Domestic airline SpiceJet on August 23 challenged the Delhi High Court’s order of a single judge upholding the arbitral award in the airline’s dispute with Sun Group Chairman Kalanithi Maran and Kal Airways.

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The Delhi High Court, in its July 31 order, upheld the arbitral award to Maran in connection with the Spicejet dues case. The court will next hear the plea on September 15.

As per the earlier order, the high court refused to allow SpiceJet’s plea seeking waiver of interest on arbitral award. It upheld the 2018 arbitral award order that ordered SpiceJet to pay Rs 579 crore plus interest to Kalanithi Maran. The court had also set aside a plea by the airline’s chairman and managing director Ajay Singh challenging the arbitral award.

On August 9, Maran accused SpiceJet and CEO Ajay Singh of willfully defaulting on payment as directed by the Supreme Court and reiterated claims outstanding dues of Rs 393 crore. Prior to this, the top court had not taken kindly to SpiceJet for failing to obey the order to pay Maran, the erstwhile promoter of the airline, a sum of Rs 75 crore.

This Rs 75 crore was part of the Rs 380 crore arbitral award Maran claimed from the airline. The apex court, hence, ordered the airline to pay the entire arbitral amount in one go.

During the August hearing, the Delhi HC pulled up SpiceJet and Singh over the failure to comply with the order to disclose assets details on an affidavit. The airline and the CEO were asked to file the affidavit within a week.

The case between SpiceJet and Kalanithi Maran pertains to 2015 when KAL Airways offered a 58.46 percent stake in SpiceJet to Ajay Singh, the main shareholder and Chairman and Managing Director, for only Rs 2 a per share as the airline was hit by financial troubles.

SpiceJet stock was priced at Rs 16.30 a share during this deal. Following this, Maran moved the Delhi High Court alleging breach of agreement by Singh for not issuing him enough share warrants and preference shares despite Rs 679 crore infusion.