A ditya Singh Chauhan is Founder & Legal Director of Onyx Legal. The practice is concentrated in international commercial disputes—litigation before the DIFC and ADGM Courts, and arbitration under the leading institutional rules—with emphasis on urgent relief, cross-border enforcement, and matters at the intersection of public and commercial law.
He trained at two of India’s leading commercial firms—AZB & Partners and Khaitan & Co—and then at a boutique law firm in the DIFC. His work has spanned the DIFC Courts, the DIFC Court of Appeal, the ADGM Courts, the Indian High Courts, and the Supreme Court of India, and arbitrations administered by DIAC, LCIA, SIAC, arbitrateAD, and under the UNCITRAL Rules. He has frequently acted against leading international law firms and regional firms of international repute.
By appointment.
Litigation
50+
Contracts negotiated
100+
Settlement discussions
10+
Advisory
20+
Forums
DIFC Courts · DIFC Court of Appeal · ADGM Courts · Indian High Courts · Supreme Court of India · DIAC · LCIA · SIAC · arbitrateAD · UNCITRAL Rules
Focus
Urgent injunctive relief · worldwide freezing orders · anti-suit and anti-enforcement · jurisdiction challenges · document production and disclosure · trial and appellate advocacy · written advocacy on the papers · cross-border enforcement · digital-asset and on-chain disputes · sovereign-adjacent matters
Court registrations
Part I of the DIFC Courts’ Register of Legal Practitioners—authorised to issue and conduct proceedings before the DIFC Courts.Registered on the ADGM Courts’ eCourts platform to commence proceedings, file Court documents, and lodge applications.
Selected matters: DIFC · ADGM · Arbitration
Ten matters, carried forward.
Acted for the non-controlling shareholder in published DIFC arbitration-support proceedings arising from a hazardous-waste joint-venture dispute: secured ex parte interim relief; obtained anti-suit relief restraining parallel Abu Dhabi proceedings and a contempt order for breach of DIFC Court orders; and resisted successive permission-to-appeal applications (including RDC 44.154) on the papers with indemnity-basis costs.
DIFC CFI · CoA · DIAC
Acted for the foreign award creditor in published DIFC proceedings securing freezing relief in aid of enforcement of a substantial Russian-seated arbitral award; defeated the jurisdictional challenge under Article 15(4) of the DIFC Courts Law 2025 and sustained the real risk of dissipation, the freezing order continued on a DIFC/UAE-limited basis.
DIFC · WFO · Enforcement
Defended a UAE group in published DIFC commercial-services proceedings concerning branding and social-media agreements: obtained set-aside of default judgment and permission to defend and counterclaim, then secured an RDC Part 28 production order and prosecuted standard and specific disclosure through to trial.
DIFC · Trial
Acted for multiple defendants in an ADGM Courts digital-asset (DeFi) dispute involving on-chain asset tracing: advanced a jurisdictional challenge on behalf of non-signatory defendants and carried the substantive defence to the merits stage, including disclosure and court-annexed mediation.
ADGM · Jurisdiction · Defence
Secured renewed permission to appeal to the DIFC Court of Appeal—granted by the Chief Justice, a rare permission-stage outcome—in a high-value commercial dispute under the UAE Civil Code, on misrepresentation, deceit by silence, gross cheat and third-party knowledge (Articles 185, 186, 187 and 190). At the underlying two-day trial, acted as supporting counsel on the UAE-law issues.
DIFC Court of Appeal
Brought one of the first derivative claims before the DIFC Courts under RDC 20.65 on behalf of the non-controlling shareholder of a UAE investment-and-agency company against a co-shareholder in breach of a DIFC-jurisdiction restrictive-covenant agreement. Multi-million USD in dispute. Coordinated a multi-forum strategy: pre-action notices, parallel DIAC arbitration, and the DIFC derivative claim with full witness evidence. Resolved by favourable pre-trial settlement.
DIFC · Derivative · DIAC
Acted for the respondent in a DIAC arbitration concerning the effect of Decree 34 on a legacy DIFC-LCIA arbitration clause, including a documents-only jurisdictional phase before the tribunal; the award was the subject of recognition and enforcement proceedings before the DIFC Courts.
