Rishab Gupta
Rishab Gupta is a Partner with the Firm and leads the Arbitration practice. He is qualified to practice in India, the US and the UK (where he is a solicitor advocate with higher rights of audience).
His practice focuses on domestic and international arbitration, commercial litigation and public international law. Before joining Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, Rishab worked for several years at Allen & Overy in London and Debevoise & Plimpton in New York.
Rishab regularly represents clients in commercial and investor-state arbitrations seated brought under the auspices of a variety of institutional rules. His experience includes arbitrations seated in Delhi, Mumbai, Singapore, London, the Hague, Stockholm, New York, Washington D.C, Sudan and Rwanda, conducted under the ICC, UNCITRAL, SIAC, SCC, LCIA and ICSID Rules. The subject matter of these arbitrations have included long-term energy concessions, investment treaties, joint venture agreements, construction contracts, and intellectual property, among others and they have involved common law, civil law and Islamic law systems.
Rishab routinely appears as advocate in his arbitrations. He has also sat as arbitrator in a variety of matters, as sole and party appointed arbitrator.
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In addition to arbitrations, Rishab also appears before the Supreme Court and High Courts of India in court facing aspects relating to arbitrations, such as challenge to arbitral awards, enforcement and execution of awards, as well interim relief applications. He is also regularly instructed to assist Indian clients in litigation before foreign courts, particularly Courts of England & Wales.
Rishab has served on the arbitration committees of most of the major arbitration institutions, including the young practitioners committees of the SIAC, LCIA and HKIAC. He is currently the Co-Chair of the young practitioners’ committee of the Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration. He is on the SIAC reserve panel of arbitrators.
Rishab is also active in the public policy space. He is currently advising, on a pro bono basis, the Indian Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Commerce on various issues relating to bilateral investment treaties and trade law. On behalf of the Centre for Trade and Investment Law, he is currently conducting a study on the relationship between foreign direct investment and Indian investment treaties. He regularly gives training to judges and government officials on matters relating to public international law.
Rishab has been recognised by Who’s Who Legal 2018, 2019 and 2020 as a “future leader of arbitration” under the age of 45. He is consistently ranked as a leading disputes lawyer by various other publications, including Legal500, AsiaLaw and Legal Era (which, in 2019, recognised him as one of the 40 top lawyers in India under the age of 40). Rishab has recently been recognised among the leading category of “Arbitrators and Counsel” by Who’s Who Legal Arbitration, 2021 and Rising Star in Dispute Resolution by Asialaw, 2021. He has also been recognised as one of the 40 “Young Legal Eagles” of the Indian Legal Ecosystem by BW Legal World 40 under 40.
Rishab received his B.A. in Mathematics from St. Stephens College, Delhi; LL.B. from London School of Economics; J.D. from Columbia University School of Law (where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and HSBC Scholar) and his DPhil (PhD) from Balliol College, Oxford University (where he was a Rhodes Scholar). He is currently a visiting professor of law at Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU) in Mumbai. He also regularly publishes articles in various legal journals and law reviews.
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Commercial arbitrations (international and domestic)
- One of the world’s largest infrastructure companies in a Singapore seated arbitration under SIAC Rules relating to indemnification claims arising out of equity investments made in Indian road asset project
- Leading Canadian private equity firm in a Singapore seated arbitration under SIAC Rules relating to indemnification claims arising out of investments made in Indian road
- Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings in a Singapore seated arbitration against its Indian joint venture partner Bombay Stock Exchange, under SIAC
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- A prominent Indian company and its Singaporean subsidiaries in the oil & gas sector in India, in relation to a Singapore seated arbitration initiated against them by an international conglomerate having diversified business interests in coal, oil & gas, commodity and dredging, under SIAC
- A leading Mauritius company, in relation to a London seated arbitration with its joint venture partner for a project involving oil & gas drilling and well construction in Nigeria, under LCIA
- Vikram Bakshi and Bakshi Holdings Private Limited in a LCIA arbitration against McDonald’s India Private
- Powerica Ltd (an Indian company) in two separate London seated ICC arbitrations, against Neilan International (a Sudanese company) and Sudan Thermal Power Generating
- S&T Interiors and Contracting (an Oman based company) in a Kazakhstan seated ICC arbitration against Astana Property Management arising out a construction
- Kalpatru Power Transmission Limited (an Indian company) in an UNCITRAL arbitration seated in Kigali against Rwanda Energy
- A Delhi-based IT services company in a AAA arbitration seated in New York against a S. consumer services company.
- An Indian company in a Delhi seated ad-hoc arbitration against the National Highway Authority of India relating to demonetisation of Indian
- One of the world’s largest re-insurer in a Mumbai seated ad-hoc arbitration against an Indian insurance
- An Indian shipping company in a Mumbai seated ad-hoc arbitration arising under a charterparty, against a Ukrainian company.
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Investment treaty arbitrations
- Mr and Mrs Binani in their investment treaty claim under UNCITRAL Rules against the Government of Macedonia under the India-Macedonia
- Shokat Dalal, a British real estate developer and investor, in his investment treaty claim under ICSID Rules against the Government of UAE under the UK-UAE
- Korean Western Power Co in its investment treaty claim under UNCITRAL Rules against the Government of India under India-Korea
- JKX Oil & Gas in its investment treaty claims against The matter included securing an SCC emergency arbitrator order against Ukraine.
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- The Republic of Slovenia in an ICSID arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty and another bilateral treaty defending claims brought by HEP, the national electricity company of Croatia, and relating to the operation and ownership of a nuclear power
- British Caribbean Bank Limited in its successful claim against the Government of Belize under the UK Belize Bilateral Investment
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Litigation before Indian and foreign courts
- Vikram Bakshi and Bakshi Holdings Private Limited in various proceedings against McDonald’s India Private Limited before the National Company Law Tribunal, the High Court of Delhi and the Supreme Court of
- Betamax Ltd (a Mauritius based company) in enforcement of its SIAC arbitration award in India, before the Bangalore High Court and Supreme Court of
- M3nergy Berhad (a Malaysian company) in its Mumbai seated ad hoc arbitration against an Indian government entity, and related proceedings before the Bombay High
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- Norscot Rig Management Private Ltd (a Mauritius based company) in enforcement of its ICC arbitration award before the Bombay High
- Advising Mahavir Port and Terminal Private Limited in its successful appeal before the Court of Appeal in London against an injunction obtained by Orexim Trading from the Commercial
- Advising IIFL Wealth (UK) Limited (IIFL), the UK arm of an Indian financial services company, in defending a claim for damages currently pending before the Commercial Court in
- Advising a Mauritius based company in its proceedings before the Commercial Court in London for enforcement of an ICC arbitration award against a large Indian
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A detailed experience statement can be shared on a confidential basis.
Professional Memberships
- Member of the Delhi Bar Council
- Member of the New York Bar
- Solicitor, England & Wales
Education
- B.A., St Stephen’s College
- LL.B., London School of Economics
- J.D., Columbia University
- DPhil, Oxford University (Rhodes scholar)
