Taking into consideration the impact of the surge of the virus on public health and adversities faced by litigants in the prevailing conditions, the Supreme Court of India has directed that the period from 15 March 2020 till 28 February 2022 shall stand excluded for the purposes of limitation as may be prescribed under any general or special laws in respect of all judicial or quasi-judicial proceedings.
The Apex Court in this regard restored its earlier Order dated 23 March 2020. It also stated that in cases where the limitation would have expired during the period between 15 March 2020 till 28 February 2022, notwithstanding the actual balance period of limitation remaining, all persons shall have a limitation period of 90 days from 1 March 2022.
The Order dated 10 January 2022 also clarifies that that the said period shall also stand excluded in computing the periods prescribed under Sections 23(4) and 29A of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, Section 12A of the Commercial Courts Act, 2015 and provisos (b) and (c) of Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 and any other laws, which prescribe period(s) of limitation for instituting proceedings, outer limits and termination of proceedings.