As per the case facts a company filed a petition seeking the appointment of an arbitrator to resolve disputes stemming from a contract with the Ministry of Defence However the ... claim was asserted to be significantly delayed and barred by limitation as the petitioner had not pursued their rights for over five years This situation led to an appeal to the Supreme Court to ascertain whether an arbitrator could still be appointed despite the time-barred nature of the claim The question arose whether a petition for the appointment of an arbitrator under Section of the Act is maintainable when the underlying claim is unequivocally barred by the statute of limitation Finally the Supreme Court rejected the petition It ruled that the claim was indeed hopelessly barred by time due to the petitioner's prolonged inaction emphasizing that claims in such arbitration proceedings must adhere to the prescribed limitation periods unless they fall under specific statutory arbitration exceptions