R.F. Nariman, J. - (1.) Leave granted.
(2.) The present batch of appeals raises an important question as to the construction of Section 26 of the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2015 (hereinafter referred to as the "Amendment Act"), which reads as follows: "Section 26. Act not to apply to pending arbitral proceedings. Nothing contained in this Act shall apply to the arbitral proceedings commenced, in accordance with the provisions of section 21 of the principal Act, before the commencement of this Act unless the parties otherwise agree but this Act shall apply in relation to arbitral proceedings commenced on or after the date of commencement of this Act."
(3.) The questions raised in these appeals require the mentioning of only a few important dates. In four of these appeals, namely, Board of Control for Cricket in India v. Kochi Cricket Pvt. Ltd. and Ors. (SLP(C) No. 19545- 19546 of 2016), Arup Deb & Ors. v. Global Asia Venture Company (SLP(C) No. 20224 of 2016), M/s Maharashtra Airports Development Company Ltd. v. M/s PBA Infrastructure Ltd. (SLP(C) No.5021 of 2017) and UB Cotton Pvt. Ltd. v. Jayshri Ginning and Spinning Pvt. Ltd. (SLP(C) No.33690 of 2017), Section 34 applications under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (hereinafter referred to as the "1996 Act") were all filed prior to the coming into force of the Amendment Act w.e.f. 23rd October, 2015. In the other four appeals, the Section 34 applications were filed after the Amendment Act came into force. The question with which we are confronted is as to whether Section 36, which was substituted by the Amendment Act, would apply in its amended form or in its original form to the appeals in question.;