Authority: Supreme Court of India
Order Date: 13 July 2026
Case Overview
- Petition for Special Leave to Appeal (C) No. 9802/2026 filed by Wallop Advertising against Union of India and others, arising from High Court judgment dated 23 June 2025 in Arbitration Petition (L) No.15617/2025.
- High Court had refused to extend time under Section 29A of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 and dismissed the extension application, noting that the arbitral tribunal’s mandate expired in February 2020.
- The Arbitrator’s report (ordered on 25‑02‑2026) indicated appearance in 2018, several Section 17 applications heard till Jan 2019, further proceedings in 2019‑early 2020, and that both parties agreed to continue despite the mandate expiry on 1 Feb 2020.
- Petitioner claimed an email application filed on 06‑07‑2020 during the Covid‑19 pandemic was pending; upon discovering it was not reflected in the registry, a formal application was filed on 13‑05‑2025. Respondents admitted receipt of the email.
- The arbitration was reported to be at an advanced stage, with the award potentially pronounceable within six months.
- Respondent counsel noted that the petitioner had also moved a writ petition in the High Court challenging the arbitrator’s holding of certain claims as non‑arbitrable.
Final Outcome
- The Supreme Court extended the time for concluding the arbitral proceedings and pronouncing the award to 31 January 2027.
- The petitioner agreed not to pursue the pending writ petition to avoid impeding the arbitrator’s compliance.
- The Special Leave Petition is disposed of, and any pending applications are also deemed disposed.
Topics: Arbitration, Court Order