(1) It is not incompatible with an arbitration agreement for an arbitral tribunal to encourage settlement of the dispute and, with the agreement of the parties, the arbitral tribunal may use mediation, conciliation or other procedures at any time during the arbitral proceedings to encourage settlement.
(2) If, during arbitral proceedings, the parties settle the dispute, the arbitral tribunal shall terminate the proceedings and, if requested by the parties and not objected to by the arbitral tribunal, record the settlement in the form of an arbitral award on agreed terms.
(3) An arbitral award on agreed terms shall be made in accordance with section 31 and shall state that it is an arbitral award.
(4) An arbitral award on agreed terms shall have the same status and effect as any other arbitral award on the substance of the dispute.
Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 30
Section 30 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 encourages settlement of disputes, authorizing the arbitral tribunal to use mediation, conciliation, or other procedures to encourage settlement, and providing for the recording of an agreed settlement in the form of a consent arbitral award.
When a commercial dispute is settled amicably during arbitration, always request the arbitral tribunal to record the settlement terms as a formal 'Arbitral Award on Agreed Terms' under Section 30, making it directly executable under Section 36 without fresh suits.