DIAC · Jurisdiction · DIFC
Acted for the judgment debtor in DIFC enforcement proceedings: renewed a previously dismissed non-party document-production application under RDC 28.51 on a material change of circumstances and obtained production; the judgment creditors’ variation application was dismissed with indemnity-basis costs.
DIFC · Production · Enforcement
Acted for the respondent in a UAE-seated construction arbitration under arbitrateAD; the tribunal issued a Final Award on Jurisdiction declining jurisdiction for want of consent to arbitrate and awarding the majority of costs against the claimant.
arbitrateAD
Led the pre-arbitration strategy and negotiations in a sovereign-adjacent cross-border commercial dispute, resolving it on negotiated settlement terms—including a DIFC reputational-protection and conflict-of-laws analysis and a bilingual settlement agreement—without commencing arbitration.
Cross-border · Pre-arbitral
Other matters available on application.
Selected matters: India · Corridor
Earlier work, carried forward.
Represented a public-listed foreign investor and its acquired Indian subsidiary in a cross-border investment dispute—fraud, oppression and mismanagement proceedings through the NCLT, NCLAT and the Supreme Court of India; the parallel enforcement of a Singapore-seated, SIAC-administered arbitral award before the Madras High Court (with impleadment of non-signatories) and on Division Bench appeal; and a quashing petition that stayed SFIO-led white-collar proceedings and retaliatory complaints—company-law actions carried forward throughout.
NCLT · NCLAT · Supreme Court · Madras High Court
Defended a leading engineering contractor against a suit for mandatory injunction concerning an INR 40 billion ammonia-plant project of national importance, monitored by the Prime Minister’s Office.
Delhi High Court
Conducted a landmark Section 37 appeal before a Division Bench on the arbitrability of put-option clauses in share-purchase agreements—an appeal against the setting-aside of the underlying award.
Bombay High Court
Advised on the arbitrability and the multi-entity unwinding of a family settlement dispute—public-trust, trademark, liquidated-damages and specific-relief claims.
India · Settlement
Acted for an Indian proprietary concern (pharmaceutical) against a Hong Kong-incorporated company—a Singapore-seated ad hoc arbitration raising a Scott v Avery clause, a floating arbitration agreement, unilateral appointment of arbitrators and enforceability, supported by a petition for interim relief before the Bombay High Court against the company and its sole director.
Bombay High Court · Singapore
Acted in a substantive cross-border damages dispute for an Indian pharmaceutical major concerning the manufacture and supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients—breach and termination (Romania).
Romania · International
Negotiated and drafted the hotel development and management agreements, technical-services agreements and licence agreements for a major mixed-use hotel and serviced-residences development in India, with deal value of approximately USD 250 million.
India · Hospitality
Negotiated the hotel development and management agreements, technical-services agreements and licence agreements for upper-upscale and luxury hotels and resorts across India—owner-side, opposite leading international hotel brands—across engagements of approximately USD 20–60 million.
India · Hospitality · Owner-side
Acted brand-side for a leading international luxury hospitality group across multiple hotel and resort projects in India and abroad—hotel development and management agreements, technical-services agreements and licence agreements—including a heritage hotel asset; project values of approximately USD 25–60 million each.
India · Hospitality · Brand-side
Negotiated a construction contract of approximately USD 45 million for the Indian manufacturing plant of a leading German manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles.
India · Construction
Advisory & Opinions
UAE-law opinions & advisory.
Prepared a UAE-law opinion on possessory pledges and secured transactions—constructive possession, fixed-date formality, the bona-fide-purchaser doctrine and limitation—under the UAE Civil Code and the Movables Security Law.
UAE Civil Code
Worked on a UAE-law expert opinion on constitutional and federal-law questions in international energy arbitration—under the UAE Constitution, the Commercial Companies Law and Federal Law No. 14 of 2017.
Energy arbitration
Worked on a UAE-law opinion on penal law, AML and mutual-cooperation provisions—including extra-territoriality and the tipping-off regime.
Penal · AML
Provided a successful-party / cost-assessment opinion in long-running DIFC proceedings—the wider matter handled by another firm.
