REPORTABLE
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
CIVIL APPEAL NO.6179 OF 2016
(Arising out of SLP (C) No. 28851 of 2014)
Union of India & Anr. …..Appellants
Versus
Premco-DKSPL (JV) & Ors. .....Respondents
J U D G M E N T
SHIVA KIRTI SINGH, J.
The appellants have assailed the legality and correctness of final order
dated 25.02.2014 passed in Arbitration Petition No.14 of 2013 by an Hon’ble
Judge of Gauhati High Court designated by the Chief Justice of that Court
to decide respondents’ applications under Section 11 of the Arbitration and
Conciliation Act, 1996 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Act’). By the
impugned order the designated Judge allowed the application under Section
11 of the Act and appointed a former Judge of that Court as the Arbitrator
after holding that the appellants had forfeited their right to appoint
railway officers as arbitrators in terms of clause 64(3)(a)(ii) of the
agreement.
According to Ms. Kiran Suri, learned senior counsel for the appellants the
impugned order suffers from apparent error of fact on account of misreading
or non-reading of the relevant clause of the Agreement, i.e., clause
64(3)(a)(ii) which requires the contractor/respondent to make a written
demand for arbitration and permits 60 days’ time to the Railways from the
date of receipt of the demand, to send a panel of more than three names of
eligible gazetted railway officers so that the contractor may suggest to
General Manager at least two names out of that panel for appointment of the
contractor’s nominee. Such suggestion from the contractor should come
within 30 days from the dispatch of the request by Railways. According to
learned senior counsel, the relevant clause though indicated in paragraph 4
of the impugned order has been misread leading to an erroneous inference in
the following words :
“…. This Clause permits the respondents to nominate a railway officer,
provided of course, the nomination is made within 30 days of receipt of the
demand letter from the petitioner. But since there was no reaction from
the railways side within the permissible 30 days and since in the meantime
the contractor has approached the High Court under Section 11(6) of the
Arbitration Act, having regard to the decision in Datar Switchgears Ltd.
(supra) it is apparent that the respondents have forfeited their right to
appoint a railway officer as the arbitrator.”
It has been further contended on behalf of the appellants that the law laid
down in the case of Datar Switchgears Ltd. v. Tata Finance Ltd. & Anr.[1]
has not been correctly appreciated by the learned Judge because in that
case failure to meet the demand to appoint an arbitrator was apparent on
account of expiry of the notice period of 30 days indicated in the demand.
Even then the Court held that since the application was under Section
11(6)(a) of the Act and since that Section does not prescribe any time
limit rather gives an unfettered discretion to appoint an arbitrator
without any time limit, such power will stand forfeited only after the
party making the demand has moved the Court under Section 11 and not on
mere expiry of the notice period of 30 days. It is appellants’ stand that
in view of stipulations in the relevant clause providing for arbitration,
the respondent-contractor admittedly sent a notice demanding arbitration on
12.06.2013 which was served on the appellants on 14.06.2013 and hence it
had to wait for 60 days for receipt of a panel of more than three names.
Thereafter the contractor had to suggest two names for appointment of his
nominee arbitrator within 30 days. The cause of action for sending a
notice of 30 days or any reasonable period, in view of clear terms in the
Arbitration Agreement which has not been repudiated, can arise only after
60 days. Hence according to learned senior counsel for the appellants, the
learned Judge erred in holding that the appellants had forfeited their
right to appoint arbitrators. Instead, the finding should have been that
the application under Section 11(6) of the Act was premature.
On behalf of appellants reliance has been placed upon judgment of this
Court by a three Judges Bench in the case of Northern Railway
Administration, Ministry of Railway v. Patel Engineering Company
Limited[2] in support of the proposition that in the appointment of
arbitrator by court under Section 11(6), the Chief Justice or the
designated person shall have “due regard to the two conditions in Section
11(8)(a) and (b) relating to qualifications required for the arbitrator by
the agreement of the parties; and other considerations relevant to secure
the appointment of an independent and impartial arbitrator”. Hence, in any
event appointment of a non-technical person, a former judge as arbitrator
was unwarranted.
