Argus Partners

Disputes

Partner

Somdutta has over 10 years of experience in the commercial dispute resolution practice. His specialisation includes domestic and international arbitrations, constitutional law, commercial laws, insolvency and bankruptcy laws, debt recovery, and white-collar offences.

Somdutta has advised clients in a number of arbitrations, including a large range of construction contract-related disputes. He has acted for some major mining giants, EPC contractors, and energy companies, amongst others, in ad hoc arbitrations as well as arbitrations under SIAC rules. He has also been involved in many insolvency matters before various Benches of the NCLT as well as the NCLAT, in which capacity he has advised some major banks and financial institutions in India, as well as defending insolvency applications on behalf of several corporate debtors.

Somdutta regularly appears before the Calcutta High Court as well as other Courts and Tribunals across the country, including the NCLTs, DRTs, and MSME Facilitation Councils. He has also successfully contested a number of tender matters before various High Courts.

Somdutta graduated from the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences in 2012. He has previously worked at Amarchand Mangaldas & Suresh A. Shroff & Co. and also had a brief stint as an independent practitioner before joining the Firm in 2015.

Select Professional Experience

Represented Texmaco Rail & Engineering Limited before the Calcutta High Court. Appearing for one of India’s biggest EPC contractors in their arbitrations with two major State-owned power generation companies. Appearing for the India subsidiary of one of the biggest mining companies in the world in a SIAC arbitration against a Hyderabad-based mining company. Represented a subsidiary of a major Indian steel manufacturer through its Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP), including but not limited to disputes with workmen and other operational creditors. Advising one of India’s biggest mining companies regarding its disputes with a Central Government ministry as well as certain State authorities post its acquisition of a Kolkata-based greenfield steel plant company after the successful resolution of such steel plant company’s insolvency under the IBC, 2016. Advised a major steel manufacturer in a scheme of amalgamation with one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Part of a legal team advising an Independent Committee of Directors investigating several alleged compliance issues with regard to one of the subsidiaries of an Indian steel major. Represented a major educational trust in its various employment-related disputes.

Bar Council of West Bengal