Holding

Notice under Section 14(2) of the Arbitration Act, 1940 need not be in writing; an oral notice communicated by the court to the parties, even through their counsel, suffices to satisfy the statutory requirement.

Summary

The dispute between East India Hotels Ltd. and Agra Development Authority was referred to arbitration, and the umpire filed the award on 13 November 1998, which the trial court made a rule of court on 25 February 1999. The respondent challenged the award in a revision, arguing that the court had not complied with Section 14(2) of the Arbitration Act, 1940 because no notice of the filing of the award was served on it. The Supreme Court examined whether notice under Section 14(2) must be in writing, the mode of service, and the point at which notice is required. It held that notice need not be in writing and may be oral, provided the court, by its order, communicates the filing of the award to the parties, and that notice to counsel suffices as notice to the party. The Court concluded that the order dated 13 November 1998, which directed that counsel be informed, satisfied the statutory requirement, and therefore set aside the High Court’s revision and affirmed the award as a rule of court. The appeals were allowed and each party was ordered to bear its own costs.

Issues considered

What constitutes valid notice under Section 14(2) of the Arbitration Act, 1940 when an award is filed?
Whether notice must be in writing or can be oral, and what mode of service is required?
At what stage must the court issue notice – after filing of the award alone or after filing of all accompanying documents?

Legislation cited

Arbitration Act, 1940s. 14(2)

Subjects

ArbitrationSection 14(2)notice of filing awardservice of noticeoral noticeaward rule of courtSupreme Court of India

Judgment

/

A EAST INDIA HOTELS LTD.
v. j.-
AGRA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

MARCH 21, 2001

B [SYED SHAH MOHAMMED QUADRI AND S.N. PHUKAN, JJ.]

Arbitration Act, 1940: Section 14(2).

ArlJitrationAward-Filing of-Notice to pa!ties-Requiremenr and mode
of se1vice of-Umpire filed award in cow1--Couf1 directed counsel for parties
c be informed-Counsel for the parties noted this order-Subsequently, award
made rule of cou11-However, High Court set aside award on ground that no
notice under S. 14(2) served on the aggrieved party-Correctness of-Held:
Notice under S. 14(2) need not be in writing; it can also be oral-But there must
be service ofnotice or intimation or communication of the filing ofaward to the
D patties-Mode of sen1ice immaterial-Notice to counsel is notice to pa11y and,
therefore, court's order is proper and valid service of notice-Hence, High
Cou11 erred in setting aside the award.

The disputes between the appellant and the respondent were re-
ferred to arbitration. After conclusion of the proceedings, the Umpire filed
E the award before the court. The court directed the counsel for the parties 11'
to be informed. The counsel for the parties noted this order. Thereafter, the
award was made rule of the court.

Being arrived, the respondent filed a revision before the High Court,
which was allowed on the ground that no notice under Section 14(2) of the
F Arbitration Act, 1940 was served on the respondent. Hence this appeal.

Allowing the appeal, the Court

HELD : 1. Itis clear that notice under Section 14(2) of the Arbitration
Act, 1940 need not be in writing and th a tit can also be oral. What is essential
G is that there must be service of notice or intimation or communication of the
filing of the award to the parties, mode of service of such notice being imma-
terial. But such information, communication and knowledge must be by or
pursuant to order of the court. However, after filing of an award by the
arbitrator or the Umpire in the court, if it merely records the presence of the
H parties or their counsel but does not indicate that notice of filing of the
582
EAST INDIA HOTELS LID. v. AGRA DEVELOPMENT AUIHORITY [PHUKAN, l.] 583

A award be given to the parties, no service of notice can be attributed from the A
-~ fact, as notice must be referable to an act of the court. [586-C-E]

Nilkantha Shidramappa Ningashelli v. Kashinath Somanna Ningashell~
[1962] 5. SCC 400 and Secretary to Govt. of Kamataka v. V. Harishbabu,
(1996] 5 sec 400, relied on.
B B
2. The essential requirement of section 14(2) ofthe Act was duly com·
plied with inasmuch as intimation of tiling the award to the parties was
communicated. As notice to the counsel is notice to the party, the order
of the court together with the endorsement of the advocate on the
a
proceeding sheet would amount to proper and valid service of notice
' c under Section 14(2) of the Act. The order of th(court, which was noted by c
the counsel for the parties, would amount to a valid notice under Section
• ·,.
14(2). [587-G-H; 588-A]