DIFC · Costs
Worked on a public-policy opinion on the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards—under the New York Convention, the Riyadh Arab Convention and the GCC Convention.
Award enforcement
Advised on takeover strategy and company-law implementation (~INR 10 billion) in a cross-border corporate-control matter connected with contested proceedings.
India · Corporate
Advised on political and non-political force-majeure claims and damages recovery in a major Indian infrastructure (highway and tunnelling) project.
India · Infrastructure
Advised on regulated public-procurement issues in the defence sector in India.
India · Defence
Advised on the enforcement of foreign awards, judgments and decrees in India—including under the Geneva Convention, from non-reciprocating territories, and the impact of Russian anti-sanctions legislation (the Lugovoy framework).
India · Enforcement
Advised an Indian FMCG group on dispute strategy and the termination of hospitality-management agreements across multiple hotels.
India · Hospitality
Writing & Policy
Outside the file.
Roles & Reform
Advisor, MiAI Law.
Cayman · Australia · 2025–
Director, Greenstay Resorts Pvt. Ltd.
India · 2025–
Former Ambassador and Co-Chair (Publications), Arbitrator Intelligence.
Former Visiting Fellow, Centre for Advanced Research and Training in Arbitration Law.
Assistance to Government of India expert committees on the establishment of the International Arbitration Centre at GIFT City, and on the reform of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.
Former Editor-in-Chief, Indian Journal of Arbitration Law (Volume 10, Issues 1 and 2).
Speaking & Interviews
Hosted, 6th CARTAL Conference.
2022
Guest lecture on landmark arbitration judgments and careers in arbitration, National Law University Delhi.
أديتيا سينغ تشوهان هو المؤسِّس والمدير القانوني لأونيكس ليغال. تتركّز الممارسة في المنازعات التجارية الدولية—تقاضياً أمام محاكم مركز دبي المالي العالمي ومحاكم سوق أبوظبي العالمي، وتحكيماً وفق قواعد المؤسسات الرائدة—مع تركيز على التدابير العاجلة والتنفيذ العابر للحدود والمسائل الواقعة عند تقاطع القانون العام والقانون التجاري.
تدرَّب في اثنين من أبرز مكاتب المحاماة التجارية في الهند—AZB & Partners وKhaitan & Co—ثم في مكتب محاماة متخصص في مركز دبي المالي العالمي. وقد امتد عمله عبر محاكم DIFC ومحكمة استئنافها ومحاكم ADGM والمحاكم العليا للولايات الهندية والمحكمة العليا في الهند، وتحكيمات أدارتها DIAC وLCIA وSIAC وarbitrateAD ووفق قواعد الأونسيترال. وكثيراً ما وقف في مواجهة مكاتب محاماة دولية رائدة ومكاتب إقليمية ذات سمعة دولية.
بموعدٍ مسبق.
التقاضي
50+
عقود متفاوَض عليها
100+
مفاوضات تسوية
10+
استشارات
20+
جهات التقاضي
DIFC Courts · DIFC Court of Appeal · ADGM Courts · Indian High Courts · Supreme Court of India · DIAC · LCIA · SIAC · arbitrateAD · UNCITRAL Rules
التركيز
تدابير زجرية عاجلة · أوامر تجميد عالمية · منع التقاضي ومنع التنفيذ · الدفع بعدم الاختصاص · إبراز المستندات والإفصاح · المرافعة في المحاكمة والاستئناف · مرافعات مكتوبة للفصل على الأوراق · تنفيذ عابر للحدود · منازعات الأصول الرقمية وسلاسل الكتل · مسائل ذات صلة بجهات سيادية
تسجيلات المحاكم
الجزء الأول من سجل الممارسين القانونيين لدى محاكم DIFC—مخوَّل برفع الدعاوى وإدارتها أمام محاكم مركز دبي المالي العالمي.مسجَّل على منصة eCourts لمحاكم ADGM لبدء الدعاوى وإيداع مستندات المحكمة وتقديم الطلبات.
ملفات مختارة: DIFC · ADGM · التحكيم
عشرة ملفات، دُفعت قُدُماً.
تُعرض تفاصيل الملفات بالإنجليزية.
