HC Upholds Rs 2.96 Bn Arbitral Award in Favour of JITF

12 Dec 2025 CW Team

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has recently upheld an arbitral award of over Rs 2.96 billion in favour of JITF Urban Waste Management (Jalandhar) Ltd, dismissing appeals filed by the Jalandhar and Moga municipal corporations.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry ruled that government bodies cannot seek special treatment under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, and are required to comply with the same legal standards as private parties while seeking a stay on arbitral awards.

JITF had entered into a contract in 2011 with the two municipal corporations for a solid waste management project covering the Jalandhar and Ferozepur clusters. Following disputes between the parties, the matter was referred to arbitration.

In January 2022, the arbitral tribunal directed the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation to pay Rs 2044.4 million and the Moga Municipal Corporation to pay Rs 922.9 million, along with applicable interest. While both civic bodies challenged the award and sought a stay, the High Court had earlier ruled that the stay would remain valid only if the entire award amount was deposited.

As neither corporation deposited the amount despite multiple opportunities, their objections were dismissed in January 2024. The subsequent appeals have now also been rejected, with the court observing that arbitration is intended to provide a speedy and fair resolution, and government entities cannot evade statutory obligations after entering commercial contracts.

The S&A team representing JITF was led by Manoj K. Singh, Gunita Pahwa and Rahul Saraswat from S&A Law Offices.

Real Estate

27 Jan 2026

A Paradigm Shift

The Indian real-estate and construction sector, which employs a significant number of organised and unorganised workers in the country, has embarked on a paradigm shift in its regulatory framework from an employment law perspective. With the four Labour Codes – the Code on Wages, 2019 (Wage Code); the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 (IR Code); the Code on Social Security, 2020 (SS Code) and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (OSH Code) – coming into effect in India from November 21, 2025, the industry is shifting away from a fragmented, contractor- driven com..

We offer end-to-end traceability at scale

mjunction has evolved from an e-auction pioneer into a multi-vertical digital commerce platform with deep expertise in complex steel and coal supply chains. Its end-to-end, AI-led architecture focuses on price discovery, traceability, compliance and scalability, enabling transparent procurement, efficient logistics and data-driven decision-making across geographies. Vinaya Varma, MD, shares more about the company in conversation with CW.From a technology standpoint, what are the core USPs of mjunction today that differentiate it in steel and coal supply chains?mjunction has evolved b..

Henkel, Rotary Recycle PoP Ganesha Idols Under Project HARMONY

Henkel India, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Navi Mumbai – Joy of Giving and with support from the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), has advanced circular sustainability through Project HARMONY by recycling Plaster of Paris (PoP) Ganesha idols into community learning assets. The initiative highlights an integrated approach to environmental restoration and social impact.As part of the project, materials collected after Ganesh Visarjan 2025 at Nerul were responsibly diverted from land and water bodies and processed at an authorised recycling facility, with on-ground execution s..