Signed copy of arbitral award satisfied statutory requirement, allowing further proceedings despite challenge to its validity.

A signed copy of an arbitral award under section 14(2) of the Arbitration Act, 1940 must be an accurate reproduction of the original award bearing the arbitrator's or umpire's signature authenticating it as a true copy. A copy that reproduces the award, states that it is a true copy, and is signed by the umpire satisfies that requirement, even if accompanied by a certification of correctness. The court therefore treated the document filed as a valid signed copy of the award, rejected the objection to its validity, and allowed further proceedings under section 17.

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Issues: Whether the document forwarded by the umpire and filed in court was a signed copy of the award within section 14(2) of the Arbitration Act, 1940, so as to enable further proceedings under section 17 of that Act.

Analysis: The expression "copy" in section 14(2) requires an accurate and full reproduction of the original award. The expression "signed copy" means a copy bearing the signature of the arbitrator or umpire authenticating it as a true copy. A certified statement that the copy is correct does not take it outside the provision if the document is signed by the umpire and shows authentication of its correctness. The document sent to court reproduced the award, stated that it was a true copy, and bore the umpire's signature, which sufficiently satisfied the statutory requirement. Reference to the meaning of signature under the General Clauses Act, 1897, and the concept of secondary evidence under the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, supported this construction.

Conclusion: The document filed in court was a signed copy of the award within section 14(2) of the Arbitration Act, 1940, and the objection to its validity failed. Further proceedings under section 17 could therefore be taken.

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