LARSEN AND TOUBRO LIMITED vs HIGH PARRA CONSTRUCTION PVT LTD

Judgment text excerpt

F-OJ-NSM-1717-2018 .doc IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY ORDINARY ORIGINAL CIVIL JURISDICTION NOTICE OF MOTION NO. 1717 OF 2018 WITH NOTICE OF MOTION (L) NO. 1912 OF 2018 IN ARBITRATION PETITION (L) NO. 899 OF 2018 Larsen And Toubro Limited …Applicant/ Petitioner Versus High Parra Construction Pvt Ltd …Respondent Mr. Nimay Dave, a/w Faisal Sayyed & Padmesh Joshi, i/b Manilal Kher Ambalal & Co., for the Applicant/Petitioner. Mr. Siddharth Chhabria, a/w Khushnuma Khan & Inayat Ali Qureshi, i/b K K Associates, for Respondent. CORAM : SOMASEKHAR SUNDARESAN, J. DATE : JULY 11, 2025 Page 1 of 22 Digitally ASHWINI signed by ASHWINI JANARDAN July 11, 2025 JANARDAN VALLAKATI VALLAKATI Date: 2025.07.28 10:53:54 +0530 F-OJ-NSM-1717-2018 .doc Oral Judgement: Context and Background: 1. The captioned primary proceedings are essentially an application seeking to challenge an arbitral award dated March 3, 2018 (“Impugned Award”) passed by the MSME Facilitation Council, Mumbai (“MSME Council”) under Section 34 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (“Arbitration Act”). 2. The Petitioner, Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (“ L&T”) seeks to challenge payment of a princely sum of Rs.44,513/- awarded to the Respondent, High Parra Construction Pvt. Ltd. (“ High Parra”) with interest thereon to be computed in terms of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006 (the “ MSMED Act”). Till date, L&T has deposited nothing despite a deposit being a statutory per- condition for any court to entertain a challenge to an arbitral award passed under the MSMED Act. Page 2 of 22 July 11, 2025 Ashwini Vallakati F-OJ-NSM-1717-2018 .doc Hurdles to the Challenge: 3. That apart, the main hurdle to L&T’s challenge is the admitted delay in filing the application under Section 34 of the Arbit