Limitation for Section 34 Applications Commences From Disposal Date of Section 33 Applications Regardless of Maintainability.

The Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways acquired land in Bellary District under the National Highways Act, 1956.

Dissatisfied with the compensation awarded on 05.12.2011, the Appellant (NHAI) invoked arbitration under Section 3G(5) of the 1956 Act.

Following a de novo remand by the High Court, the Arbitrator passed a fresh award on 03.02.2022.

Both parties filed applications under Section 33 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 ("the Act")—the Appellant under Section 33(1)(a) for corrections on 08.03.2022, and the Respondent under Section 33(4) for an additional award on 10.03.2022.

The Arbitrator dismissed both applications via a common order dated 04.07.2022, received by the Appellant on 15.09.2022.

The Appellant filed Section 34 applications on 29.10.2022.

The High Court set aside the District Court's order condoning the delay, holding that the Appellant’s Section 33 application was a disguised review and thus not maintainable, meaning it could not extend the limitation period under Section 34(3).

Section 34(3) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, which stipulates that if a request is made under Section 33, the three-month limitation period for setting aside an award commences from the date that request is disposed of by the tribunal.

Section 33 regarding corrections and interpretations of awards.

The Court relied on established precedents including Geojit Financial Services Ltd. v. Sandeep Gurav [2025 INSC 1021], Ved Prakash Mithal and Sons v. Union of India, and USS Alliance v. State of U.P., which affirm that the date of disposal of a Section 33 application marks the starting point for limitation under Section 34(3).

The Court reasoned that Section 34(3) of the Act does not distinguish between Section 33 applications that are allowed or dismissed, nor does it require that the application be "maintainable" to defer the limitation period.

The Court held that once Section 33 jurisdiction is formally invoked and entertained, the award remains subject to the tribunal's limited jurisdiction; forcing parties to file Section 34 petitions as a "precaution" during this pendency would cause multiplicity of proceedings.

The Court distinguished State of Arunachal Pradesh v. Damani Construction Co., noting that in that case, there was no formal Section 33 application, only a letter seeking a review.

In the present case, since both parties had filed formal Section 33 applications within the 30-day statutory period, the limitation for Section 34 must necessarily be reckoned from the date the tribunal disposed of those requests (04.07.2022).

The Supreme Court allowed the appeal and set aside the High Court’s judgment, restored the District Court's order and directed that the Section 34 applications be decided on their merits.