Writ Jurisdiction Cannot Be Invoked To Challenge Arbitral Award, Only To Circumvent Statutory Requirement Of S.19 Of MSMED Act: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court ruled that writ jurisdiction cannot be invoked to challenge an arbitral award solely to circumvent the statutory requirements of Section 19 of the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Act. The case involved a challenge to an arbitral award where the petitioner sought to invoke writ jurisdiction to bypass the legal provisions of the MSMED Act. The Court held that the statutory procedure laid out in the MSMED Act must be followed for disputes involving MSMEs, and writ jurisdiction cannot be used to sidestep these mandatory legal requirements. This ruling underscores the importance of adhering to established legal frameworks for resolving disputes related to MSMEs and limits the use of writ jurisdiction in such matters.