The Supreme Court of India in State of West Bengal v. M/S B.B.M. Enterprises firmly reiterated that arbitration cannot be used to revive stale or time-barred claims. In this case, the contractor invoked arbitration after an extraordinary delay of 21 years from the last communication in 2001. The Court held that such a claim is “ex facie dead” and barred by limitation. Relying on Section 43 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, the Court emphasized that the Limitation Act applies equally to arbitration proceedings. For monetary claims, the limitation period is generally three years, and any claim raised beyond this period is legally unenforceable. The Court also clarified the distinction between limitation for filing a Section 11 petition and the underlying claim itself, holding that both must independently satisfy limitation requirements. It criticized the High Court’s reasoning and stressed that parties cannot sleep over their rights. Upholding the principle that law aids the vigilant, the Court quashed the arbitration proceedings entirely.