Nakul is a commercial litigator specialising in international arbitration and cross-border disputes. He was among the youngest advocates to be designated Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court of India in 2019 and was appointed King’s Counsel in England and Wales in 2025.
Qualified in three jurisdictions, Nakul has over two decades’ experience practising across the Bars of England and Wales, Singapore and India. He has led landmark litigation and high-value arbitrations across a broad range of sectors including banking, construction and engineering, hospitality, insolvency, mergers and acquisitions, mining, pharmaceuticals, and shipping and commodities.
Nakul brings deep expertise to complex trials, emergency arbitrations, interim and injunctive relief, appellate proceedings and jurisdictional challenges. He is also regularly instructed in setting aside and enforcement proceedings arising out of international arbitral awards.
In addition to his counsel practice, he is appointed as arbitrator by the SIAC, ICC and LCIA, and also accepts ad hoc appointments.
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Example cases
- Challenge to the enforcement of an award granting third party litigation costs before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
- Restructuring proceedings before the Singapore High Court for a major cryptocurrency exchange involving user claims amounting to US$ 545 million claims.
- US$ 1.3 billion SIAC arbitration governed by Singapore law in relation to the manufacture and supply of a well-known Covid 19 vaccine.
- International commercial arbitration related to disputes under a IT services and licensing agreement for a leading insurance company, with claims and counterclaims quantified at approximately US $ 20 million.
- SIAC arbitration in relation to breaches under a shareholder’s agreement and related part transactions resulting in dilution of share value for exercise of exit options.
- Landmark litigations before the Supreme Court of India in relation to the scope of the Indian Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, the applicability of the group of companies’ doctrine and the validity of unilateral appointment of arbitrators.
- Enforcement of US$ 500 million claims in multiple jurisdictions, including the UK, Netherlands, Canada and Australia, arising out of investment treaties and commercial arbitrations against a nation State relating to expropriation of an investment relating to spectrum for space satellites.
- Enforcement of rights valued at over US$ 200 million in priority to other creditors on the commencement of insolvency proceedings.
- Enforcement of a negative covenant restraining a removal from performance of a long-term oil drilling contract in Indonesia through emergency arbitration proceedings.
- SIAC arbitration relating to a US$800 million Alternative Investment Fund and related emergency arbitration proceedings and challenge to jurisdiction before the Singapore International Commercial Court.
- US$1 billion dispute concerning rescission and repudiation of a shareholder’s agreement, conducted under the SIAC Rules.
- US$100 million London seated dispute conducted under ICC rules relating to patent infringement under a settlement agreement.
- English Law governed, London seated arbitration in relation to claims under the Sale of Goods Act arising out of the sale of iron billets from an Omani company to an Italian company.
Banking and finance
Disputes arising out of investment agreements entered into by private equity funds in various sectors, including telecommunication, real estate, manufacturing, distribution and IT, including enforcing or defending exit options rights, as well as protection of investment.
Advising on the securities and exchange regulatory regime in India.
Recent instructions include:
- Acting as lead counsel for a Hong Kong based private equity fund in relation to a $15 million dispute relating to Put Options.
- Acting as lead counsel for a Cyprus based private equity fund in relation to a $30 million claim.
- Acting for Philippine banks, in relation to their defence of a $368 million claim.
- Acting as lead counsel for a Singapore company in a dispute arising under a convertible loan agreement.
- Acting as lead counsel in a matter relating to the invocation of a US$75 million Bank Guarantee.
Commercial Arbitrations
A broad spread and depth of industry expertise in international commercial disputes including real estate, manufacturing, distribution and IT, media, technology and telecoms.
Recent instructions include:
- Counsel for an Indian law, Singapore-seated dispute conducted under SIAC rules, arising out of a business transfer agreement executed between an Indian company and a Japanese company relating to claims for purchase price adjustment, misrepresentation and warranties.
- Counsel for an international arbitration under the SIAC rules arising out of a share purchase agreement and an escrow agreement relating to the sale of a leading Indian hospital chain a Dubai-based hospital conglomerate.
- Counsel in a Singapore-seated dispute conducted under SIAC rules relating to the acquisition of shares of a leading below-the-line advertising business by a leading UK company.
- Counsel for a Singapore-seated dispute conducted under ICC rules in relation to private equity investment and the exercise of put options.
- Counsel for a Singapore law, Singapore-seated dispute relating to investment in a real estate company.
- Counsel in an urgent injunction before an emergency arbitrator appointed under the SIAC Rules restraining the sale of knowhow and confidential information as part of a £3.1 billion transaction under a Development Services
Commercial Litigation
- Instructed as counsel for a large realty group in relation to challenging an arbitral award in a US$35 million dispute against an international luxury hotel group.
- Argued a landmark case regarding the validity of the group of companies doctrine and joinder of non-signatories to an arbitration agreement.