On behalf of respondent contractor the relevant facts have not been
disputed and hence on facts it is beyond any doubt that the learned Judge
has misread or omitted to read the relevant clause of the agreement which
allows 60 days’ time to the Railways to respond to the demand of the
contractor by sending a panel containing more than three names out of which
the contractor has to suggest at least two names to the Railways which has
to appoint one out of them as the contractor’s nominee. The relevant dates
are also not in dispute. Since the notice for appointment of arbitrators
dated 12.06.2013 was served on the railways on 14.06.2013, the contractor
had to respect the terms of the agreement which was unrepudiated and to
wait for a period of at least 60 days before Section 11 application could
have been filed. Instead of waiting for 60 days the contractor/respondent
preferred such application prematurely on 23.07.2013. The Railways sent a
panel of 4 names to the respondent on 30.07.2013, well within 60 days
limit.
In the aforesaid facts and circumstances it did not lie in the mouth of the
respondent contractor that the appellants had committed a default and had
forfeited their right to appoint arbitrators as per terms of the agreement.
The learned Judge failed to read the relevant clause of the agreement
properly and therefore wrongly placed reliance upon judgment in the case of
Datar Switchgears (supra). In that case this Court had extracted the
relevant terms of agreement in paragraph 9 which showed that there was no
stipulation of any time limit like that of 60 days in the present case.
The terms of the Agreement bind the parties unless they have chosen to
repudiate the same. Relevant terms, if provided, will be material for
deciding when the right of a party to appoint the arbitrator will suffer
forfeiture and when the other party would be entitled to give notice and on
failure, move application under Section 11(6) of the Act. Such terms
deserve respect of the parties and attention of the Court.
In view of aforesaid discussions we find no option but to set aside the
impugned order under appeal. We order accordingly. In case the respondent
contractor is still desirous of pursuing its claim through arbitration in
terms of the agreement, it is given the option to serve a fresh notice for
arbitration within a month and on receipt of the same the
appellants/railways shall be at liberty to send a panel of requisite number
of names to the respondents within 60 days of receipt of the notice so that
Arbitral Tribunal is constituted in terms of the Agreement. It goes
without saying that if the Railways default in sending the panel within the
stipulated time, the contractor will be at liberty to pursue its further
remedies as per provisions of the Act and law. The appeal is allowed in
aforesaid terms but without any order as to costs.
………………………………..…….J.
[SHIVA KIRTI SINGH]
………………………………….…..J.
[R. BANUMATHI]
New Delhi.
July 25, 2016.
-----------------------
[1] (2000) 8 SCC 151
[2] (2008) 10 SCC 240
-----------------------
7
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
CIVIL APPEAL NO.6179 OF 2016
(Arising out of SLP (C) No. 28851 of 2014)
Union of India & Anr. …..Appellants
Versus
Premco-DKSPL (JV) & Ors. .....Respondents
J U D G M E N T
SHIVA KIRTI SINGH, J.
The appellants have assailed the legality and correctness of final order
dated 25.02.2014 passed in Arbitration Petition No.14 of 2013 by an Hon’ble
Judge of Gauhati High Court designated by the Chief Justice of that Court
to decide respondents’ applications under Section 11 of the Arbitration and
Conciliation Act, 1996 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Act’). By the
impugned order the designated Judge allowed the application under Section
11 of the Act and appointed a former Judge of that Court as the Arbitrator
after holding that the appellants had forfeited their right to appoint
railway officers as arbitrators in terms of clause 64(3)(a)(ii) of the
agreement.
According to Ms. Kiran Suri, learned senior counsel for the appellants the
impugned order suffers from apparent error of fact on account of misreading
or non-reading of the relevant clause of the Agreement, i.e., clause
64(3)(a)(ii) which requires the contractor/respondent to make a written
demand for arbitration and permits 60 days’ time to the Railways from the
date of receipt of the demand, to send a panel of more than three names of
eligible gazetted railway officers so that the contractor may suggest to
General Manager at least two names out of that panel for appointment of the
contractor’s nominee. Such suggestion from the contractor should come
within 30 days from the dispatch of the request by Railways. According to
learned senior counsel, the relevant clause though indicated in paragraph 4
of the impugned order has been misread leading to an erroneous inference in
the following words :
“…. This Clause permits the respondents to nominate a railway officer,
provided of course, the nomination is made within 30 days of receipt of the
demand letter from the petitioner. But since there was no reaction from
the railways side within the permissible 30 days and since in the meantime
the contractor has approached the High Court under Section 11(6) of the
Arbitration Act, having regard to the decision in Datar Switchgears Ltd.
(supra) it is apparent that the respondents have forfeited their right to
appoint a railway officer as the arbitrator.”
