CC/Devas (Mauritius) Ltd. v. Antrix Corp.

This case stems from a 2005 agreement between Antrix Corp., the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation, and Devas Multimedia for the lease of satellite spectrum. In 2011, the Indian government cancelled the agreement on national security grounds. Devas and its Mauritian shareholders, including CC/Devas, initiated arbitration before the International Chamber of Commerce and obtained an award of approximately USD 562 million in 2015. Antrix refused to pay, and the investors sought confirmation of the award in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. Antrix argued it was immune under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. The Ninth Circuit held that the arbitration exception applied and confirmed the award. On June 5, 2025, the United States Supreme Court denied Antrix's petition for certiorari, leaving the confirmation in place.

The United States Supreme Court denied Antrix Corp.'s petition for certiorari on June 5, 2025, leaving the Ninth Circuit judgment confirming the arbitral award in place.

Whether Antrix, as an instrumentality of India, is immune from United States jurisdiction under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act; whether the ICC arbitration award should be confirmed and enforced in the United States under the New York Convention.

The ruling reinforces that foreign state-owned enterprises cannot easily invoke sovereign immunity to avoid enforcement of commercial arbitration awards in the United States. It strengthens investor confidence in the enforceability of international arbitration decisions and may increase diplomatic friction between India and the United States over sovereign immunity and investment dispute resolution.