Circumscribed appellate jurisdiction under Section 37 restricted by Section 34 parameters

governs the powers of an appellate court reviewing an order that sets aside or refuses to set aside an arbitral award. The jurisdiction conferred upon an appellate court under Section 37 of the Arbitration Act is not analogous to ordinary civil appellate jurisdiction and cannot expand beyond the narrow restrictions laid down under Section 34. The appellate court is tasked strictly with determining whether the court exercising power under Section 34 acted within its prescribed statutory limits, exceeded its mandate, or failed to exercise the jurisdiction vested in it. Where an arbitral award has been scrutinized and upheld by a Section 34 court, the appellate court under Section 37 is subject to a far more constrained and circumscribed standard of review. Under no circumstances can the appellate bench travel beyond the grounds recognized under Section 34, and it is strictly precluded from independently re-assessing the merits of the arbitral dispute or enlarging the grounds of challenge raised by the parties. (Jan De Nul Dredging India Pvt. Ltd. Vs Tuticorin Port Trust | 2026 INSC 34)