Can interest for the pre-reference period be sourced in section 31(7)(a) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 alone?

Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 — s.31(7)(a) — Pre-reference interest — Pendente lite interest — Contractual bar on interest — Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 — s.31(7)(a) — Pre-reference interest — Substantive, not procedural — Held: Pendente lite interest stands on the footing of procedural law and is governed by section 31(7)(a) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. Interest for the pre-reference period stands on a different footing, being referable to substantive law, and cannot be sourced in section 31(7)(a) alone. (¶15) Contract clause barring interest — Two independent situations — Complete bar on arbitrator's power — Held further: A clause barring interest on money lying due to a dispute and, separately, on delay in making payments operates as a complete bar on the arbitral tribunal's power to award interest, whether pre-reference or pendente lite. Clause 54 of the GCC was such a clause, and the High Court's judgment restoring the award of pre-reference interest is set aside. (¶19, 20, 23)