Kirloskar Brothers Limited appointed Dr. Madhuri Kanitkar as an Additional Director in the category of Independent Woman Director effective September 15, 2026.

The board approved the appointment via circular resolution on September 7, 2026, based on the recommendation of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee. The appointment requires shareholder approval and carries a five-year term. Dr. Kanitkar is not liable to retire by rotation.

Board Appointment Details

The company disclosed the change under Regulation 30 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015. The resolution was passed at 7:03 pm on September 7, 2026. Devang Trivedi, Company Secretary, signed the intimation.

Profile of New Director

Dr. Kanitkar is a retired Lieutenant General in the Indian Army and the third woman to achieve a three-star rank in the armed forces. She served as Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Medical) under the Chief of Defence Staff. Her career spans approximately 39 years, including roles as Dean of the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, and Vice-Chancellor of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik, from July 2021 to October 2025.

She holds a Doctor of Medicine degree in Pediatrics and completed fellowships at the National University Hospital, Singapore, and Great Ormond Street Hospital, London. Dr. Kanitkar currently serves on the Prime Minister's Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC). She has received the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), and Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM).

The filing confirms no relationship exists between Dr. Kanitkar and existing directors. She is not debarred from holding office by SEBI or any other authority.

The Supreme Court has directed the constitution of a three-member arbitral tribunal to adjudicate the long-pending dispute arising from a family settlement involving Kirloskar Brothers Limited and several members of the Kirloskar family.

In an order dated August 11, 2026, the apex court disposed of Special Leave Petitions filed by the company and others, upholding the Bombay High Court’s earlier decision to refer the matter to arbitration. The court appointed former Kerala High Court Chief Justice Nitin Madhukar Jamdar as the nominee arbitrator for the petitioner and former Madras and Rajasthan High Courts Chief Justice K. R. Shiram as the nominee for the contesting respondents.

Arbitration Framework

The two nominee arbitrators are required to jointly appoint a presiding arbitrator, preferably within four weeks. The seat of arbitration is designated as Pune. The Supreme Court clarified that all preliminary issues regarding arbitrability, including the scope of Clause 20 of the Deed of Family Settlement (DFS) dated September 11, 2009, will be decided by the tribunal before proceeding to the merits of the claims.

Key procedural directives include:

• The High Court’s observations in its May 3, 2021 judgment have no binding effect on the arbitral tribunal.
• All issues must be decided on their own merits by the tribunal.
• The tribunal has the liberty to fix its own procedure and remuneration.

Background of the Dispute

The conflict stems from the DFS executed in 2009, which allocated management control of various Kirloskar Group entities among different family branches and included non-compete obligations. The company, along with Sanjay Kirloskar, instituted a civil suit in June 2018 seeking specific performance of the DFS and damages for alleged breaches of non-compete clauses.

Respondents sought reference to arbitration under Section 8 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. While the Civil Judge in Pune rejected this application in December 2020, the Bombay High Court reversed the decision in May 2021. The Supreme Court’s recent order resolves the jurisdictional challenge, leaving substantive questions—such as whether non-signatories to the DFS are bound by the arbitration agreement—to be determined by the tribunal as preliminary issues.

Kirloskar Brothers Limited stated that the financial impact of these proceedings cannot be presently ascertained.