Mamaearth parent Honasa Consumer Limited, on Friday, disclosed that a sole arbitrator has passed a final award in its favour against UAE-based RSMM General Trading LLC, bringing to a close a cross-border distributor dispute that had played out simultaneously before Indian and Dubai courts over two years.
The arbitral award, dated May 14, 2026, was passed by Justice (Retd.) Hrishikesh Roy, former judge of the Supreme Court of India, who had been appointed as Sole Arbitrator by the Supreme Court in February 2025.
The award granted both declaratory and monetary relief to Honasa. On the declaratory side, the Arbitral Tribunal held that the proceedings initiated by RSMM before Dubai courts were in breach of the arbitration agreement, the exclusive jurisdiction clause, and the governing law clause under the Authorised Distributor Agreement (ADA) dated July 30, 2020.
It permanently restrained RSMM from initiating or continuing any proceedings before Dubai courts or any other forum in breach of the ADA’s dispute resolution and jurisdiction clauses. On the monetary side, the Tribunal awarded Honasa a total of AED 7,254,340 (approximately INR 18.88 crore).
Background of the case
The dispute originated when RSMM, Honasa’s authorised distributor in the UAE under the ADA, filed a suit before the Court of First Instance in Dubai alleging unlawful termination of the distribution agreement. In May 2024, the Dubai court ordered Honasa to pay RSMM approximately AED 25 million as compensation.Honasa contested the jurisdiction of the Dubai courts, filing a Section 9 petition under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 before the Delhi High Court. In August 2024, the Delhi High Court granted an anti-enforcement injunction against the Dubai proceedings and directed RSMM to deposit the decree equivalent to INR 57.17 crore with its registry as a protective measure.
The Cassation Court, Dubai, subsequently overturned the Court of Appeal’s judgment in March 2025, remanding the matter for fresh hearing. On remand, the Court of Appeal in February 2026 significantly reduced the compensation from approximately AED 25 million to AED 1.7 million, a near 93 percent reduction. Honasa has appealed that judgment before the Cassation Court, with the next hearing fixed for June 17, 2026.
The arbitration award, which now runs parallel to the pending Dubai Cassation proceedings, categorically validates Honasa’s position that the termination of the ADA was lawful and that the Dubai proceedings should never have been initiated.