- Argued a constitutional reference regarding the validity of an arbitration agreement in an unstamped contract, raising and settling complex issues regarding separability of an arbitration agreement under common law.
- Counsel in a leading judgment regarding the effect of the silence of counsel in an action seeking the setting aside of an arbitral award on the grounds of breach of natural justice.
- Argued a landmark case relating to the power of arbitral tribunals to decide upon its own jurisdiction and whether the decision ought to be made first by the Court or the arbitral tribunal.
- Argued a US$500 million breach of trust claim arising out of a complex structuring of trust assets and raising issues forum convenience.
- Argued a landmark case overturning the regulatory ban on trading of cryptocurrency.
- Argued an internationally acclaimed case regarding the enforceability of a New York Convention Award in a foreign seated arbitration arising out of a domestic transaction, raising issues of conflict of laws and freedom of contract.
Construction / Projects and Infrastructure
Disputes involving the construction of power plants, including thermal and hydro-electric power plants, mining, wind energy, engineering and design contracts, buildings and manufacturing plants:
- Instructed as lead counsel for a major air-conditioning company, where the claims and counter-claims arose from a US$40 million construction contract.
- Acting as lead counsel for a major petrochemical company in a construction arbitration where claims and counter claims exceed US$700 million.
- Counsel in a US$10 million dispute conducted under the SIAC Rules relating to claims for indemnity under a shareholder’s agreement and concession agreement for construction of a highway.
- Acted as lead counsel in a Singapore-seated arbitration conducted under the SIAC Rules, in a dispute between an Indian petrochemical giant and an Italian construction company relating to concurrent delays in the commissioning of a plant, with claims and counterclaims exceeding US$100 million.
- Counsel for an Indian law governed ad hoc arbitration seated in India relating to a joint venture company in relation to a US$545 million oil pipeline dispute where the claims and counterclaims are over US$1 billion.
- Instructed as lead counsel for the Claimant in claims and counter-claims relating to the collapse of a fitting out berth in a dry-dock in Mumbai, India. The claims and counter-claims are in the region of US$54 million.
- Defending a steel major in respect of construction claims for a blast furnace in a Euro 12 million dispute.
Corporate
Numerous shareholder disputes arising from Shareholders Agreements and Share Purchase Agreements entered into by foreign investors with Asian counterparties including multiple parties. These include disputes relating to creeping acquisitions, rights related to conversion of shareholdings, shareholders take over and control, rights related to management of companies and tax obligations:
- Acting for minority shareholders of a JV company – claims and counterclaims in the region of US$20 million.
- Instructed as lead counsel in respect of a shareholder dispute regarding a joint venture between a European and Asian Company – sum in dispute 30 million Euros.
- Advising corporate investors in relation to an investment treaty arbitration against and Asian government.
- Defending an Asian government in an investment treaty action against them.
- Acting for shareholders in a shareholders dispute arising out of a US$30 million acquisition of a media company.
Cryptocurrency and Artificial Intelligence
- Landmark litigation before the Supreme Court of India allowing the trading of cryptocurrencies in India and the provision of banking services to cryptocurrency exchanges.
- Restructuring proceedings before the Singapore High Court for a major cryptocurrency exchange involving user claims amounting to US$ 545 million.
- Advisory for a leading network service provider on disputes with one of the biggest generative AI platforms in the world regarding a collaboration to provide mobile, broadband, and DTH customers in India access to AI-powered search.
Mining, Energy and Natural resources
Numerous instructions for energy, oil & gas and mining and resources companies, financial institutions, institutional investors, sponsors, governments and contractors including for up-stream mid-stream and down- stream disputes:
- Lead Counsel for a joint venture company in relation to a $545 km oil pipeline dispute in India, where the claims and counter-claims are over $1 billion.
- Lead Counsel for a major steel company in relation to a coal trading dispute in the sum of US$20 million.
- Counsel for 12 consolidated Singapore-seated disputes under Singapore law conducted under SIAC rules relating to sale of Indonesian coal, with claims related to carriage and quality.
- Counsel for an English law governed dispute seated in Singapore and conducted under UNCITRAL arbitration rules, arising out of a settlement agreement relating to a contract of affreightment.
- Counsel in an English law governed, Singapore-seated arbitration relating to a commodities and shipping dispute between Hong Kong and American based entities.
- Counsel for in an English law governed, Singapore-seated arbitration conducted under SIAC rules in relation to non-delivery under a contract for sale of clinker with a supplier based in Vietnam.
Pharmaceuticals
- Counsel in a US$80 million claim in a London-seated dispute conducted under the ICC Rules relating to development and distribution of a pharmaceutical product under an exclusive distribution agreement.
- US$ 1.3 billion SIAC arbitration governed by Singapore law in relation to the manufacture and supply of a well-known Covid 19 vaccine.