JUDGMENT :

N.V. RAMANA, CJI.

1. This petition is filed under Section 11(6) r/w 11(12)(a) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 for appointment of a sole arbitrator.

2. The brief facts which are necessary for adjudication of this application are that the Intercontinental Hotels Group (India) Pvt. Ltd. (Petitioner No. 1) and Intercontinental Hotels Group (Asia-Pacific) Pvt. Ltd. (Petitioner 2), are subsidiaries of Intercontinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG Group), based out of India and Singapore respectively. The parent company (IHG Group) is a British multinational hotel based out of Denham, United Kingdom.

3. The respondent is an Indian company engaged in hospitality sector. The Respondent had agreed to run and operate a hotel by name Holiday Inn and Suites Bengaluru, Whitefield.

4. The respondent entered into a Hotel Management Agreement (HMA) with the petitioners for renovating the existing infrastructure in accordance with the brand standards established by the IHG group. The HMA elaborated on the rights and obligations of parties from 17.09.2015 for initial ten years and fu