A Delhi MSEFC claim should be prepared as a statutory reference rather than a portal-only complaint. The supplier should establish Delhi supplier-side jurisdiction, prepare an invoice-wise principal and Section 16 interest record, file through the current Samadhaan/Council route, simultaneously serve the buyer, and then track which Delhi Council has been assigned and whether the matter is at scrutiny, conciliation or arbitration.
Delhi MSEFC filing in one minute
- Confirm the claimant is the relevant micro or small enterprise and collect its current Udyam record.
- Check that Delhi is the correct supplier-side MSEFC jurisdiction.
- Prepare invoice-wise principal, payment, limitation and Section 16 interest charts.
- Collect the work/purchase order, invoices, delivery/service proof, ledger and payment correspondence.
- Use the current MSME Samadhaan filing route or another mode accepted by the concerned Delhi Council.
- Follow the Delhi 2007 Rules on claim particulars, affidavit, court-fee stamp and simultaneous service on the buyer.
- Use the Samadhaan acknowledgement/current Department direction to identify the assigned Delhi Council rather than guessing from locality.
- Track scrutiny, buyer response, conciliation and—if settlement fails—formal Section 18(3) arbitration.
Current Delhi Industries Department contact
The current Government of NCT of Delhi Department of Industries page for the Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council publishes the Office of the Commissioner of Industries at 419, FIE, Udyog Sadan, Patparganj Industrial Area, Patparganj, Delhi-110092.
The same official page publishes telephone +91-11-44467923 and email comind@nic.in. The page was updated in 2026.
That is the current Department contact identified for this guide. It should not be confused with a guarantee that every delayed-payment reference is heard by one single Council at one counter.
Delhi has had multiple MSEFCs—verify the assigned Council
Delhi originally constituted a single Council under a 30 July 2007 notification. Later institutional capacity was expanded. The Government of NCT of Delhi's 2021-22 Budget Speech recorded that the single MSEFC had been reconstituted into 11 councils to improve disposal of delayed-payment applications.
The Delhi High Court also recorded in BSA Citi Couriers Pvt. Ltd. v. Union of India in 2021 that, according to a GNCTD notification dated 30 September 2020, eleven new councils had been constituted.
Current-allocation caution: the present Department of Industries MSEFC page reviewed for this article does not publish a live council-wise territorial/functional allocation table. Do not guess the Council from a district name or old notification. Use the Samadhaan acknowledgement, case number, notice or current Department direction to identify the Council assigned to the reference.
What do the Delhi MSEFC Rules, 2007 govern?
The Delhi Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council Rules, 2007 were notified on 27 July 2007 under the MSMED Act. They govern Council procedure, including meetings, claim particulars, buyer response, scrutiny, conciliation, arbitration, decision-making and award procedure.
The Rules state that the Council shall meet at least once a month. They also provide for experts under Section 26 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act and court assistance in taking evidence under Section 27.
The old Rules must be read together with the current central Samadhaan/Udyam framework and any later GNCTD reconstitution or procedural direction.
Who can file through MSME Samadhaan?
The Ministry of MSME's current Samadhaan page states that a micro or small enterprise having valid Udyam Registration can apply for delayed-payment assistance.
The online application is forwarded to the concerned MSEFC. The Ministry's FAQ makes clear that the Council—not the portal—converts the application into a regular reference/claim case.
Portal acceptance does not conclusively decide supplier status, registration timing, limitation or liability. Those remain legal issues that can arise before the Council/arbitral tribunal.
Is online filing the only route?
No. The Ministry's Samadhaan FAQ expressly states that the portal is a facility for online delayed-payment applications and that physical applications may also be filed at the concerned MSEFC.
For a current Delhi matter, an online Samadhaan filing is generally the practical starting point because it generates an acknowledgement and routes the application to the concerned Council. Any additional physical-copy, affidavit, court-fee or document direction should then be complied with as issued by that Council.
Samadhaan is still not the same thing as end-to-end ODR
Current Ministry RAMP material describes MSME Samadhaan as an e-filing and case-tracking system, while the separate MSE-ODR project is intended to build end-to-end online dispute resolution.
Accordingly, do not assume that uploading the claim completes every procedural step. Current official material still contemplates manual intervention after filing in the conventional MSEFC process.
Track the Council notice, case conversion, hearing direction and any physical/documentary requirement after the online submission.
What must a Delhi MSEFC reference contain?
Rule 4(v) of the Delhi 2007 Rules requires full particulars of the supplier and its status, goods or services supplied, agreed payment terms if any, actual payments received with dates, the amount due and interest calculated under Section 16 of the MSMED Act.
The reference is to be supported by an affidavit with the necessary court-fee stamp. The Chairperson may also require further particulars of the claim or relevant supporting documents.
