JUDGMENT

Santosh Hegde, J.-Heard learned counsel for the parties.

Leave granted.

2. This appeal is filed against the judgment of the High Court of Punjab & Haryana at Chandigarh delivered in Civil Revision No. 1688 of 2002 on 1-7-2002 whereby the High Court dismissed the revision petition filed by the appellant herein against an order made by the Civil Judge, (Senior Division), Rewari, Haryana, dated 19-2-2002 dismissing the application filed by the appellant herein under Section 8 read with Section 5 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (for short the Act ) in a suit pending before it seeking reference of the suit pending before it to an arbitrator as contemplated under Clause 40 of the Dealership Agreement between the parties.

3. The facts necessary for disposal of this appeal, briefly stated, are as follows:

The appellant herein is a company carrying on the business of manufacture, sale and distribution of petroleum products which it does through dealers and distributors appointed by it. The respondent herein is one of such dealers appointed by the appellant to sell its petroleum products through a retail outlet at Jaisingpur Khera, National Highway No. 8, District Rewari,