ETLegalWorld’s fifth edition of the Commercial Dispute Conclave 2026, scheduled for September 11 in New Delhi, will bring together senior legal, judicial, corporate and policy stakeholders to examine how India can build a faster, more predictable and commercially responsive dispute resolution ecosystem.
Held under the theme “Building Trust, Speed & Certainty in India’s Commercial Justice Ecosystem,” the conclave will explore the growing link between efficient commercial dispute resolution and India’s ambitions as a global investment and business destination.
The event will feature discussions on arbitration, infrastructure disputes, M&A and technology transactions, energy disputes, investor-state disputes, online dispute resolution and the financial impact of commercial litigation.
The conclave will open with a welcome address, followed by a chairperson address by Dr. Lalit Bhasin, managing partner, president, Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) and an inaugural address by Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General of India.
The event will also see the launch of the EY-Aarna Law study, “The Next Era of ADR: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities,” with Arpinder Singh, India & Emerging Markets Leader, EY Forensic & Integrity Services, leading the presentation.
The first session, “From Courtroom to Boardroom: The Financial Cost of Commercial Disputes,” will examine the financial cost of commercial disputes and their impact on corporate decision-making. The session will bring together finance and legal leaders to discuss quantifying the business impact of litigation, managing legal spend and dispute risk, using legal strategy as a business enabler and placing greater emphasis on dispute prevention.
This will be followed by “Dispute Resolution as a Pillar of India’s Economic Infrastructure,” which will examine commercial justice as a driver of economic growth, reducing pendency, judicial reforms and investor confidence.
The conclave will then turn to infrastructure disputes with “Building India: Law, Policy & Dispute Resolution in Infrastructure,” focusing on disputes arising from mega projects, public-private partnerships, government contracts and regulatory challenges, as well as the role of arbitration in resolving infrastructure-related disputes.
The arbitration spotlight will continue with “Arbitration in India‘s Shift from Speedy Remedy to Luxury Litigation: Restoring Efficiency and Trust.” The session will examine rising costs and timelines, institutional versus ad hoc arbitration, technology-driven case management and priorities for reforming arbitration in India.
The conclave will next focus on the changing risk profile of high-value transactions through “High-Value M&A and Technology Transactions: Managing Emerging Commercial Risks in the Digital Economy.” The discussion will cover AI-driven contractual disputes, warranty and indemnity claims, technology licensing conflicts and risks arising from cross-border transactions.
The programme will then move to sector-specific disputes with “Energy Disputes: The Case for Sector-Specific Arbitration,” examining renewable energy disputes, oil and gas arbitration, power purchase agreement disputes and challenges arising from infrastructure development and the energy transition.
The international dimension of commercial disputes will be addressed in “Navigating Global Trade Tensions and Investor-State Disputes.” The session will examine geopolitical developments, bilateral investment treaties, international arbitration trends, protection of Indian investments overseas, cross-border enforcement of arbitral awards, sovereign immunity and asset recovery.
The conclave will conclude its substantive panel discussions with “Online Dispute Resolution (ODR): The Digital Future of Commercial Justice.” The session will explore AI-enabled dispute resolution, ODR for MSMEs and digital commerce, smart contracts and blockchain disputes, and the potential integration of ODR with courts and arbitration.
Speakers
- Ajay Bagri — Chief Financial Officer, SEIL Energy India Limited
- Jogendra Singh — President, Group CFO and Board Member, Hero Enterprise
- Yogen Vaidya, Partner, EY Forensic & Integrity Services
- Menaka Guruswamy — Member of Parliament and Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India
- Amitabh Lal Das — Business Head and Chief Legal Officer, Hyundai Motor Company
- Dinesh Sharma — Senior Intellectual Property Policy Advisor for India, Embassy of the United States, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- Pratibha Jain — Head of Strategy and Group General Counsel, Everstone
- Manu Kulkarni — Head of Dispute Resolution Practice and Partner, Poovayya & Co.
- Ajay Kapoor — Chief – Legal, Regulatory and Advocacy, Tata Power Company Limited
- Dr Sunil Kumar Mittal — Group General Counsel, Kalpataru Limited
- Rajarshi Sen — General Counsel, Siemens Energy India Limited
- Vineet Vij — General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer, Tech Mahindra
- Basudeb Biswas — General Counsel, TARC Limited and Group Companies
- Prashant Agarwal — General Counsel, SAR Group
- Prarabdha R. Jaipuriar — General Counsel – Indian Subcontinent, SUEZ
- Amit Meharia – Managing Partner, MCO Legals (Meharia & Company Solicitors & Advocates)
- Mahesh Agarwal — Managing Partner, Agarwal Law Associates
- Anubhav Kapoor — General Counsel and Senior Vice President (COSA), Samvardhana Motherson Group
- Dr Mukul Shastry — Group General Counsel, Cube Highways
- Suparna Bhattacharyya — Chief Financial Officer, YANMAR India
- Niti Mittal — General Counsel, Coforge Limited
- Sandeep Chowdhury — Group General Counsel, Suzlon Energy Limited
- Preet Sethi — Deputy General Counsel, Vedanta
- Kumar Ankit — General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer – Senior Vice President, Shree Cement
- Pankaj Chauhan — General Counsel and Senior Vice President – Legal Affairs, Usha International
- Rajiv Choubey — Senior Executive Director, Group General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer, Dalmia Bharat Group
- Campbell Jackson — EY Global Claims and Disputes Leader
- Devna Arora — Deputy Head (South Asia), SIAC
- Varun Singh — Founder and Managing Partner, Foresight Law Offices
- Rajbeer Sachdeva — President, Group Legal, JK Organisation
- Rituu Aggarwal — General Counsel, Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited
- Ashit Garg — Director, Head of Global Legal Operations and Company Secretary, Ramboll
- Srijit Mukherjee — General Legal Counsel, Kocho
- Satyajit Gupta — VP (L2) – Associate GC and Head of India Legal, Global CSR Head, EXL
This will be followed by expert remarks from Dr Manoj Singh, Counsel, Supreme Court of India, and a valedictory address by Justice Madan Bhimrao Lokur, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India.
The conclave will bring together stakeholders across the judiciary, government, corporate legal departments, finance functions, law firms, arbitration institutions and legal-technology organisations to examine whether India’s commercial justice framework is keeping pace with the scale and complexity of its economy.
At its core, the conclave will focus on a central question for businesses and policymakers: how can India build a commercial dispute resolution system that delivers greater trust, speed and certainty while supporting investment, economic growth and business continuity?
Click here to know more and stay tuned for more updates.
