BRITANNIA INDUSTRIES LIMITED Vs. R EASWARAN

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Since the appellant is common in all these cases and since the orders impugned are passed by the same District Court and since the nature of the orders impugned in all these appeals are identical, we have considered these appeals together and disposed of through this common judgment.

(2.) The appellant company is challenging the orders passed by the District Court, Manjeri in OP (Arb) Nos.141/2017, 150/2017, 151/2017 & 149/2017, respectively in the above appeals. The original petitions were instituted before the District Court by various petitioners, who are 'authorised wholesalers' of the appellant company, by invoking Section 9 (1) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act (herein after referred to as 'the Act' for short) . The relief sought for in the original petitions were to issue mandatory injunction commanding the appellant to continue with 'distributorship' of the petitioners in accordance with the terms of the agreement entered between the parties and to supply the products of the company to them on the basis of the orders placed; and also to restrain the appellants from appointing any new 'distributors' in the place of the petitioners in any part of operational area allotted to each of them, until the dispute is settled through arbitration. The court below through the orders impugned had allowed the above said prayer sought for and restrained the appellants from discontinuing the 'distributorship' of the respondents/petitioners and from discontinuing supply of the products to them and also from appointing any new distributors in the place of the petitioners. It is aggrieved by the said order the above appeals are filed.

(3.) Heard; Senior counsel Adv. P.K. Suresh Kumar who appeared for the appellant and Sri. V. Venugopalan Nair, counsel appearing for the respondents/petitioners.