NEO METALIKS LTD SIDHARTHA SHARMA vs KESSELS ENGINEERING WORKS PVT LTD — EC/143/2021

Case under Arbitration and Conciliation Act ,1996 Section 36. Disposed: --DISPOSED on 15th May 2026.

CNR: WBCHCO0019802021

CASE DISPOSED

Filing Number

EC /144/2021

Filing Date

31-08-2021

Registration No

EC /143/2021

Registration Date

31-08-2021

Judge

HON'BLE JUSTICE SABYASACHI BHATTACHARYYA

Coram

HON'BLE JUSTICE SABYASACHI BHATTACHARYYA

Bench Type

Single Bench

Judicial Branch

CURRENT RECORD DEPARTMENT

Decision Date

15th May 2026

Nature of Disposal

--DISPOSED

Acts & Sections

Arbitration and Conciliation Act ,1996 Section 36

Petitioner(s)

NEO METALIKS LTD SIDHARTHA SHARMA

Respondent(s)

KESSELS ENGINEERING WORKS PVT LTD

Hearing History

Judge: HON'BLE JUSTICE SABYASACHI BHATTACHARYYA

03-09-2021

NEW CHAMBER APPLICATIONS

27-03-2026

PART HEARD MATTERS

20-03-2026

PART HEARD MATTERS

13-03-2026

PART HEARD MATTERS

27-02-2026

PART HEARD MATTERS

Orders

15-05-2026
HON'BLE JUSTICE SABYASACHI BHATTACHARYYA

Case Summary The Calcutta High Court set aside an arbitral award in a dispute between Kessels Engineering Works Pvt. Ltd. and Neo Metaliks Limited regarding a steam turbine generator set delivery contract. Key Decision The court found the arbitral award patently illegal and invalid on multiple grounds: 1. Violation of Section 31(2) of the Arbitration Act: The dissenting arbitrator was not consulted during award preparation and only informed after the majority award was finalized, violating mandatory deliberation requirements. 2. Patent Illegality in Contract Interpretation: The tribunal absurdly interpreted the "successful commissioning" guarantee clause to mean continuous trouble-free operation for 18 months, when it actually meant a one-time commencement event. This misinterpretation contradicted the unambiguous contract language. 3. Rejection of Fraud Allegations: While noting linguistic inconsistencies in the award's authorship, the court found insufficient proof beyond reasonable doubt to establish fraud/corruption. 4. Violation of Sale of Goods Act Section 59: The tribunal improperly awarded both extinction of price and damages for the same breach—legally mutually exclusive remedies. 5. Procedural Defects: Claims lacked cogent evidence and were awarded without proper substantiation. The court awarded Kessels ₹38 lakhs as unpaid balance consideration with interest at 10% per annum from July 2009, plus 2% above prevailing rates thereafter, payable within 30 days. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.

casestatus.in Summary

Case Summary The Calcutta High Court set aside an arbitral award in a dispute between Kessels Engineering Works Pvt. Ltd. and Neo Metaliks Limited regarding a steam turbine generator set delivery contract. Key Decision The court found the arbitral award patently illegal and invalid on multiple grounds: 1. Violation of Section 31(2) of the Arbitration Act: The dissenting arbitrator was not consulted during award preparation and only informed after the majority award was finalized, violating mandatory deliberation requirements. 2. Patent Illegality in Contract Interpretation: The tribunal absurdly interpreted the "successful commissioning" guarantee clause to mean continuous trouble-free operation for 18 months, when it actually meant a one-time commencement event. This misinterpretation contradicted the unambiguous contract language. 3. Rejection of Fraud Allegations: While noting linguistic inconsistencies in the award's authorship, the court found insufficient proof beyond reasonable doubt to establish fraud/corruption. 4. Violation of Sale of Goods Act Section 59: The tribunal improperly awarded both extinction of price and damages for the same breach—legally mutually exclusive remedies. 5. Procedural Defects: Claims lacked cogent evidence and were awarded without proper substantiation. The court awarded Kessels ₹38 lakhs as unpaid balance consideration with interest at 10% per annum from July 2009, plus 2% above prevailing rates thereafter, payable within 30 days. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.

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