Held, it was not disputed that there was a legal relationship between the parties of a long standing - Section 44 of the Indian Arbitration Act, 1996 applies to arbitral awards of differences between persons arising out of legal proceedings - Such..

Held, it was not disputed that there was a legal relationship between the parties of a long standing - Section 44 of the Indian Arbitration Act, 1996 applies to arbitral awards of differences between persons arising out of legal proceedings - Such a relationship may be contractual or not, so long it is considered as commercial under the laws in force in India - Further, that legal relationship must be in pursuance of an agreement, in writing, for arbitration, to which the New York Convention applies - Court can decline to make a reference to arbitration in case it finds that the arbitration agreement is null and void, inoperative or incapable of being performed - There were no pleadings to that effect in the plaint - Daman Trial Court findings that the contract was null and void and not based on free consent were rendered in the absence of relevant pleadings - Before the present Court it was not pleaded that the arbitration agreement was without free consent, or had been procured by coercion, undue influence, fraud, misrepresentation or was signed under a mistake - In other words, it was not claimed that the agreement was null and void, inoperative and incapable of being performed as it violated any of the provisions under Sections 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 19A and 20 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872 - Submission was that the matter cannot be referred to arbitration as the IPLA, containing the arbitration clause/agreement, was not a concluded contract - This would not fall within the parameters of an agreement being "null and void, inoperative or incapable of being performed", in terms of Sections 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872 - These provisions set out the impediments, infirmities or eventualities that would render a particular provision of a contract or the whole contract void or voidable -