Arbitration In 2026: Section 15, Substitution Of Arbitrators And The Supreme Court’s Evolving Limits On Judicial Interference

1. Introduction

Recent 2026 Supreme Court judgments have pushed Section 15 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 to the center of arbitration practice. The Court has clarified that when an arbitrator's mandate terminates, and a substitute is appointed courts have very limited powers because they must facilitate substitution without rewriting past proceedings or nullifying them or allowing judicial control over the arbitral process to expand. The rulings establish boundaries which determine when parties and their counsel and institutions can request tribunal changes and establish limitations on judicial authority during arbitrator substitutions and mandate that the ongoing proceedings must be maintained.