US court issues summons to Indian govt

Cairn Energy Plc and Cairn UK Holdings Ltd had filed a petition in Washington DC court to confirm the $1.2 billion arbitration award

MUMBAI: A district court in the US has issued summons to the Indian government in a case filed by Cairn Energy Plc to implement a $1.2-bn arbitration award it had won against India, A newspaper reporter, quoting court filings. Cairn Energy Plc and Cairn UK Holdings Ltd had filed a petition in Washington DC court on Friday to confirm the arbitration award, the report added.

According to the report, Judge Richard Leon at Columbia district court issued summons electronically to India.

This came ahead of a likely meeting between Cairn Chief Executive Officer Simon Thomson and Finance Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey in New Delhi today.

Thomson is also reportedly hoping to meet Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman this week to persuade her to honour the arbitration award.

The government has not said whether it plans to pay up or appeal the award. Cairn has also allegedly filed petitions in courts in the UK and the Netherlands.