IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH

127 to 130 (26 cases) CR-5056-2025 Date of Decision: 09.10.2025 National Highways Authority of India …Petitioner Versus Virender …Respondent With Sr. Case No. Petitioner(s) Respondent(s)

No.

2. CR-5124-2025 National Highways Dharambir and Authority of India others

3. CR-5136-2025 National Highways Kushal Pal Lamba Authority of India and others

4. CR-5140-2025 National Highways Har Chand and Authority of India others

5. CR-5141-2025 National Highways Hazari and others Authority of India

6. CR-5143-2025 National Highways Daya Ram Authority of India

7. CR-5144-2025 National Highways Jormal and others Authority of India

8. CR-5145-2025 National Highways Dheeraj and others Authority of India

9. CR-5150-2025 National Highways Prakash Chand Saini Authority of India and others

10. CR-5151-2025 National Highways Rajender Singh and Authority of India others

11. CR-5152-2025 National Highways Siri Chand and others Authority of India

12. CR-5157-2025 National Highways Har Chandi (since Authority of India deceased) through LRs and another

13. CR-5160-2025 National Highways Lala Ram and Authority of India another CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE JAGMOHAN BANSAL Present: - Mr. Arkash Mani Garg, Advocate for Mr. Kanwalvir Singh Kang, Advocate for the petitioner ***

JAGMOHAN BANSAL, J. (Oral)

1. As common issues are involved in the captioned petitions, with the consent of learned counsel for the petitioner, the same are hereby disposed of by this common order. For the sake of brevity and convenience, facts are borrowed from CWP-5056-2025.

2. On 04.08.2025, this Court passed the following order: -

“Learned counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioner submitted that an application under Section 36(2) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 as well as objection petition under Section 34 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 is pending before the learned Additional District Judge, Palwal since 2019 but even the application for stay has not been adjudicated upon. He submitted that his limited prayer is seeking a direction to the concerned Court to decide the same expeditiously.

Before proceeding further, let a status report be called from the concerned Additional District Judge, Palwal with regard to the status of stay application.

Adjourned to 17.09.2025.”

3. Pursuant to aforesaid order, learned Additional District & Sessions Judge, Palwal has sent report dated 11.09.2025 which is reproduced as below: -

“It is respectfully submitted that the petition bearing CIS No. ARB-119-2019 under Section 34 of the Arbitration and Reconciliation Act was filed by the NHAI on 14.08.2019. Along with the petition, an application for condonation of delay and an application seeking stay on the operation of impugned award dated 10.04.2019 were also filed. The respondent appeared on 08.11.2021. On 19.04.2022, the respondent filed the written statement in response to the petition and the reply to the application for condonation of delay. On 03.09.2022, the local counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioner/NHAI informed the Court that a petition pertaining to this matter is pending before the Hon'ble Supreme Court. Since then, the matter was not argued as the counsel for the petitioner/NHAI kept on seeking adjournment (reflected in multiple zimni orders) on the ground that a petition pertaining/relating to this matter is pending before the Hon'ble Supreme Court and it was only on 30.04.2025 that the counsel for the parties narrated the historical background of the matter including the passing of the recent decision of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the case of "Union of India & Others Versus Tarsem Singh & Others".

On 19.05.2025, the Ahlmad of the Court reported that regarding the impugned award dated 10.04.2019, there are 93 other connected petitions filed under Section 34 of the Arbitration and Reconciliation Act, which are pending in the Court of Ms. Sukirti, Learned ADJ, Palwal. It was noted that 32 petitions under Section 34