Greeva Garg –
Antrix Corporation Limited, the commercial arm administered by the Indian Space Agency has urged the United States Federal Court in Washington to obstruct Devas Multimedia Private Limited from attempting to track down assets and enforce an $1.2-billion arbitration award won by the satellite firm in 2015.
The appeal by Antrix, filed in the US court last week, is in quick succession to Devas filing a motion in the same court, stating that, “The Indian Space Research Agency (ISRO) subsidiary is continuing to ‘dodge and duck’ the arbitral awards.”
Devas has sought in his motion to deny any protective order in favour of Antrix in regard to their plea.
Devas has asked for the assistance of the Court to obtain information regarding enforcing the arbitration award from the cancellation of a deal between Antrix and Devas in 2011.
In its submissions Antrix stated before the Federal Court that, “The Inventors, which included Devas Multimedia America Inc., Devas Employees Mauritius Private Limited, Telecom Devas Mauritius Limited and Devas (Mauritius) Ltd., are entitled to post-judgment discovery.”
Discovery is the formal process of exchanging information between the parties in a lawsuit about the witnesses and evidence they will present at trial.
Devas in response stated that, “Assistance was required in turning over the discovery in order to enforce the award. Antrix in collusion with India had turned it into a ghost ship that was unable and unwilling to seek the discovery to which it is entitled.”
In bid for a solution in the arbitration dispute against Antrix, they moved to National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) claiming Devas Multimedia indulges in fraudulent and unlawful purposes.
On June 16, the Supreme Court of India dismissed Devas Multimedia’s plea for seizure of assets of Antrix in regard to arbitration dispute and asked Devas to pursue their appeal pending in National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).