#ex parte award

The Kerala High Court has mandated that Special Sale Officers must decide applications to set aside ex parte awards under Section 69 of the Kerala Co-operative Societies Act within two months, ensuring timely redressal and preventing indefinite legal limbo for guarantors. This ruling reinforces natural justice in cooperative dispute resolution and binds all arbitral officers under the Act to enforce procedural deadlines.

The Karnataka High Court set aside ₹8.51 lakh of an arbitral award because the arbitrator awarded speculative damages without documentary support, even though the respondent participated ex-parte. This reinforces that ex-parte proceedings cannot cure fundamental flaws in arbitral reasoning - awards must still meet the threshold of legality under public policy, not just procedural compliance.

The Bombay High Court affirmed that contractual workers killed in work-related accidents are entitled to compensation under the Employee's Compensation Act, even in the absence of formal appointment letters or salary records, if the employment nexus is established through circumstantial evidence. This ruling expands employer liability and protects vulnerable informal workers by prioritizing factual employment over documentary formalities.

Chhattisgarh High Court holds that ex parte awards under ID Act are void unless due service of notice is conclusively proven, reinforcing natural justice in labour adjudication.

Kerala High Court dismisses petition to condone 514-day delay in challenging ex parte award, holding that false claims of non-receipt nullify any claim of sufficient cause.