SC: Amazon, Future group can let NCLAT decide e-comm major’s plea

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked Amazon and Future group to request the NCLAT to decide a plea challenging the revocation of sanction to the US e-commerce major for its deal with Future group’s firm by the Competition Commission of India.

The suggestion was mooted by a bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana while adjourning to March 9 the hearing on Amazon’s appeal against the January 5 order of the Delhi High Court staying the ongoing arbitration proceedings before an arbitral tribunal over Future Retail’s Rs 24,500-crore merger deal with Reliance Retail. The bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and Hima Kohli, deferred the hearing after brief arguments on being told that the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) is hearing another appeal of Amazon related to the merger deal.

“The present SLP (special leave petition) is in one way connected to the outcome of the order challenged before the NCLAT. We direct parties to request the NCLAT to decide the case. List on March 9,” it ordered. February 9, the apex court had issued notices to Future group firms on Amazon’s plea against the January 5 order of the Delhi High Court staying the ongoing arbitration proceedings before an arbitral tribunal over Future Retail’s merger deal with Reliance Retail. It had sought responses from the Future group firms, Future Coupons Private Ltd (FCPL) and Future Retail Ltd (FRL) and had said that it will hear the matter on February 23 “without any adjournment”.

The Delhi High Court on January 5 had stayed the Amazon-Future arbitration which is going on before a three-member arbitral tribunal over the latter’s merger deal with Reliance. Amazon and the Future Group have been locked in a legal tussle after the US e-commerce giant dragged the latter to arbitration at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre in October 2020.