STATE OF ORISSA Vs. UCHHABAPRADHAN

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS appeal by the State of Orissa against the judgment of the High Court arises out of a proceeding for making an award of an arbitrator the rule of the court. The respondent was allotted by the State certain contract work for execution and a dispute arose between the parties, the appellant denying the claim of the contractor to the tune of Rs. 6,33,424.00. The matter was referred to the arbitration of a sole arbitrator, who made a non-speaking award for a sum of Rs. 4,45,448.66 paise in favour of the respondent. The award indicated that out of the aforesaid amount, the contractor was held entitled to a sum of Rs. 2,50,487.25 paise towards his claim for the work executed, and to the remaining sum of Rs. 1,94,961.41 paise as interest from 1-6-1975 to 25-11-1981. It was also directed that on the failure of the payment of the amount within a period of two months, the respondent would get future interest at the rate of 12 Per Cent per annum on Rs. 2,50,487.25 paise.

(2.) IN reply to the respondent's prayer for making the award a rule of the court the State of Orissa raised several pleas in defence. The award was challenged as not being supported by the materials produced by the parties before the arbitrator but, this ground was correctly rejected both by the trial court as well as the High Court, and need not detain us any further. Another objection taken by the appellant is to the non-speaking nature of the award. This point has now been settled against the appellant by a bench of five learned Judges of this Court and does not survive any more. The main dispute which, however, remains to be decided relates to the grant of interest.

(3.) THE objection of the appellants with regard to the interest awarded for the period subsequent to the reference of the dispute to the arbitrator is well founded. As has been pointed out earlier, the reference was made on 6-3-1980, that is before coming into force of the Interest Act, 1978 on 19-8-1981, and the arbitrator, therefore, had no jurisdiction to award interest for the subsequent period. THE award in question is accordingly modified and subject to this the appeal is dismissed.THEre will be no order as to costs.Order accordingly.