13. The Arbitrator, as noted earlier, also awarded claims in respect of loss of profit, for under utilized plant and equipment and for reimbursement of infrastructure expenses. In respect of loss of profits, the Arbitrator merely held that a measure of 10% on the value of the remaining part of the works contract cannot be said to be unreasonable. The Arbitrator observed that a percentage representing 10% of the rate of profit is invariably accepted in the construction industry. Evidently save and except for an priori assumption, no evidence whatsoever was led before the Arbitrator in that regard. In P.R. Shah, Shares and Stock Brokers Private Limited v. B.H.H. Securities Private Limited4 the Supreme Court has held that while an Arbitral Tribunal cannot make use of its personal knowledge of the facts of the dispute, which is not a part of the record, the Tribunal can certainly use its expert or technical knowledge or the general knowledge about the particular trade in deciding a matter. That is why in many arbitrations, persons with technical knowledge are appointed since they may be well-versed with the practices and customs in the respective fields. The Arbitrator in the present case was not an arbitrator drawn from the trade. No basis whatsoever has been indicated in the award for accepting 10% as a measure representing loss of profits. No material was produced before the Arbitrator on the nature of the practice in the trade. During the course of the hearing no basis has been indicated to the Court from the record to suggest that any practice of that nature in the construction industry was brought to the notice of the Arbitral Tribunal. In the circumstances, the arbitral award to the extent that it allows the claim for loss of profits is based on pure conjecture and in the absence of any evidence whatsoever was correctly set aside. Similarly, in regard to the claim for underutilized plant and equipment and for reimbursement of expenses of infrastructure, it is evident that the Arbitrator has merely awarded a sum which he considered to be reasonable. No evidence whatsoever was led before the Arbitral Tribunal."