If those additional particulars are not provided within fifteen days of receipt of the communication—or such further time as may be allowed for sufficient cause—the Council may terminate the proceeding without prejudice to a fresh reference if otherwise legally maintainable.
Prepare the claim invoice by invoice
| Claim field | Delhi filing preparation |
|---|---|
| Invoice | Invoice number, date, value and buyer reference. |
| PO/work order | Contract or written order governing the supply/service. |
| Delivery/service | Delivery challan, GRN, service report, milestone or completion evidence. |
| Payment term | Agreed written term and Section 15 outer limit. |
| Payments received | Date, amount, bank proof and invoice allocation. |
| Adjustments | Returns, credit notes and admitted deductions. |
| Principal due | Invoice-wise balance after genuine credits. |
| Section 16 interest | Rate period, monthly rests and calculation cut-off. |
| Limitation | Accrual, acknowledgment, part-payment and proposed expiry. |
A single ledger balance is not a substitute for a transparent invoice schedule. The claim should be capable of being tested by the buyer and, if necessary, adjudicated invoice by invoice.
Documents to collect before filing
- Current Udyam Registration and historical registration material where relevant.
- Supplier constitution documents and authorised signatory material.
- Purchase orders, work orders, agreements and amendments.
- Invoices and an invoice-wise claim statement.
- Delivery challans, GRNs, service reports, milestone/completion certificates.
- Supplier ledger and any buyer ledger confirmation/reconciliation.
- Bank statements, UTRs/remittance advice and payment allocation.
- Credit notes, returns and admitted adjustments.
- Emails/letters acknowledging liability, promising payment or recording disputes.
- Section 16 interest worksheet and limitation chart.
- Affidavit and court-fee material required under the Delhi Rules/current direction.
- Proof of simultaneous service of the reference on each buyer/respondent.
What if the purchase order was oral?
The Ministry's Samadhaan FAQ says a work order is compulsory for portal filing and, where the purchase order was oral, an affidavit to that effect is to be submitted.
The affidavit should not be treated as the entire proof of contract. File the best contemporaneous evidence available: quotations, emails, messages, delivery acknowledgments, GST/e-way records where relevant, part-payments and buyer communications.
Can multiple invoices be filed together?
The Ministry FAQ says multiple invoices may be combined into a single PDF for portal upload. That is a file-format rule, not a reason to merge distinct transactions into an unexplained lump sum.
Maintain a separate invoice chart showing payment dates, limitation and interest for each invoice or milestone. The PDF bundle should be page-numbered and indexed for practical use even where the portal itself does not compel a particular indexing format.
Serve the buyer at the same time
The Delhi Rules state that the petitioner shall simultaneously send a copy of the reference to the buyer or buyers against whom it is directed.
Preserve proof of exactly what was served—postal receipt/tracking, email transmission or other accepted mode—and maintain respondent-wise proof where there is more than one buyer/respondent.
Portal-generated notice should not be treated as an excuse to ignore an express Council direction concerning direct service.
How long does the buyer get to respond?
The Delhi Rules require the Chairperson to cause the buyer to furnish a detailed response within 15 days of receipt of the reference. A further period not exceeding 15 days may be allowed for sufficient cause.
From the buyer's side, this means the ledger, purchase orders, payment proof, quality/performance objections, jurisdiction, limitation and counterclaim documents should be collected immediately after service.
See the MSEFC buyer reply and defence guide.
Preliminary scrutiny before Council consideration
After receipt of the reference and buyer response, the Chairperson is to have the papers examined. If satisfied that the reference makes out a prima facie case of delayed payment, it is placed before the Council at its next immediate meeting.
The Rules further direct that a reference received within two weeks of the preceding Council meeting should be examined and, if found in order, placed at the next immediate meeting.
These procedural directions should not be converted into a guaranteed listing date. The actual case status, assigned Council and notice remain controlling.
Delhi Council meeting frequency
Unlike some State rules with less frequent institutional meeting requirements, the Delhi 2007 Rules state that the Council shall meet at least once a month.
The Rules ordinarily require at least seven days' notice of a meeting, while allowing a shorter notice in urgent cases at the Chairperson's discretion.
This is an institutional rule; it does not mean every individual reference will receive a merits hearing every month.
Conciliation comes before arbitration
The Delhi Rules reproduce the Section 18 structure. The Council either conducts conciliation itself or seeks assistance from an institution/centre providing ADR services. Sections 65 to 81 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act apply to the conciliation stage under the presently operative statutory framework.
The Council or institution issues notices to both supplier and buyer and first attempts settlement. Where an outside institution conducts conciliation, the Rules contemplate a report to the Council within fifteen days of the reference or within such period as the Council specifies.
If conciliation fails, the matter then moves to arbitration. The two stages are legally distinct.
What happens at the arbitration stage?
Where conciliation does not lead to settlement, the Delhi Rules state that the Council may itself act as arbitrator or refer the dispute to an institution for arbitration in accordance with the Arbitration and Conciliation Act.
