As per the case facts a company from Afghanistan filed a petition under Section of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act seeking to appoint an arbitrator for disputes arising from franchise ... agreements The petition's maintainability was contested primarily on the ground that it was barred by the Limitation Act The appeal to the Supreme Court aimed to clarify whether the Limitation Act applies to such applications and if a court can refuse to refer claims that are clearly time-barred The question arose whether the Limitation Act is applicable to an application for the appointment of an arbitrator under Section of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act and if so whether the present petition is time-barred additionally whether a court can refuse a reference if the claims are