India

Panag Babu & Sarangi (PB&S) is renowned for its dispute resolution practice, which is well-recognised for its expertise in international arbitration, high-stakes commercial disputes, regulatory matters, insolvency proceedings, and white-collar defence. With dual headquarters in New Delhi and Bengaluru, the firm handles cases across India and frequently manages cross-border disputes involving multiple jurisdictions.  

The firm takes a strategic, business-driven approach to litigation. Rather than prolonging courtroom battles, its lawyers tailor dispute strategies to achieve each client’s targeted commercial objectives. A dedicated group of over 20 disputes lawyers integrates meticulous case preparation with strong advocacy and in-house project management to navigate even multi-jurisdictional cases. This approach has enabled the firm to handle arbitration claims exceeding US$2.5 billion as counsel to major multinational conglomerates. The practice is led by key partners Sherbir Panag and Samudra Sarangi, whose reputations reflect the firm’s strengths. Panag, the firm’s founder, is one of India’s top white-collar defense attorneys and a crisis-management specialist. Sarangi, who chairs the disputes and arbitration practice, is known for steering high-value arbitrations and litigation across all major Indian courts and arbitral forums. Under their leadership, PB&S’ disputes team regularly represents Fortune 500 companies and large domestic corporations in enforcement actions and sensitive cases that demand coordination with regulators and courts worldwide.  

Several highlight cases from the past year highlight the team’s capabilities in dispute resolution. In one example, the firm is counsel to a large construction conglomerate in an international arbitration seated in Singapore, involving approximately US$100. In another matter, the firm represented one of India’s biggest renewable energy companies in a complex domestic arbitration in New Delhi, a proceeding presided over by a tribunal that included three former Chief Justices of India. These cases illustrate the firm’s ability to handle technically intricate disputes and substantial financial stakes, whether in foreign arbitration venues or before India’s highest-profile arbitral panels.  

P&B also excels at managing parallel proceedings across borders. In a recent technology contract dispute, the firm obtained emergency relief for a US-based client via an emergency arbitration in Singapore, successfully freezing certain actions by the opposing party. Simultaneously, the lawyers moved in the Indian courts – securing interim orders from the Telangana High Court – to bolster the client’s position in the same dispute. This coordinated two-front strategy, spanning an international arbitral forum and local judiciary, showcased the firm’s agility in cross-border conflict resolution.  

The firm’s dispute resolution docket extends to insolvency and enforcement scenarios with international elements. Notably, the firm is acting for a court-appointed trustee from the US in efforts to locate and recover assets of a major Indian ed-tech company undergoing insolvency proceedings in India. The firm is guiding the US trustee through Indian legal processes, an unusual cross-border mandate that underlines the firm’s versatility in transnational matters. In another highlight, the firm defended a leading wind-turbine manufacturer in an insolvency-related dispute that reached the Supreme Court of India, addressing enforcement of a corporate debt resolution.  

Beyond commercial and financial disputes, PB&S also handles high-profile regulatory and white-collar cases. For example, the firm successfully represented an international construction company in challenging a government blacklisting order in an Indian High Court and has advised well-known public figures facing allegations of corruption and fraud.