Nomenclature of claimant and respondent in arbitral procedure under Section 23

In the scheme of arbitration proceedings, the party which first files its statement of claim before the constituted arbitral tribunal is conventionally designated as the "claimant", while the opposing party is styled as the "respondent", irrespective of which party originally triggered the constitution of the tribunal via a Section 21 notice. The statutory framework does not restrict the status of claimant solely to the entity that issued the initial invocation notice. Under Section 23(1), each party is afforded equal opportunity to place its facts, issues, and requested remedies before the tribunal, and the non-issuance of a Section 21 notice by a party does not disqualify it from assuming the role of a substantive claimant filing claims on all unresolved contractual disputes. (M/s Bhagheeratha Engineering Ltd. Vs State of Kerala | 2026 INSC 4)