Acted for the non-controlling shareholder in published DIFC arbitration-support proceedings arising from a hazardous-waste joint-venture dispute: secured ex parte interim relief; obtained anti-suit relief restraining parallel Abu Dhabi proceedings and a contempt order for breach of DIFC Court orders; and resisted successive permission-to-appeal applications (including RDC 44.154) on the papers with indemnity-basis costs.
DIFC CFI · CoA · DIAC
Acted for the foreign award creditor in published DIFC proceedings securing freezing relief in aid of enforcement of a substantial Russian-seated arbitral award; defeated the jurisdictional challenge under Article 15(4) of the DIFC Courts Law 2025 and sustained the real risk of dissipation, the freezing order continued on a DIFC/UAE-limited basis.
DIFC · WFO · Enforcement
Defended a UAE group in published DIFC commercial-services proceedings concerning branding and social-media agreements: obtained set-aside of default judgment and permission to defend and counterclaim, then secured an RDC Part 28 production order and prosecuted standard and specific disclosure through to trial.
DIFC · Trial
Acted for multiple defendants in an ADGM Courts digital-asset (DeFi) dispute involving on-chain asset tracing: advanced a jurisdictional challenge on behalf of non-signatory defendants and carried the substantive defence to the merits stage, including disclosure and court-annexed mediation.
ADGM · Jurisdiction · Defence
Secured renewed permission to appeal to the DIFC Court of Appeal—granted by the Chief Justice, a rare permission-stage outcome—in a high-value commercial dispute under the UAE Civil Code, on misrepresentation, deceit by silence, gross cheat and third-party knowledge (Articles 185, 186, 187 and 190). At the underlying two-day trial, acted as supporting counsel on the UAE-law issues.
DIFC Court of Appeal
Brought one of the first derivative claims before the DIFC Courts under RDC 20.65 on behalf of the non-controlling shareholder of a UAE investment-and-agency company against a co-shareholder in breach of a DIFC-jurisdiction restrictive-covenant agreement. Multi-million USD in dispute. Coordinated a multi-forum strategy: pre-action notices, parallel DIAC arbitration, and the DIFC derivative claim with full witness evidence. Resolved by favourable pre-trial settlement.
DIFC · Derivative · DIAC
Acted for the respondent in a DIAC arbitration concerning the effect of Decree 34 on a legacy DIFC-LCIA arbitration clause, including a documents-only jurisdictional phase before the tribunal; the award was the subject of recognition and enforcement proceedings before the DIFC Courts.
DIAC · Jurisdiction · DIFC
Acted for the judgment debtor in DIFC enforcement proceedings: renewed a previously dismissed non-party document-production application under RDC 28.51 on a material change of circumstances and obtained production; the judgment creditors’ variation application was dismissed with indemnity-basis costs.
DIFC · Production · Enforcement
Acted for the respondent in a UAE-seated construction arbitration under arbitrateAD; the tribunal issued a Final Award on Jurisdiction declining jurisdiction for want of consent to arbitrate and awarding the majority of costs against the claimant.
arbitrateAD
Led the pre-arbitration strategy and negotiations in a sovereign-adjacent cross-border commercial dispute, resolving it on negotiated settlement terms—including a DIFC reputational-protection and conflict-of-laws analysis and a bilingual settlement agreement—without commencing arbitration.
Cross-border · Pre-arbitral
تُتاح ملفات أخرى عند الطلب.
ملفات مختارة: الهند
عملٌ سابق، يمتدّ أثره.
Represented a public-listed foreign investor and its acquired Indian subsidiary in a cross-border investment dispute—fraud, oppression and mismanagement proceedings through the NCLT, NCLAT and the Supreme Court of India; the parallel enforcement of a Singapore-seated, SIAC-administered arbitral award before the Madras High Court (with impleadment of non-signatories) and on Division Bench appeal; and a quashing petition that stayed SFIO-led white-collar proceedings and retaliatory complaints—company-law actions carried forward throughout.
NCLT · NCLAT · Supreme Court · Madras High Court
Defended a leading engineering contractor against a suit for mandatory injunction concerning an INR 40 billion ammonia-plant project of national importance, monitored by the Prime Minister’s Office.
