BHARTIYA SAMRUDDHI FINANCE LTD. Vs. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The captioned proceedings are cross petitions filed under Sec. 34 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (" the Act") challenging an arbitral award dated December 17, 2021 (" Impugned Award") passed by a Learned Arbitral Tribunal.

(2.) The Impugned Award adjudicated disputes between Bhartiya Samruddhi Finance Ltd. ("Samruddhi") and the State of Maharashtra ("State") in relation to a project to provide information to citizens about the State's services and schemes aided by information and communication technology by setting up common service centres ("CSCs") through village level entrepreneurs.

(3.) Samruddhi was selected pursuant to a bid filed by it on April 28, 2010 in response to a tender published through a document dated March 12, 2010. The bid was accepted on January 5, 2011 and a Master Service Agreement ("Agreement") was executed on January 18, 2011. The Agreement had a tenure of 60 months ending on January 17, 2016, in which period, Samruddhi was expected to operationalise 1,362 CSCs.