It has been further contended on behalf of the appellants that the law laid
down in the case of Datar Switchgears Ltd. v. Tata Finance Ltd. & Anr.[1]
has not been correctly appreciated by the learned Judge because in that
case failure to meet the demand to appoint an arbitrator was apparent on
account of expiry of the notice period of 30 days indicated in the demand.
Even then the Court held that since the application was under Section
11(6)(a) of the Act and since that Section does not prescribe any time
limit rather gives an unfettered discretion to appoint an arbitrator
without any time limit, such power will stand forfeited only after the
party making the demand has moved the Court under Section 11 and not on
mere expiry of the notice period of 30 days. It is appellants’ stand that
in view of stipulations in the relevant clause providing for arbitration,
the respondent-contractor admittedly sent a notice demanding arbitration on
12.06.2013 which was served on the appellants on 14.06.2013 and hence it
had to wait for 60 days for receipt of a panel of more than three names.
Thereafter the contractor had to suggest two names for appointment of his
nominee arbitrator within 30 days. The cause of action for sending a
notice of 30 days or any reasonable period, in view of clear terms in the
Arbitration Agreement which has not been repudiated, can arise only after
60 days. Hence according to learned senior counsel for the appellants, the
learned Judge erred in holding that the appellants had forfeited their
right to appoint arbitrators. Instead, the finding should have been that
the application under Section 11(6) of the Act was premature.
On behalf of appellants reliance has been placed upon judgment of this
Court by a three Judges Bench in the case of Northern Railway
Administration, Ministry of Railway v. Patel Engineering Company
Limited[2] in support of the proposition that in the appointment of
arbitrator by court under Section 11(6), the Chief Justice or the
designated person shall have “due regard to the two conditions in Section
11(8)(a) and (b) relating to qualifications required for the arbitrator by
the agreement of the parties; and other considerations relevant to secure
the appointment of an independent and impartial arbitrator”. Hence, in any
event appointment of a non-technical person, a former judge as arbitrator
was unwarranted.
On behalf of respondent contractor the relevant facts have not been
disputed and hence on facts it is beyond any doubt that the learned Judge
has misread or omitted to read the relevant clause of the agreement which
allows 60 days’ time to the Railways to respond to the demand of the
contractor by sending a panel containing more than three names out of which
the contractor has to suggest at least two names to the Railways which has
to appoint one out of them as the contractor’s nominee. The relevant dates
are also not in dispute. Since the notice for appointment of arbitrators
dated 12.06.2013 was served on the railways on 14.06.2013, the contractor
had to respect the terms of the agreement which was unrepudiated and to
wait for a period of at least 60 days before Section 11 application could
have been filed. Instead of waiting for 60 days the contractor/respondent
preferred such application prematurely on 23.07.2013. The Railways sent a
panel of 4 names to the respondent on 30.07.2013, well within 60 days
limit.
In the aforesaid facts and circumstances it did not lie in the mouth of the
respondent contractor that the appellants had committed a default and had
forfeited their right to appoint arbitrators as per terms of the agreement.
The learned Judge failed to read the relevant clause of the agreement
properly and therefore wrongly placed reliance upon judgment in the case of
Datar Switchgears (supra). In that case this Court had extracted the
relevant terms of agreement in paragraph 9 which showed that there was no
stipulation of any time limit like that of 60 days in the present case.
The terms of the Agreement bind the parties unless they have chosen to
repudiate the same. Relevant terms, if provided, will be material for
deciding when the right of a party to appoint the arbitrator will suffer
forfeiture and when the other party would be entitled to give notice and on
failure, move application under Section 11(6) of the Act. Such terms
deserve respect of the parties and attention of the Court.
In view of aforesaid discussions we find no option but to set aside the
impugned order under appeal. We order accordingly. In case the respondent
contractor is still desirous of pursuing its claim through arbitration in
terms of the agreement, it is given the option to serve a fresh notice for
arbitration within a month and on receipt of the same the
appellants/railways shall be at liberty to send a panel of requisite number
of names to the respondents within 60 days of receipt of the notice so that
Arbitral Tribunal is constituted in terms of the Agreement. It goes
without saying that if the Railways default in sending the panel within the
stipulated time, the contractor will be at liberty to pursue its further
remedies as per provisions of the Act and law. The appeal is allowed in
aforesaid terms but without any order as to costs.
………………………………..…….J.
[SHIVA KIRTI SINGH]
………………………………….…..J.
[R. BANUMATHI]
New Delhi.
July 25, 2016.
-----------------------
[1] (2000) 8 SCC 151
[2] (2008) 10 SCC 240
-----------------------
7
