1. INTRODUCTION
Section 29 A was introduced in 20151 by way of
Arbitration and Conciliation Act (Amendment) Act, 2015
('Amendment Act 2015') which set out a
timeline for the completion of arbitration proceedings commenced
under the Arbitration & Conciliation Act, 1996
('Arbitration Act'). The said provision
provided for the mandate of making of an award by an arbitral
tribunal ('Tribunal') within a period of
12 months from the date of the Tribunal entering the reference,
which could be extended for a further period of 6 months by consent
of the parties2. The Amendment Act 2015 also provided
for further extension of the mandate of the Tribunal by the
competent Court if the award could not be made within the extended
period i.e. 12 months plus 6 months (18 months)3. This
provision, as introduced in 2015, was applicable for domestic as
well as international commercial arbitrations. It is pertinent that
the provision setting out a time limit for the Tribunal to
