India is building a hub for digital dispute resolution

I returned from the India Digital ADR Summit in Gandhinagar convinced that India has the ingredients to become a major hub for digital dispute resolution.

At the National Forensic Sciences University on 12–13 September, I represented Sherrards on the emergency arbitration panel and a roundtable on India’s digital ADR future. The ambition was matched by an infectious sense of possibility.

India has a distinctive combination of advantages. Its digital public infrastructure already operates at extraordinary scale. Aadhaar, a nationwide ID app, for example, supports identity verification, UPI enables instant payments and DigiLocker allows people to share authenticated documents. These are useful foundations for resolving disputes online, where identifying the parties, exchanging reliable evidence and paying settlements can otherwise be costly and slow.

The second advantage is less obvious. India’s enormous volume of disputes creates both an urgent need for better processes and a market large enough to develop them. Its national online dispute resolution policy plan recognises the potential to resolve everyday consumer and commercial disagreements before they reach already busy courts. Scale can make investment in better systems commercially worthwhile.

Imagine a small supplier chasing an unpaid invoice. A straightforward online process could collect the contract and payment records, help the parties negotiate and arrange mediation if needed. Reducing travel and paperwork could make pursuing the claim affordable. Across large numbers of disputes, that matters to businesses and access to justice alike.

Institutions such as NFSU’s International Digital Dispute Resolution Centre are bringing legal and technological expertise together. Alongside investment in electronic filing and digital courts, this points towards a broader ambition to make dispute resolution a service India can develop for domestic and international users.

Success will depend on trust. Parties need fair procedures, secure evidence and outcomes they can enforce. For international businesses, choosing the right institution and arbitration arrangements remains essential, however impressive the technology.

I left optimistic about an institution, and a country, looking confidently towards the future. If India gets this right, the methods developed there could improve how disputes are resolved well beyond its borders.

Jan Kunstyr advises on international arbitration and cross-border disputes. Working with overseas counsel, Sherrards helps businesses plan dispute resolution arrangements and pursue claims and enforcement across jurisdictions.

Contact Jan.