Arbitral Awards Can’t Be Set Aside Solely for Jurisdictional Ground if No Timely Objection Was Raised : SC

The Supreme Court held that arbitral awards under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, cannot be annulled solely on jurisdictional grounds if such objections were not raised during the arbitration proceedings.

In this case, MP Road Development Corporation challenged an arbitral award under Section 34, arguing that the matter should have been adjudicated under the MP Madhyastham Adhikaran Adhiniyam, 1983. 

MP Road Development Corporation had contested an award post-facto under Section 34, which the High Court accepted.

The Supreme Court reversed it. Citing the L.G. Chaudhary (II) precedent, the Court ruled that once proceedings or awards are concluded, failure to raise objections under Section 16 bars annulment based on jurisdiction.

 However, such awards must be executed per the MP Act.