the needs of time-bound and final adjudication of contractual disputes. With the emphasis on institutional arbitration, it is essential that new arbitration centres are set up in non-metro cities, he felt.

The whole system of institutional arbitration is crucial in creating and enhancing the 'Ease of Doing Business' (EoDB) environment, he stressed. He was of the view that EoDB is linked to 'Ease of living'. Ease of living will be witnessed when there is prosperity in the society, and a robust system promoting 'Ease of Doing Business' atmosphere, he told the gat hering.