Section 29A Of The Indian Arbitration And Conciliation Act: Possibility Of Timebound Arbitration

Introduction

One of the most significant legal changes made by the Indian legislature in recent years has been the introduction of the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2015 (Amendment Act). The Amendment Act seeks to resolve issues that have traditionally afflicted the alternative dispute resolution framework in India, for example, protracted disputes , excessive judicial intervention, dearth of qualified and impartial arbitrators, and so on.

While most changes effected in the Arbitration and Conciliation Act (Act) by the Amendment Act are based on the recommendations of the 246th Law Commission Report, an important deviation from the said Law Commission Report is the incorporation of Section 29A into the Act. Not only does the concerned section not figure anywhere in the recommendations made by the 246th Law Commission Report, it also has very few parallels in other jurisdictions of the world. Needless to say, Section 29A has been one of the most