Contract disputes, partnership breakdowns, shareholder oppression, startup documentation, technology agreements and intellectual property — Commercial Courts Ernakulam and NCLT Kochi.
Companies Act, 2013 | Indian Contract Act | Commercial Courts Act, 2015 | Trade Marks Act, 1999The choice of forum for a commercial dispute — civil court, Commercial Court, NCLT, arbitration, or consumer forum — determines the speed, cost and available remedies. The Commercial Courts Act, 2015 created dedicated Commercial Courts for disputes above the specified value threshold with mandatory timelines and case management. The NCLT Kochi Bench handles company law disputes including oppression, mismanagement and winding up. Where the contract contains an arbitration clause, disputes must go to arbitration.
Contract violations, non-payment, specific performance, injunctions to prevent breach, and money recovery through summary suit (Order XXXVII CPC) or ordinary suit.
Money recovery ›Partnership deed disputes, dissolution, accounts, recovery of partner's share and exit valuation. Also: drafting and review of partnership deeds to prevent disputes.
Partnership disputes ›Minority shareholder oppression and mismanagement petitions before the NCLT Kochi Bench under Sections 241–242 of the Companies Act, 2013.
NCLT Kochi ›Commercial agreements, joint venture documents, shareholders agreements, franchise agreements, service agreements, NDAs and vendor contracts — drafted or reviewed for enforceability.
Agreement drafting ›Trademark registration, objection replies, opposition proceedings, trademark infringement suits and passing off actions. Also: copyright and design registration.
IP services ›Section 138 NI Act complaints for dishonoured cheques — strict timelines apply from the date of cheque return. The 30-day notice window must be met immediately.
Cheque bounce ›Most commercial disputes begin with a poorly drafted contract. A contract that does not clearly specify what constitutes a breach, what the remedies are, how disputes are resolved, and which party bears which risk creates expensive ambiguity that is litigated years later. The practice reviews and drafts commercial contracts with particular focus on three provisions that are most often inadequately handled:
Whether the dispute goes to arbitration or court, and which court, depends on the dispute resolution clause. An arbitration clause must specify the seat of arbitration, the number of arbitrators, and the applicable rules. A poorly drafted clause can be challenged, creating satellite litigation before the main dispute even begins.
What events give rise to a right to terminate, whether notice is required, and what consequences follow — including payment obligations — are among the most contested provisions when a commercial relationship breaks down. Vague termination clauses generate disputes about whether a valid termination occurred at all.
Uncapped liability in commercial contracts creates unquantifiable risk. Service providers in particular must ensure that their exposure is limited to the contract value or another defined cap, with appropriate carve-outs for fraud and indemnification obligations.
For corporate, commercial and IP matters, the office responds within one working day. Initial enquiries by email or telephone.
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