Arbitrator appointment- Section 12(5) read with Seventh Schedule is mandatory 

Haryana Space Application Centre (Harsac) & Anr Vs Pan India Consultants Pvt. Ltd (Supreme Court of India) We are of the view that the appointment of the Principal Secretary, Government of Haryana as the nominee arbitrator of HARSAC which is a Nodal Agency of the Government of Haryana, would be invalid under Section 12(5) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 read with the Seventh Schedule. Section 12(5) of the Arbitration Act, 1996 (as amended by the 2015 Amendment Act) provides that notwithstanding any prior agreement to the contrary, any person whose relationship with the partie...