Delhi High Court
Conducted a landmark Section 37 appeal before a Division Bench on the arbitrability of put-option clauses in share-purchase agreements—an appeal against the setting-aside of the underlying award.
Bombay High Court
Advised on the arbitrability and the multi-entity unwinding of a family settlement dispute—public-trust, trademark, liquidated-damages and specific-relief claims.
India · Settlement
Acted for an Indian proprietary concern (pharmaceutical) against a Hong Kong-incorporated company—a Singapore-seated ad hoc arbitration raising a Scott v Avery clause, a floating arbitration agreement, unilateral appointment of arbitrators and enforceability, supported by a petition for interim relief before the Bombay High Court against the company and its sole director.
Bombay High Court · Singapore
Acted in a substantive cross-border damages dispute for an Indian pharmaceutical major concerning the manufacture and supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients—breach and termination (Romania).
Romania · International
Negotiated and drafted the hotel development and management agreements, technical-services agreements and licence agreements for a major mixed-use hotel and serviced-residences development in India, with deal value of approximately USD 250 million.
India · Hospitality
Negotiated the hotel development and management agreements, technical-services agreements and licence agreements for upper-upscale and luxury hotels and resorts across India—owner-side, opposite leading international hotel brands—across engagements of approximately USD 20–60 million.
India · Hospitality · Owner-side
Acted brand-side for a leading international luxury hospitality group across multiple hotel and resort projects in India and abroad—hotel development and management agreements, technical-services agreements and licence agreements—including a heritage hotel asset; project values of approximately USD 25–60 million each.
India · Hospitality · Brand-side
Negotiated a construction contract of approximately USD 45 million for the Indian manufacturing plant of a leading German manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles.
India · Construction
الاستشارات والآراء
آراء في القانون الإماراتي واستشارات.
Prepared a UAE-law opinion on possessory pledges and secured transactions—constructive possession, fixed-date formality, the bona-fide-purchaser doctrine and limitation—under the UAE Civil Code and the Movables Security Law.
UAE Civil Code
Worked on a UAE-law expert opinion on constitutional and federal-law questions in international energy arbitration—under the UAE Constitution, the Commercial Companies Law and Federal Law No. 14 of 2017.
Energy arbitration
Worked on a UAE-law opinion on penal law, AML and mutual-cooperation provisions—including extra-territoriality and the tipping-off regime.
Penal · AML
Provided a successful-party / cost-assessment opinion in long-running DIFC proceedings—the wider matter handled by another firm.
DIFC · Costs
Worked on a public-policy opinion on the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards—under the New York Convention, the Riyadh Arab Convention and the GCC Convention.
Award enforcement
Advised on takeover strategy and company-law implementation (~INR 10 billion) in a cross-border corporate-control matter connected with contested proceedings.
India · Corporate
Advised on political and non-political force-majeure claims and damages recovery in a major Indian infrastructure (highway and tunnelling) project.
India · Infrastructure
Advised on regulated public-procurement issues in the defence sector in India.
India · Defence
Advised on the enforcement of foreign awards, judgments and decrees in India—including under the Geneva Convention, from non-reciprocating territories, and the impact of Russian anti-sanctions legislation (the Lugovoy framework).
India · Enforcement
Advised an Indian FMCG group on dispute strategy and the termination of hospitality-management agreements across multiple hotels.
India · Hospitality
الكتابة والسياسات
خارج الملف.
الأدوار والإصلاح
Advisor, MiAI Law.
Cayman · Australia · 2025–
Director, Greenstay Resorts Pvt. Ltd.
India · 2025–
Former Ambassador and Co-Chair (Publications), Arbitrator Intelligence.
Former Visiting Fellow, Centre for Advanced Research and Training in Arbitration Law.
Assistance to Government of India expert committees on the establishment of the International Arbitration Centre at GIFT City, and on the reform of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.
Former Editor-in-Chief, Indian Journal of Arbitration Law (Volume 10, Issues 1 and 2).
المحاضرات والمقابلات
Hosted, 6th CARTAL Conference.
2022
Guest lecture on landmark arbitration judgments and careers in arbitration, National Law University Delhi.
