Under Section 7 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, an 'ARBITRATION AGREEMENT' means:

Section 7 defines an 'arbitration agreement' as an agreement by the parties to SUBMIT TO ARBITRATION all or certain disputes which have arisen or which may arise between them in respect of a DEFINED LEGAL RELATIONSHIP, whether contractual or not. It must be in writing and may be in the form of an arbitration clause in a contract or a separate agreement. The requirement of a defined legal relationship ensures certainty as to the disputes covered. A reference is not included; mediation, or a dispute with a stranger to the agreement, falls outside. The written and defined-relationship elements are the core of the definition.