New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday set aside a single judge bench order, which had upheld an arbitral award asking SpiceJet and its promoter Ajay Singh to refund Rs579 crore plus interest to media baron Kalanithi Maran. A Bench of Justices Yashwant Varma and Ravinder Dudeja allowed the appeals filed by Singh and SpiceJet challenging the single judge’s July 31, 2023, order.

“The appeals stand allowed. Consequently the July 31, 2023 order (of the single judge) is set aside,” the bench said. The division bench had earlier refused to stay the single judge’s order and had asked Maran and his company Kal Airways to respond to the appeal. SpiceJet and Singh’s counsel had earlier argued that his challenge was on the issue of 18 per cent interest which the tribunal had directed SpiceJet to pay.

On July 31, 2023, the single judge had upheld the award announced by the arbitral tribunal on July 20, 2018, in favour of Maran and Kal Airways. It had said the court was barred from entering into the merits of an award unless there was an error that was apparent on the face of the record or an illegality that goes to the root of the matter.