The supplier should be ready with a formal claim record. The buyer should be ready with a statement of defence and any maintainable counterclaim/set-off.
The Delhi Rules expressly allow the supplier or buyer during arbitration to present the case in person or through a lawyer registered with any court.
Can experts or court-assisted evidence be used?
Yes. The Delhi Rules permit engagement of experts under Section 26 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act. They also allow the Council or, with Council approval, a party to seek court assistance under Section 27 for taking evidence.
That can matter where the dispute involves technical specifications, measurement, quality, specialised services or evidence held by third parties.
Decision, award and copies
The Delhi Rules provide that Council decisions are made by majority of the members present at the meeting.
The arbitral award is to be made in accordance with Section 31 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act and within the period specified in Section 18(5) of the MSMED Act. The Rules also state that the award shall be stamped in accordance with applicable law.
The Rules state that copies of the award shall be made available within seven days of filing an application for a copy.
Is the statutory period 90 days?
Yes. The presently operative Section 18(5) states that every reference should be decided within ninety days from the date of making the reference. The original Delhi Council constitution notification also states a 90-day decision period.
Delhi High Court in BSA Citi Couriers criticised prolonged inaction in an MSEFC matter and noted that delay defeats the statutory purpose.
Still, present the 90 days as a statutory target/mandate, not a guaranteed real-world disposal time.
Where is the processing-fee rule?
The Delhi 2007 Rules reviewed for this article expressly require an affidavit and necessary court-fee stamp, but they do not contain a separate State processing-fee formula comparable to the specific processing-fee rule found in some other States.
That does not mean there can never be any current payment requirement—for example, an institution receiving an arbitral reference may have a fee structure, or a current Council/portal direction may require a payment.
Verify any present fee or payment instruction from the assigned Council/institution rather than importing another State's fee rule into a Delhi filing.
Delhi supplier against an out-of-State buyer
Section 18(4) permits the supplier-side MSEFC to act even where the buyer is located elsewhere in India. A Delhi statutory supplier may therefore have access to the Delhi MSEFC mechanism against a buyer in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, Maharashtra or another State.
The question is not simply where the buyer's registered office or project is located. Identify the statutory supplier, its relevant location and registration.
See the MSEFC jurisdiction across States guide.
Do not ignore limitation
Portal acceptance does not revive a legally time-barred claim at the arbitral stage. The Limitation Act applies when the dispute proceeds under Section 18(3) arbitration.
The Supreme Court in Sonali Power Equipments distinguishes that adjudicatory position from Section 18(2) conciliation, where even a time-barred debt may still be discussed for settlement.
Prepare the limitation chart before filing, especially where invoices are older, there are running-account entries, acknowledgments or part-payments.
Registration timing remains a live issue
Do not assume that successful Udyam/Samadhaan filing conclusively answers whether the claimant can invoke MSMED benefits for every pre-registration transaction.
The Supreme Court in NBCC (India) Ltd. v. State of West Bengal in 2025 referred the precise pre-registration issue to a larger Bench. Delhi High Court decisions in 2026 have relied on that reference and declined to stop Section 18 proceedings at the threshold merely on that ground.
Preserve historical registration records and plead the chronology carefully from either side.
Current 11-council history does not change Section 18(4)
Delhi's administrative decision to create multiple Councils was aimed at institutional capacity. It does not turn Delhi into eleven different statutory regimes.
The Section 18(4) jurisdiction principle remains supplier-side. The multiple-council issue is about which Delhi Council receives/handles the reference within the GNCTD system.
Because current council-wise allocation was not published on the Department page reviewed here, use the current case routing rather than an old assumption about district or zone.
What happens after an award?
An MSEFC award enters the Arbitration Act post-award framework. A Section 34 challenge is subject to strict limitation, a non-supplier challenger ordinarily faces the Section 19 75% pre-deposit, and filing Section 34 does not automatically stay enforcement.
Once enforceable and unstayed, the award may be executed under Section 36 in the manner of a court decree.
See the post-award MSEFC challenge, stay and enforcement guide.
Delhi filing checklist before submission
- Confirm claimant entity, micro/small classification and current Udyam details.
- Confirm Delhi supplier-side jurisdiction.
- Prepare invoice-wise principal, payment and limitation charts.
- Prepare the Section 16 interest worksheet.
- Index the purchase/work order, invoices and delivery/service proof.
- Prepare affidavit/court-fee material under the Delhi Rules and any portal-specific affidavit for an oral order.
- Submit through the current Samadhaan/Council route.
- Serve every buyer/respondent simultaneously and preserve proof.
- Use the acknowledgement/case communication to identify the assigned Delhi Council.
- Respond promptly to any request for further particulars; the Rules refer to a 15-day compliance period, subject to further time for sufficient cause.
