Delhi High Court Refuses To Replace Arbitrator Despite 16-Month Delay In Award

The Delhi High Court declined to substitute a retired Supreme Court judge as sole arbitrator despite a 16-month delay in pronouncing the award.

Justice Subramonium Prasad held that the award had already been prepared and the proceedings were at a final stage. Substituting the arbitrator at this point would only cause further delay and unnecessary duplication of work.

Granting a short extension of the arbitrator’s mandate till January 31, 2026, the Court emphasized that statutory timelines should not defeat substantive justice where delay is not deliberate.