Three writ petitions were filed before the Orissa High Court by TP Southern Odisha Distribution Limited and M/s Southern Electricity Supply Company of Orissa Limited, challenging orders dated 30th December 2020 passed by the Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council (MSEFC), Cuttack under Section 18 of the MSMED Act, 2006. The opposite parties raised a preliminary objection that the writ petitions were not maintainable as the statutory remedy of challenging an award lies under Section 34 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, relying on the Supreme Court's ruling in India Glycols Limited v. MSEFC (2025) 5 SCC 780. The petitioners countered that the impugned orders were passed in violation of natural justice, as notice for the final hearing on 30th December 2020 was dispatched by post only on 29th December 2020 at 3:29 PM and received by the petitioners on 31st December 2020, after the hearing had already concluded, particularly when their counsel had died due to COVID and they had sought time to engage a new advocate. The petitioners also clarified they were willing to comply with the 75% pre-deposit requirement under Section 19 of the MSMED Act and had already deposited the award amounts pursuant to interim directions of the Court. The Court framed two issues for determination: whether there was a violation of natural justice, and whether writ petitions are maintainable despite the availability of an alternative remedy under Section 34 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act.