"-"1- 3. The stage at which notice is required to be given by the court
under Section 14(2) of the Act is after 'filing of the award' and the notice
D pertains to the fact of 'filing of the award' in Court. It is the duty of the
D· :
Arbitrator/Umpire to file deposition, documents, etc. along with the award.
If only award is filed and other documents are not filed, the Court may
issue notice under Section 14(2) after the award is filed. It need not post-
pone issuing of notice till all the documents are filed. A notice issued after
"( E filing of the award but before filing of other documents is a valid notice E
under Section 14(2) of the Act and no fresh notice need be issued after
tiling of other documents by Arbitrator/Umpire. [588-C-E]

CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal Nos. 2238-39 of
2001.
F F
From the Judgment and Order dated 1.10.9917.9.99 of the Allahabad
,. High Court in C.R. No. 106 of 1999.

Dr. A.M. Singhvi, R.M. Aggarwal, V.K. Rao, Piyush Sharma and Ms.
Madho Sikri for the Appellant.
G G
Rakesh Dwivedi and Ashok K. Srivastava for the Respondent.

The Judgment of the Court was delivered by

............. PHUKAN, J. Leave is granted.

H In these appeals by special leave, appellant has assailed the judgment H
(

584 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2001] 2 S.C.R.
A dated 1.10.1999 of the High Court of Allahabad passed in Civil Revision
No.106 of 1999. The appellant filed an application under Section 20 of the
Arbitration Act, 1940 (for short the 'Act') before Additional Civil Judge,
Agra, which was allowed and the disputes between the parties were referred
to arbitration. After the proceedings were concluded, the Umpire filed the
-award before the court on 13.11.1998, which was made rule of the court by
B
order dated 25.02.1999. Being aggrieved, the respondent filed a revision
petition before the High Court, which was allowed by the order under
challenge, on the ground that no notice under sub-section (2) of Section 14
of the Act was served on the respondent. ·

C To appreciate the contentions raised by the learned counsel for the
parties, it is necessary to refer to the orders passed by the trial court on
different dates:

"13.11.1998 - Case was called for. The Parties are absent. The Award
was filed by the Umpire Shri Jethanandji. Shri Prem Narain Agarwal,
D learned counsel for East India Hotels and Shri Suresh Chandra Gupta,
learned coiinsel for Agra Development Authority be informed. Um-
pire Shri Jethanandji shall place on record all the papers concerning
the Award within fifteen days.

Case be put up on 14.12.1998 for further orders.
E
Sci/- Vlth Addi. Civil
Judge (Sr. Division)
Agra.

Noted for filing of tho Award.
F
Sci/- 13-11-1998
(Counsel for East India Hotel).

Sci/- 19-11-1998
For ADA (Parokar)
G Kiipa Shankar.

Sci/- Suresh Chander Gupta
Sr. Stan4ing Counsel, ADA
23-11-1998."

H On 28.11.1998 case record was put up and the court recorded the fact
EAST INDIA HOTELS LID. v. AGRA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY [PllUKAN, J.) 585

of filing of papers concerning the award by the Umpire, as directed by the
court and furtber directed to put up the case on the next date fixed. On
14.12.1998 the presence of the parties was noted but the court could not take
., up the case for want of time. That order was duly noted on behalf of the
respondent. On 4.01.1999 the court recorded filing of the application under
Section 17 of the Act by the appellant and noted that a copy was supplied
to the respondent who prayed for time to file reply. The case· was put up on
7.01.1999, presence of parties was recorded and the next date was fixed on
14.01.1999 as on that date the case could not be taken up on account of strike
by the lawyers. On 19.02.1999 parties were present in the court, arguments
were heard and on 25.02. 1999, the award was made rule of the court.

We have now to determine as to what amounts to service of notice
under sub-section (2) of Section 14 of the Act.

