Bombay High Court
Pacific Organics Pvt. Ltd vs The Oriental Insurance Company Limited on 2 February, 2021
Author: B.P. Colabawalla
Bench: B.P. Colabawalla
(04)CARBP464.20.doc
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY
ORDINARY ORIGINAL CIVIL JURISDICTION
IN ITS COMMERCIAL DIVISION
Digitally signed by
Anjali T. Anjali T. Aswale
Aswale Date: 2021.02.03
10:43:27 +0530
COM. ARBITRATION PETITION NO. 464 OF 2020
Pacifc Organics Pvt.. L.d. ... Pe.i.ioner
Vs
Orien.al Insurance Co. L.d. ... Responden.
Ms. Sharon Pa.ole for .he Pe.i.ioner.
Mr. Jayesh R. Vyas i/b Vipul Shukla for .he Responden..
CORAM : B.P. COLABAWALLA, J.
TUESDAY, 02ND FEBRUARY, 2021 P.C. :
1 The presen. pe.i.ion is fled under Sec.ion 29-A of .he Arbi.ra.ion & Concilia.ion Ac., 1996, seeking an ex.ension of .ime .o comple.e .he arbi.ra.ion proceedings and pass an Award. 2 This pe.i.ion was vtehemen.ly opposed by .he learned advtoca.e appearing on behalf of .he responden.. The learned advtoca.e appearing on behalf of .he responden. submi..ed .ha.
.here is absolu.ely no cause made ou. in .he pe.i.ion for gran.ing .he ex.ension of .ime. He submi..ed .ha. evten if one were .o SR Pasha, Sr PS Page 1 of 4 (04)CARBP464.20.doc assume .ha. wha. is s.a.ed in .he pe.i.ion is correc., namely, .ha. .he manda.e of .he learned Arbi.ra.or came .o an end af.er .he 18 mon.hs' period and which was on 23 rd Oc.ober, 2019, .here is no explana.ion as .o why .he pe.i.ioner has movted .his Cour. by fling .he presen. pe.i.ion as la.e as on 16 .h Oc.ober, 2020. He, .herefore, submi..ed .ha. .he pe.i.ion be dismissed. 3 I havte heard .he learned counsel for .he par.ies and havte perused .he abovte pe.i.ion. I. is .rue .ha. .he 18 mon.hs' period came .o an end on 23rd Oc.ober, 2019 and .he presen. pe.i.ion is fled on 16.h Oc.ober, 2020. Howevter, one mus. no. lose sigh. of .he fac. .ha. from March 2020, .he en.ire coun.ry was under lock-down. In fac., evten .he Cour. was func.ioning wi.h minimum s.aff and .here was limi.ed movtemen. allowed in .he Ci.y of Mumbai owing .o .he Covtid-19 Pandemic. This has also been s.a.ed by .he pe.i.ioner in paragraph 32 of .he pe.i.ion. 4 In .hese circums.ances, I am no. inclined .o accep. .he argumen.s canvtassed on behalf of .he responden.. In .hese peculiar circums.ances, I do no. .hink i. would be fair .o dismiss .his pe.i.ion, especially considering .ha. .he arbi.ral proceedings SR Pasha, Sr PS Page 2 of 4 (04)CARBP464.20.doc are now a. .he evtidence s.age.
5 Havting said .his, i. would only be fair if .his pe.i.ion is allowed by direc.ing .he pe.i.ioner .o pay cos.s of Rs.1,00,000/-. The learned advtoca.e appearing on behalf of .he responden. has fairly s.a.ed .ha. .he responden. has no objec.ion if .hese cos.s are paid ovter .o any chari.able or o.her ins.i.u.ion as .he Cour. may deem f..
6 In .hese circums.ances, .he following order is passed:
(a) The .ime .o comple.e .he arbi.ra.ion proceedings and pass a fnal Award is ex.ended by a period of six mon.hs from .oday.
(b) This ex.ension is gran.ed, subjec. .o .he condi.ion .ha. .he pe.i.ioner shall pay cos.s of Rs.1,00,000/- .o .he Ta.a Memorial Cen.re (For Research) wi.hin a period of .wo weeks from .oday and deposi. in .his Cour., a receip.
evtidencing paymen. of .he cos.s.
SR Pasha, Sr PS Page 3 of 4
(04)CARBP464.20.doc
(c) If .he cos.s are no. paid wi.hin .he s.ipula.ed period, .he abovte Arbi.ra.ion Pe.i.ion shall be dismissed wi.hou. fur.her reference .o .he Cour..
(d) Considering .ha. .he frs. arbi.ra.ion mee.ing was held as far back as on 26.h April, 2018, .he Arbi.ral Tribunal is direc.ed .o ensure .ha. .he arbi.ral proceedings culmina.e in.o an Award wi.hin .he ex.ended .ime as no fur.her ex.ension shall be gran.ed. 7 The Arbi.ra.ion Pe.i.ion is, accordingly, disposed of. 8 This order shall be digi.ally signed by .he Privta.e Secre.ary/Personal Assis.an. of .his Cour.. All concerned shall ac. on produc.ion by fax or e-mail of a digi.ally signed copy of .his order.
B.P. COLABAWALLA, J.
SR Pasha, Sr PS Page 4 of 4