The Centre on Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that it was entitled to the relief of restraining telecom major Vodafone from initiating a second international arbitration against India in connection with a tax demand, irrespective of the outcome of arbitration proceedings under the India-Netherlands Bilateral Investment Protection Agreement (BIPA).

The Centre urged the high court to sine die adjourn its appeal against the single judge’s verdict permitting consolidation of two international arbitrations initiated by the company against India under the India-Netherlands and India-UK BIPA.

A bench of Justices Rajiv Sahai Endlaw and Asha Menon said it would pass an order on the appeal and indicated that it will give an option to the Centre to revive the appeal later.

Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma submitted, “Let the appeal be deferred sine die. Our suit, according to us, shall be decreed. They cannot put the India-UK BIPA gun on my head and say you have to do this.”