Section 8 arbitration application does not bar filing a reply in the main petition; reply allowed without prejudice.

Pendency of an application under Section 8 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 did not bar the applicants from filing a reply in the main petition. The Tribunal allowed the reply to be filed without prejudice to the applicants' stand in the pending Section 8 application and granted time for filing after service on the other side. The operative effect was that participation in the main petition could proceed while the arbitration objection remained open for determination.

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Issues: Whether the pendency of an application under Section 8 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 prevented the applicants from filing their reply in the main petition.

Analysis: The pendency of the Section 8 application did not create any bar to filing a reply in the main petition. The filing of the reply was permitted without prejudice to the applicants' contention in the pending Section 8 application, and the Tribunal granted time to file the reply after service on the other side.

Conclusion: The applicants were allowed to file their reply in the main petition, and the application was disposed of accordingly.

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