In Brief
In a land acquisition case under the National Highways Act, NHAI sought to set aside an arbitral award. The Supreme Court clarified that the three-month limitation period to challenge an arbitral award under the Arbitration Act is deferred until any Section 33 request (for corrections or additional awards) is disposed of—regardless of whether that request ultimately succeeds or fails. The Court held that forcing parties to file challenges while Section 33 proceedings are pending would create unnecessary parallel litigation. NHAI's challenge was therefore timely, and the matter was remitted for decision on merits.
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