Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 allows a party to approach a court for interim measures — injunctions, preservation of property, security for the claim amount — before or during arbitral proceedings, and even after the award but before enforcement.
Section 17 gives the arbitral tribunal itself, once constituted, the power to grant similar interim measures, with such orders enforceable in the same manner as a court order under the Act.
In practice, Section 9 remains important for relief needed before a tribunal exists or where a party specifically needs a court's coercive powers, while Section 17 is generally preferred once the tribunal is in place, since courts increasingly expect parties to approach the tribunal first unless circumstances make that impracticable.