In Brief
LMJ International Ltd. and Sleepwell Industries Co. Ltd. disputed the sale of rice with disputes over quality and payment. After arbitration under GAFTA Rules in London, awards were made in favour of Sleepwell. The High Court accepted the awards for enforcement. LMJ then challenged enforceability on multiple grounds, including alleged fraud and procedural irregularities. The Supreme Court held that once objections to maintainability were finally rejected, LMJ could not raise new arguments about enforceability in a separate petition—doing so was barred by constructive res judicata. The Court emphasised that foreign award enforcement is tightly restricted: executing courts cannot re-examine awards on their merits. The petitions were dismissed with costs.
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