Delhi High Court Appoints Arbitrator to Resolve BharatPe-Ashneer Grover Disputes

The Delhi High Court on Thursday appointed a sole arbitrator to resolve disputes between BharatPe and its former Managing Director, Ashneer Grover.

The conflicts revolve around allegations that Grover violated confidentiality clauses in his employment agreement with the fintech company.

Justice C. Hari Shankar has directed the appointment of a sole arbitrator to adjudicate the issues between Grover and BharatPe. The fintech firm, invoking a relevant provision of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, sought arbitration to address Grover’s alleged breach of confidentiality, which reportedly involved disclosing sensitive company information on social media. While BharatPe proposed former Supreme Court Justice Hemant Gupta as the arbitrator, Grover suggested that the matter be handled by Justice (Retired) J.R. Midha instead.

Grover’s advocate, Giriraj Subramanium, did not oppose arbitration but recommended that the case be referred to the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), given its involvement in related disputes over the shareholders’ agreement. However, BharatPe’s advocate, Anuj Berry, argued that the employment agreement specifically mandates arbitration under the Delhi International Arbitration Centre (DIAC), a position that the Court endorsed. BharatPe had earlier sought a restraining order to prevent Grover from disclosing company information publicly.

The High Court had previously imposed a penalty of Rs. 2 lakh on Ashneer Grover for violating a court order by posting derogatory content about BharatPe on social media. Justice Rekha Palli, expressing disapproval of Grover’s repeated infractions, ordered him to pay the costs to the Delhi High Court Clerk Association. Grover’s unconditional apology was accepted by the court, contingent upon his payment of the imposed costs.

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