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2004 Supreme(Del) 1112

High Court Of Delhi
PURI CONSTRUCTION LTD - Appellant
Versus
LARSEN AND TOUBRO LTD - Respondent
I.T.A. 11699 of 2003
Decided On : 11/30/2004

Advocates Appeared:
AJAY JHA, AMARJIT SINGH, MAHESH CHHIBBER, MAN MOHAN, MANMIT ARORA, MEGHALAYA, PRATIBHA M.SINGH, RAJAN NARAIN, RAJIV NAYAR, SAMEER PAREKH

Headnote:Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 Section 9-Interim direction by the Court that the title deed and the sanctioned plan in respect of land in dispute may be deposited with the Registrar of the Court till the expiry of 30 days from the award of the arbitrator-Objections filed to the award of arbitrator and in the process of hearing before the Court- Prayer for release of title deed rejected and interim order continued pending hearing in the Court.

Mukul Mudgal, J.

( 1 ) THIS application on behalf of the petitioners under section 151, CPC seeks return of the title deeds, sanctioned/structural plans and calculations as well as the entire record of the sales which belong to the petitioners and are lying deposited in the Registry of this Court pursuant to the order of the learned Single Judge of this Court dated 30th May, 2002, passed in FAO No. 319/01.

( 2 ) DURING the pendency of the award on 30th May, 2002, the learned Single judge of this Court passed the following order:

"fao 319/2001 counsel for the appellant, in view of the suggestions made by this Court and upon instructions from the officer of the appellant present in Court, agreed that the Title Deeds and the Sanctioned Plans in respect of the land in question, which are in possession of the appellant shall be deposited with the Registrar of this Court and shall be kept in a sealed cover till the arbitrator, before whom the proceedings are almost at final stage, passes his Award and takes decision in regard to custody of these documents. He further submits that one of the conditions will be that these Title Deeds as well as Sanctioned Plans shall not be handed over to any of the parties before the expiry of 30 days after the passing of the Award so that the party, aggrieved by the Award, may approach the superior Court for appropriate directions. It is also submitted that a further condition shall be attached that till the time the award is passed, and 30 days time therefor, no party shall apply to the Court for the release/inspection of these documents so that they remain in safe custody of the Court. Counsel for the respondents have no objection to this proposal and pray that the appeal may be disposed of in terms of this proposal. The appeal is disposed of modifying the impugned order in terms of the aforesaid proposal agreed to by all the parties. The Title Deeds and sanctioned plans be deposited with the Registrar of this Court within 15 days and the same shall remain in a sealed cover in his custody as stated above. The appeal stands disposed of. "

( 3 ) THE learned Single Judge of this Court thus ordered that the title deeds as well as the sanctioned plans shall not be handed over to any of the parties before the expiry of the 30 days after the passing of the Award so that the party, aggrieved by the Award, may approach the superior. Court for appropriate directions. Thus not only did the order subsist during the pendency of the arbitral proceedings leading to the award but it was also to subsist for a period of 30 days thereafter so as to permit any of the aggrieved party to approach the superior Court for appropriate directions. The title deeds as well as the sanctioned plans accordingly remain deposited in this Court during the pendency of the award and thereafter it is not in dispute that the Award elated 28th December, 2002 is facing objections, i. e. , OMP No. 26/03 filed in this Court by the Landt, i. e. , the respondent in these proceedings.

( 4 ) MR. Nayyar, the learned Senior Counsel, appearing on behalf of the petitioners/applicants in this petition has sought to contend that since the respondent at best has a claim of Rs. 8. 10 crores against them, the respondents are not entitled to continue to press for retention of the title deeds/documents lying deposited in this Court and the petitioners/applicants are entitled to withdraw the said title deeds/plans. He has further submitted that the objections (OMP No. 26 of 2003) to the award dated 28th December, 2002 did not pertain to the retention of the title deeds/plans. Mr. Nayyar has also submitted that the applicants/petitioners herein are prepared to offer a security of Rs. 8. 10 crores to the satisfaction of the Court.

( 5 ) MR. A. S. Chandhiok, the learned Senior Counsel, appearing on behalf of the respondent/landt has submitted that the objections (OMP No. 26 of 2003) to the award dated 28th December, 2002 continued the arbitral proceedings and



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