In Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation Ltd. v. M/s Jabalpur Corridor Pvt. Ltd. (2026 INSC 590, decided 29 May 2026, Justices J.K. Maheshwari and A.S. Chandurkar), the appellant raised a belated jurisdictional challenge to an arbitral award that the High Court had declined to interfere with.
The Supreme Court held that jurisdiction under Sections 34 and 37 is narrowly circumscribed. Courts may not re-open issues that have attained finality between the parties, or substitute the tribunal's interpretation with their own merely because two interpretations are available. Once a jurisdictional issue has been adjudicated, it cannot be relitigated in collateral proceedings.
Why it matters: together with the Court's other 2026 rulings, this sends a consistent message — a plausible view taken by the tribunal will stand, and procedural issues decided along the way will not be reopened at the end.
The practical takeaway: in large infrastructure disputes especially, every significant objection needs to be raised and decided at the right time. Arguments saved for later are likely to be treated as closed.
This note summarises the reported judgment for general information and is not legal advice on any specific matter.