Whether appointment of arbitrator by SIAC can be challenged U/S 11 of Arbitration Act 1996?

 From the relevant facts of the case, it is also clear that the respondents at one time had suggested the name of a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India as the sole Arbitrator, which was not agreed to by the petitioner, who in turn, was inclined to nominate another learned judge. Be that as it may, in such a situation, the respondents by invoking Arbitration clause 30.2 had approached SIAC for appointment of an Arbitrator. This was on 5th September, 2014 i.e. before the present proceeding was instituted by the petitioner. Though the notice of the said request was served on the petitioner on 11th September, 2014, no steps were taken by the petitioner to pre- empt the appointment of a sole Arbitrator by SIAC. Mr. Steven Y.H. Lim came to be appointed as the sole Arbitrator by the SIAC on 29th September, 2014. The petitioner has submitted to the jurisdiction of Mr. Steven Y.H. Lim. Even if it is held that such participation, being under protest, would not operate as an estoppel, what must be acknowledged is that the appointment of the sole Arbitrator made by SIAC and the partial award on the issue of jurisdiction cannot be questioned and examined in a proceeding under Section 11(6) of the Act which empowers the Chief Justice or his nominee only to appoint an Arbitrator in case the parties fail to do so in accordance with the terms agreed upon by them. To exercise the said power, in the facts and events that has taken place, would really amount to sitting in appeal over the decision of SIAC in appointing Mr. Lim as well as the partial award dated 27th November, 2014 passed by him acting as the sole Arbitrator. Such an exercise would be wholly inappropriate in the context of the jurisdiction under Section 11(6) of the Act, a view already expressed by this Court in a recent decision in Antrix Corp. Ltd. vs. Devas Multimedia P. Ltd. [Arbitration Petition NO.20 of 2011 decided on May 10, 2013, reported in (2013) 6 SCR 453].

Supreme Court of India

Pricol Limited vs Johnson Controls Enterprise Ltd & ... on 16 December, 2014

Bench: Ranjan Gogoi

NON-REPORTABLE

     IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
     CIVIL ORIGINAL JURISDICTION
    ARBITRATION CASE (CIVIL) NO.30 OF 2014

Citation:AIR 2015 SC(supp)471

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