law: The Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996
  Part I Arbitration
  Chapter I General
  
  provisions
  2. Definitions.
  1.  
  
    In
  
  this Part, unless the context otherwise requires,-
  a.   "arbitration'
  
  means any arbitration whether or not administered by permanent arbitral
  
  institution;
  b.   "arbitration
  
  agreement" means an agreement referred to in section 7;
  c.   "arbitral
  
  award" includes an interim award;
  d.   "arbitral
  
  tribunal" means a sole arbitrator or a panel of arbitrators;
  e.   "Court"
  
  means the principal Civil Court of original jurisdiction in a district, and
  
  includes the High Court in exercise of its ordinary original civil
  
  jurisdiction, having jurisdiction to decide the questions forming the
  
  subject-matter of the arbitration if the same had been the subject-matter of a
  
  suit, but does not-include any civil court of a grade inferior to such
  
  principal Civil Court, or any Court of Small Causes;
  f.   "international
  
  commercial arbitration" means an arbitration relating to disputes arising
  
  out of legal relationships, whether contractual or not, considered as
  
  commercial under the law in for in India and where at least one of the parties
  
  is-
   
  
   i.  
  
    an
  
  individual who is a national of, or habitually resident in, any country other
  
  than India; or
   
  
   ii.  
  
    a
  
  body corporate which is incorporated in any country other than India; or
   
  
   iii.  
  
    a
  
  company or ail association or a body of individuals whose central management
  
  and control is exercised in any country other than India; or
   
  
   iv.  
  
    the
  
  Government of a foreign country;
  a.  
  
  
  b.  
  
  
  c.  
  
  
  d.  
  
  
  e.  
  
  
  f.  
  
  
  g.   "legal
  
  representative" means a person who in law represents the estate of a
  
  deceased person, and includes any person who intermeddles with the estate of
  
  the deceased, and, where a party acts in a representative character, the person
  
  on whom the estate devolves on the death of the party so acting;
  h.   "party"
  
  means a party to an arbitration agreement.
  1.  
  
  
  2.  
  
    Scope.
  
  This Pail shall apply where the place of arbitration is in India.
  3.  
  
    This
  
  Part shall not affect any other law for the time being in force by virtue of
  
  which certain disputes may not be submitted to arbitration.
  4.  
  
    This
  
  Part except sub-section (1) of section 40, sections 41 and 43 shall apply to
  
  every arbitration under any other enactment for the time being in force, as if
  
  the arbitration were pursuant to an arbitration agreement and as if that other
  
  enactment were an arbitration agreement, except in so far as the provisions of
  
  this Part, are inconsistent with that other enactment or with any rules made
  
  there under.
  5.  
  
    Subject
  
  to the provisions of sub-section (4), and save in so, far as is otherwise
  
  provided by any law for the time being in force or in any agreement in force
  
  between India and any other country or countries. this Part shall apply to all
  
  arbitrations and to all proceedings relating thereto.
  6.  
  
    Construction
  
  of references. Where this Part, except section 28, leaves the parties free to
  
  determine a certain issue, that freedom shall include the right of the parties
  
  to authorise any person including an institution, to determine that issue.
  7.  
  
    An
  
  arbitral award made under this, Part shall be considered as a domestic award.
  8.  
  
    Where
  
  this Part-
  a.   refers to the fact
  
  that the parties have agreed or that they may agree, or
  b.   in any other way
  
  refers to an agreement of the patties, 4 that agreement shall include any
  
  arbitration rules referred to in that agreement.
  9.  
  
    Where
  
  this Part, other than clause (a) of section 25 or clause (a) of sub-section (2)
  
  of section 32, refers to a claim, it shall also apply to a counterclaim, and
  
  where it refers to a defence, it shall also apply to a defence to that
  
  counterclaim.