HC seeks Amazon reply on Future Retail plea to restrain it from interfering in Reliance deal

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court Tuesday sought Amazon's response on a plea by Kishore Biyani led Future Retail Ltd (FRL) alleging that the e-commerce major was interfering in its deal with Reliance Retail on the basis of an interim order by a Singapore arbitrator. Justice Mukta Gupta issued summons to Amazon, Future Coupons Pvt Ltd (FCPL) and Reliance Retail Ltd (RRL) on the FRL suit and asked them to file their written statements within 30 days.

The court also said that the issue of maintainability of the suit, raised by Amazon, would be kept open.

The order was passed after hearing day-long arguments on behalf of FRL, FCPL, Reliance and part arguments by Amazon.

The arguments on behalf of Amazon will continue on Wednesday.

The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), on October 25, passed an interim order in favour of Amazon barring FRL from taking any step to dispose of or encumber its assets or issuing any securities to secure any funding from a restricted party.

Subsequently, Amazon wrote to market regulator SEBI, stock exchanges and Competition Commission of India (CCI), urging them to take into consideration the Singapore arbitrator's interim decision as it is a binding order, FRL told the high court.

FRL has urged the high court to restrain the US-based e-commerce major from writing to SEBI, CCI and other regulators about SIAC's order, saying it amounts to interfering with the agreement with RIL.