Principle of minimal judicial intervention under Section 5 of the Arbitration Act

dictates that the intervention of courts in arbitral proceedings must be strictly confined to the express provisions contained within Part I of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The foundational objective of the statutory regime is to provide an expeditious, inexpensive, and efficient mechanism for the resolution of commercial disputes through arbitration, which is fundamentally undermined when regular courts step in casually. The non-obstante clause embedded in Section 5 demonstrates a legislative command that judicial authorities are barred from interfering in arbitral matters except where explicitly permitted by the statute. This statutory non-interventionist mandate requires courts to exercise exceptional self-restraint and adhere strictly to the limited parameters demarcated by the legislature. Consequently, in relation to domestic arbitrations, courts cannot expand their supervisory reach under the guise of procedural oversight or general equity, and any judicial intervention must conform to the rigid statutory thresholds designed to preserve arbitral autonomy. (Jan De Nul Dredging India Pvt. Ltd. Vs Tuticorin Port Trust | 2026 INSC 34)