The Madhya Pradesh High Court bench of Justice Duppala Venkata Ramana held that the executing court cannot dismiss the objections regarding the adequacy of the arbitral award without determining.
Award of an Arbitrator is an instrument chargeable with duty as per section 3 of the Indian Stamp Act, 1899. There is no exemption for any Award. Is any duty payable on an Award dismissing a claim? .
Notably, the Karnataka High Court also flagged the need for more clarity in the law as to the stage at which the arbitral award ought to be stamped, if it all this has to be done.