JUDGMENT

Altamas Kabir, J.-In this Special Leave Petition, a question has been raised as to whether the service of an Arbitral Award on the agent of a party amounts to service on the party itself, having regard to the provisions of Section 31(5) and Section 34(3) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, hereinafter referred to as “the 1996 Act”.

2. The Petitioner is a Committee of Managing Landlords, who are co- owners of the Benarsi Krishna Estate at the Moti Cinema compound, Chandni Chowk, Delhi. The property apparently belongs to the Khanna family and the Seth family. The Respondent No.1 is a Private Limited Company incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956, and is an estate developer and builder of both residential and commercial properties. The Petitioner Committee entered into a Collaboration Agreement dated 16th November, 1990, by which the Respondent agreed to convert the Moti Cinema compound into a commercial complex. Subsequently, the agreement was amended on 2nd May, 1991, by which certain changes were introduced with regard to the scheme of payment. Inasmuch as disputes arose between the parties over the working of the agreement, the Respondent filed an applicat