New Delhi, Dec. 11 -- The Supreme Court, on December 10, clarified the interpretation of Section 29A of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, holding that once the statutory 18-month period for delivering an arbitral award expires, the original arbitrator's mandate automatically terminates if no application for an extension is filed.

Accordingly, any further extension granted by the Court requires the appointment of a substituted arbitrator under Section 29A(6) of the Act.

Key Findings of the Court

A bench comprising Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Alok Aradhe heard an appeal against a Delhi High Court order, which had declined substitution of a sole arbitrator while extending the arbitrator's mandate for an additional four mont...