- Track whether the matter is at scrutiny, conciliation or arbitration.
- Maintain an updated claim and payment chart through the proceeding.
Common Delhi MSEFC filing mistakes
- Assuming Udyog Sadan means every case is heard by one single Council.
- Guessing the assigned Council from locality instead of checking the acknowledgement/notice.
- Uploading invoices without a usable invoice-wise calculation.
- Ignoring simultaneous service on the buyer.
- Missing a Council request for further particulars.
- Treating Samadhaan acceptance as proof that limitation or registration objections are resolved.
- Importing another State's processing-fee rule into Delhi.
- Treating conciliation and arbitration as the same stage.
- Ignoring Section 16 calculation methodology.
- Waiting for a later arbitration notice before preparing evidence.
Current 2026 statutory transition
Status as of 5 October 2026: this guide uses the presently operative Section 18 conciliation/arbitration framework and the Delhi MSEFC Rules, 2007. The MSMED (Amendment) Act, 2026 received Presidential assent on 13 August 2026 but provides for commencement on date or dates separately notified by the Central Government.
The Ministry's current RAMP material also shows an MSE-ODR scheme under development. That should not be confused with a conclusion that the present Delhi process has already become fully end-to-end online.
Before filing a live matter, verify the latest Gazette commencement position and any new GNCTD/portal procedure.
Frequently asked questions
Where should a Delhi MSME delayed-payment application be filed?
The current central mechanism is MSME Samadhaan, which routes the application to the concerned MSEFC. The Delhi Department of Industries currently publishes its MSEFC contact through Udyog Sadan, Patparganj. The assigned Council should be taken from the acknowledgement or current Department/case communication.
Are there really 11 MSEFCs in Delhi?
GNCTD's 2021-22 Budget Speech and the Delhi High Court's 2021 BSA Citi Couriers order record the reconstitution of the earlier single Council into eleven councils. The current public Department page reviewed here does not provide a live council-wise allocation table, so verify the present assigned Council in the individual case.
How long does the buyer get to reply?
The Delhi Rules provide fifteen days from receipt of the reference, with a further period not exceeding fifteen days that may be allowed for sufficient cause.
Can several invoices be filed in one Samadhaan application?
The Ministry FAQ says multiple invoices may be combined into one PDF for upload. Keep a separate invoice-wise schedule for principal, payment, limitation and interest.
Is a work order compulsory?
The Ministry's Samadhaan FAQ says yes for portal filing; where the purchase order was oral, an affidavit to that effect is required.
Can a lawyer represent the supplier or buyer?
The Delhi Rules expressly permit representation in person or through a lawyer registered with any court during the arbitration stage.
Does Delhi have a separate MSEFC processing fee?
The 2007 Delhi Rules reviewed here do not contain a separate state processing-fee formula, though they require an affidavit and necessary court-fee stamp. Always check current Council/institution directions for any live payment requirement.
Conclusion
A Delhi MSEFC filing should combine two layers: the national Samadhaan/Udyam filing framework and the Delhi-specific procedural rules. The strongest claim identifies the correct supplier, Delhi jurisdiction, invoice-wise liability, delivery/performance proof, payments, limitation and Section 16 interest before the application is submitted.
Delhi's multi-council structure makes case routing particularly important. Use the actual acknowledgement, reference number and current Department communication to identify the assigned Council, then track each distinct stage—scrutiny, conciliation, arbitration and post-award procedure—rather than treating the portal as the dispute itself.
Last updated on: 05/10/2026 at 20:00
Useful Internal Pages
References / Sources
- Government of NCT of Delhi - Delhi Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council Rules, 2007, notification dated 27 July 2007.
- Department of Industries, Government of NCT of Delhi - current Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council page and Department contact.
- GNCTD Industries Department - original Council constitution notification dated 30 July 2007.
- Government of NCT of Delhi Budget Speech 2021-22 - record of reconstitution of one MSEFC into eleven councils.
- BSA Citi Couriers Pvt. Ltd. v. Union of India, Delhi High Court, 25 February 2021 - 11-council reconstitution and delay in Section 18 proceedings.
- Ministry of MSME RAMP - MSME Samadhaan delayed-payment overview.
- Ministry of MSME Champions FAQ - physical filing, Council case conversion, work order, oral-order affidavit and multiple invoices.
- Ministry of MSME RAMP - MSE Online Dispute Resolution Scheme Guidelines.
- Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006 - India Code.
- Sonali Power Equipments Pvt. Ltd. v. Chairman, Maharashtra State Electricity Board, 2025 INSC 864 - limitation distinction between conciliation and arbitration.
- NBCC (India) Ltd. v. State of West Bengal, 2025 INSC 54 - registration-timing issue referred to larger Bench.
- Ministry of MSME - Orders and Notices, including the MSMED (Amendment) Act, 2026.