The Himachal Pradesh High Court, Shimla, has imposed a cost of ₹10,000 on the petitioner, Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) through its President Sh. Udai Bhan, for lack of seriousness in an arbitration case.
Gustakhi Maaf Haryana-Pawan Kumar Bansal.
The Himachal Pradesh High Court, Shimla, has imposed a cost of ₹10,000 on the petitioner, Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) through its President Sh. Udai Bhan, for lack of seriousness in an arbitration case.
During the hearing of Arbitration Case No. 58 of 2019, HPCC’s counsel informed the court that a senior advocate had been engaged for arguments but was currently out of India. In response, Surender Singh Hooda, appearing in person for the respondent company, stated that the petitioner had repeatedly delayed the proceedings, with arguments having been deferred for the last three hearings.
Taking these delays into account, the Hon’ble High Court directed that the petitioner pay a cost of ₹10,000 to Surender Singh Hooda. The next hearing is scheduled for the first week of April 2025.
The matter was listed in Court Number 6 of Himachal Pradesh High court this morning, in the court of Hon’ble Judge Sh. Satyen Vaidya.
The case pertains to an objection petition filed by the Haryana unit of the Congress Party through its office bearers under Section 34 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act. The petition challenges an arbitral award dated 09-01-2019, issued in Shimla with reference to MSMED Act, in favor of First News Media Pvt. Ltd. against the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee.
Background:
The objections raised by the Haryana Congress unit under Section 34 of the Arbitration Act were dismissed in 2019, followed by the dismissal of an Arbitration Appeal in 2020 by the Himachal Pradesh High Court. Subsequently, the award was enforced through the Patiala House Court, New Delhi, leading to the freezing of the All India Congress Committee’s bank account at Union Bank of India, Connaught Place, New Delhi, for approximately 45 days by court order.
Following this, the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee filed a Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court of India. The Supreme Court later remanded the arbitration case back to the Himachal Pradesh High Court for a fresh hearing.
Mr. Surender Singh Hooda, Director of the degree-holder company, has been arguing before the Hon’ble High Court of Himachal Pradesh at Shimla, as he had done in previous proceedings at the Patiala House Court, New Delhi, and the Himachal Pradesh High Court, Shimla.
Case Title:
Dr. Ashok Tanwar – Objector
Sh. Tarun Bhandari– Objector
(Office bearers of Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee)
Vs.
First News Media Pvt. Ltd.
Through its Director Surender Singh Hooda – Respondent