The Supreme Court of India, in a judgment dated October 14, 2025, has dismissed an arbitration petition filed under Section 11(5) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, holding that the claim was “hopelessly barred by limitation.” The bench, comprising Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran , rejected the plea for the appointment of an arbitrator filed by Alan Mervyn Arthur Stephenson, a resident of the United Kingdom, against J. Xavier Jayarajan.

Case Background

The legal dispute arose from a partnership deed executed on September 20, 2014, between the petitioner, Mr. Stephenson, and the respondent, Mr. Jayarajan. This partnership followed an earlier one, dated April 10, 2008, which was between the petitioner’s sister and the respondent for a real estate business. Th

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