Dr. Singhvi,_ learned senior counse! has contended that notice uml~r
sub-section (2) of Section 14 need not be in writing and what is essential is
that notice or intimation or communication of filing of Award must be issued
and communicated by the court to the parties. According to the learned
counsel notice to the counsel representing the party would be sufficient
compliance in view of Rule 5 of Order III C.P.C. The learned senior counsel
has further submitted that as the order passed by the trial court on 13.11.1998
was noted by the learned standing counsel for the respondent, it was sufficient
notice under sub-section (2) of Section 14 of the Act. In the alternative it was
contended by the learned senior counsel that if the said order dated 13. 11.1998
is not accepted as notice under sub-section (2) of Section 14 as along with
the award, the records were not filed by the Umpire, the order dated
14.12.1998 wonld amount to notice, as the order was passed by the trial court
after records were filed by the Umpire and it was dnly noted on behalf of
the respondent.

Mr. Dwivedi, learned senior counsel for the respondent drawing our
attention to the language of sub-section (2) of Section 14 of the Act, has
contended that only after award along with depositions and connected
documents are filed by the Arbitrator/Umpire, the stage of issuance of notice
under said sub-section (2) wonld arise. In this connection learned counsel has
also placed reliance on Rule 8 of the Arbitration Rnles framed by the
Allahabad High Court. According to the learned senior counsel as on
13.11.1998 records from the Umpire were not received by the court, the said
order though noticed by the learned counsel for the respondent wonld not be
586 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2001] 2 S.C.R.
A a notice to the parties.

We extract below sub-section (2) of Section 14 of he Act:

"14. (2) The arbitrators or umpire shall, at the request of any party
of the arbitration agreement or any person claiming under such party
B or if so directed by the Court and upon payment of the fees and
charges due in respect of the arbitration and award and of the costs
and charges of filing the award, cause the award or a signed copy of
together with any depositions and documents which may have been
taken and proved before them, to be filed in Court, and the Court shall
\
thereupon give notice to the parties of the filing of the award."
c
From a perusal of the above provision, shorn of unnecessary details,
it is clear that notice under sub-section (2) of Section 14 of the Act need not
be in writing and that it can also be oral. What is essential is that there must
be service of notice or intimation or communication of the 'filing of the award
D to the parties, mode of service of such a notice being immaterial. But such
information, communication and knowledge must be by or pursuant to order
of the court. However, after filing of an award by the arbitrator or the Umpire
in the court, if it merely records the presence of the parties or their counsel
but does not indicate that notice of filing of the award be given to the parties,
no service of notice can be attributed from that fact, as notice must be
E referable to an act of the court.

Now we shall refer to the cases cited by the learned counsel. In
Nilkantha Shidramappa Ningashetti v. Kashinath Somanna Ningashetti and
Others, [1962] 5 SCC 400, a four judge bench while considering sub-section
(2) of Section 14 of the Act held as follows:
F
"Sub-section (1) of Section 14 of the Arbitratio_n Act, 1940 (X of
1940) requires the arbitrators or umpire to give notice in writing to
the parties of the making and signing of the award. Sub-section (2)
of that section requires the Court, after the filing of the award, to give
G notice to the parties of the filing of the award. The difference in the
provisions of the two sub-sections with respect to the giving of notice
is significant and indicates clearly that the notice which the Court is
to give to the parties of the filing of the award need not be a notice
in writing. The notice can be given orally. No question of the service
of the notice in the formal way of delivering the notice or tendering
H
EAST INDIA HOTELS LID. v. AGRA DEVELOPMENT AUTIJORITY [PllUKAN, J.] 587

it to the party can arise in the case of a notice given orally. The A
communication of the infonnation that an award has been filed is
-~
sufficient compliance with the requirements of sub- section (2) of

- Section 14 with respect to the giving of the notice to the parties
concerned about the filing of the award. 'Notice' does not necessarily
mean 'communication in writing'. 'Notice', according to the Oxford
Concise Dictionary, means 'intimation, intelligence, warning' and has
B
this meaning in expressions like 'give notice, have notice' and it also
means 'formal intimation of something, or instructions to do some-
thing' and has so.ch a meaning in expressions like 'notice to qui~ till
further notice'. We are of opinion that the expression 'give notice' in
sub-section (2) of Section 14, simply means giving intimation of the c
filing of the award, which certainly was given to the parties through
their pleaders on February 21, 1948. Notice to the pleader is notice
to the party, in view of r.5 of O.III, Civil Procedure Code, which
provides that any process served on the pleader of any party shall be
presumed to be duly communicated and made known to the party
D
whom the pleader represents and, unless the Court otherwise directs,
shall be as effectual for all purposes as if the same had been given
to or served on the party in person."

