Amazon on Thursday proposed a dialogue with its warring Indian partner Future Group to end legal battles over a contractual dispute that has soured relations between the two sides.
The US technology giant’s counsel, Gopal Subramanium, made the proposal during a hearing before India’s Supreme Court, where he said the “whirlpool” of litigation was being dragged for too long.
“All that I’m saying is, let’s at least have a conversation,” Subramanium told the court.
In response, a counsel for Future Group agreed to hold talks with Amazon. The judges said the two sides can take 10 days to reach a possible solution.
For more than a year, Amazon and Future Group have been in a legal stand-off that has stalled Future’s $3.4 billion sale of assets to Reliance Industries.
Future denies any wrongdoing, but the US company’s position has been backed by a Singapore arbitrator and Indian courts so far.
The bid for a settlement follows reports that Amazon plans to initiate criminal court proceedings against Future for allowing the transfer of assets to Reliance Industries, which is led by Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani.
Reliance has started to take over about 500 of Future’s stores, rebranding them as its own outlets.
Reliance had previously transferred leases of some of Future’s flagship supermarkets to its name, but allowed Future to continue to operate them.
- Reuters, with additional editing by George Russell
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