High Court Not Having Original Civil Jurisdiction Cannot Extend Time To Pass Arbitral Award As Per S.29A(4) Arbitration Act : Supreme Court

The Supreme Court ruled that a High Court lacking original civil jurisdiction cannot extend the time limit for passing an arbitral award under Section 29A of the Arbitration & Conciliation Act, 1996. Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan clarified that only the principal Civil Court of original jurisdiction has this authority. The case arose from the Meghalaya High Court's refusal to extend the time limit, citing its lack of original civil jurisdiction. The Supreme Court upheld this decision, emphasizing that such power resides exclusively with courts possessing original civil jurisdiction, as defined by the Act. Therefore, the appeal challenging the High Court's decision was dismissed.