In Secretary to Govt. of Kamataka and Another v. V. Harishbabu,
[1996] 5 SCC 400 this court had occasion to consider again sub-section (2) E
"' of Section 14 of the Ac~ the Bench noticed the judgment passed in Nilkantha
Shidramappa Ningashetti v. Kashinath Somanna Ningashetti and Others
(supra) and held that notice under sub-section (2) of Section 14 of the Act
need not be in writing and it might be oral and there should be no fonnal
mode· of service; what is essential is that notice or intimation or communi- F
cation of the filing of the award must be issued by the court to the parties
and served upon the parties. The dictum in these cases support the view, we
have expressed.

On 13.11.1998 the Trial Court recorded the fact of filing of the award
by the Umpire and directed that learned counsel for the parties be informed. G
This order was duly noted by the counsel for both the parties. In our opinion
the essential requirement of sub- section (2) of Section 14 was duly complied
'
. ~-I, with inasmuch as intimation of filing the award to the parties was commu-
nicated. As notice to the counsel is notice to the party, the above order dated
13.11.1998 together with the endorsement of the advocate on the proceeding H
588 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2001] 2 S.C.R.
A sheet would amount to a proper and valid service of notice under sub-section
(2) of Section 14 of the Act. We have already mentioned that as per ihe
direction of the court Umpire also filed the record. We, accordingly hold that

B
order dated 13.11.1998 which was noted by the learned counsel, would
amount to a valid notice under sub-section (2) of Section 14. We, therefore,
need not consider the alternative arguments of Dr. Singhvi.
-
We may now consider the submission of Mr. Dwivedi, learned senior
counsel for the respondent. Learned senior counsel has contended that the
stage of issuance of notice would come only after filing of the records by
the Arbitrator/Umpire and as no records were filed on 13.11.1998, the order
c passed by the court on that date could not be treated as notice to the parties.
We cannot accept this contention. From a plain reading of sub:section (2) of
Section 14 it would appear that under this sub-section the stage at which
notice is required to be given by the court is after 'filing of the award' and
the notice pertains to the fact of 'filing of the award' in Court. It is the duty
of the Arbitrator/Umpire to file depositions, documents, etc. along with the
D award. If only award is filed and other documents are not filed, the Court
may issue notice under this sub-section after the award is filed. It need not
postpone issuing of notice till all the documents are filed. In our view a notice
issued after filing of the award but before filing of other documents is a valid
notice under sub-section (2) of Section 14 of the Act and no fresh notice need
E be issued after filing of other documents by the Arbitrator/Umpire.

In the case on hand by order dated 13.11.1998, court not only directed
issuance of the notice to the parties of the filing of the award but also directed
the Umpire to file the records which was duly compiled with by the Umpire
before the next date of hearing. After taking notice of filing of award no
F controversy was raised by the respondent regarding not filing of the records
till the award was made rule of the court nor could it have raised such a
controversy on the facts. In fact after filing of the application under Section
14 of the Act by the appellant, time was prayed for to file a reply on behalf
of the respondent but no such reply was filed. In view of the above position,
G we are of the opinion that the c.ontention of Mr. Dwivedi has no force and
accordingly it is rejected.

Mr. Dwivedi has also pressed into service Rule 8 of the Arbitration
Rules framed by the High Court. This rule prescribes the mode of filing of >-•
the award and the procedure to lie followed by any party, if the records are
H not filed by the Arbitrator/Umpire. 'This rule does not speak of issuance of
..
.J..
'

EAST INDIA HOTELS LTD. ,., AGRA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY [PHUKAN, J.) 589

notice by the court under sub-section (2) of Section 14 and, therefore, would A
not be relevant for the present purpose.

Relying on Rule 6 of the Arbitration Rules, Mr. Dwivedi has contended
that the order passed by the court on 04.01.1999 could not be construed as
a notice. This point needs no consideration as no submission was made on
behalf of the appellant that the order passed on that date would be a notice B
under snb- section (2) of Section 14 of the Act.

For what has been stated above we find merit in the present appeals
and accordingly they are allowed by setting aside the impugned judgment.
The order of the Additional Civil Judge, Agra dated 25.02.1999 making the
award a rule of the court is affinned. Considering the facts and circumstances
c
of the case, we direct the parties to bear their own cost.

v.s.s. Appeals allowed.
•