Hmt Limited v. H. Rajagopal
Case brief
What is this about?
HMT Limited appealed against the confirmation of arbitral awards granting damages to former employees who became entrepreneurs under a VRS scheme, after HMT failed to supply the assured workload. The High Court upheld the arbitral findings on liability and damages but found the award of 20% per annum interest from 2000 till payment to be a patent illegality. The Court modified the interest award: 20% per annum only for the period the claimants were repaying loans to KSFC (subject to proof), and 12% per annum thereafter under Section 31(7)(b) of the Arbitration Act. The appeals were disposed of with this modification.
What did the court decide?
Arbitral awards and Section 34 court decrees confirmed except for interest rate modification: 20% p.a. on damages only for the period claimants repaid KSFC loans (sanction to discharge, subject to proof); 12% p.a. thereafter under Section 31(7)(b) Arbitration Act. Appellant to compute and pay balance amounts in a time-bound manner, accounting for amounts already deposited and disbursed per Supreme