Summarize the following court judgment. ivil Appeal Nos. 313 315 1974. From the Judgment and Order dated 8 8 1972 of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court in Civil First Appeals Nos. 46 to 48 of 1972. Naunit Lal	 for the Appellant. V.C. Mahajan and R.N. Sachthey	 for the Respondent. The Judgment of the Court was delivered by BEG	 J. These are three appeals by certification against the judgment of a Division Bench of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir	 allowing appeals from the judgment of a learned single Judge. 938 Jammu and Kashmir Government had filed three applications under section 20 of .the Jammu & Kashmir Arbitration Act	 2002	 to refer disputes arising out of three agreements between it and the appellant Company to arbitration under the arbitration clauses of agreements between the parties. The applications had been dismissed by the learned single Judge on the ground that the arbitration clause was	 in each case	 a part of an agreement which was not duly executed in accordance with the provisions of Section 122(1) of the Constitution of Jammu & Kashmir which correspond to those of Article 199(1) of the Constitution of India. The Division Bench had allowed the appeals of the Conservator of Forests	 Jammu Circle	 after holding that the provisions of section 122(1) of the Constitution of Jammu & Kashmir could not be said to have been infringed if contracts were signed by the Conservator of Forests in compliance with an order of the Government. The main stay of the case of the appellant company was an instruction or rule contained in "The book of the Finan cial Powers" which reads as follows: " 'section 13. The power to sanction or cancel the terms of instruments	 leases	 agreements is delegated in the follow ing cases: section Nature of power To whom delgated. Extent No. 1 2 3 4 X X X X X X 9. To sell forest produce Chief Conser Upto Rs. 7000/ and to enter into con vator of forest in value in tract for the same each case provided the highest tender conservators of upto Rs.3000/ in forests each case provided the highest tender is accepted. Divisional upto Rs.1000/in each forest case provided the officer highest tender is accepted. The Division Bench observed that this rule existed prior to the coming into force of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir. It may also be pointed out that this rule deals with the power to "sanction or cancel" leases	 agreements and other instruments which was delegated to the officers mentioned there with limitation on their powers specified there. But	 the Constitutional provision	 relied upon on behalf of the appellant	 relates to the manner of the execu tion of the formal 939 document containing the contract after its sanction. It is true that the contract could not be executed without the sanction. Nevertheless	 if the sanction could be either expressly or impliedly given by or on behalf of the Govern ment	 as we think it could	 and	 if some acts of the Govern ment could fasten some obligations upon the Government	 the lessee could also be estopped from questioning the terms of the grant of the sanction even where there is no written contract executed to bind the lessee. In the case before us	 we have agreements from which the appellant company has derived benefits. And	 there are contracts validly executed on behalf of the Government of Jammu & Kashmir by the Conservator of Forests. It is true that	 if the appellant could take up the legal plea that the contracts were not duly executed	 in accordance with section 122(1) of the Constitution of Jammu & Kashmir	 it could urge that they did not have any effect at all as contracts whatever other legal consequences its acts or conduct may have had. But	 this does not mean that	 if a party obtains benefits on the understanding that it would abide by certain conditions	 as the appellant company had done	 it could not be compelled to observe those conditions	 such as the condi tion to refer disputes to arbitration. However	 in the instant case	 we need not go into that question because the plea of a violation of Section 122(1) of the Jammu & Kashmir Constitution is itself not sustainable for the reasons indicated below. As the Division Bench of the High Court had pointed out	 there was a Government order and notification of 23rd February	 1957 which reads as follows: In exercise of the powers conferred by sub section (1) of Section 122 of the Consti tution	 the Sadar i Riyasat is pleased to direct that the under mentioned contracts and assurances of property made in the exercise of the executive powers of the State may be executed on his behalf by various Officers subject to any limit fixed by Government rules and orders as follows: VI. In the Department of Development: (1) Agreements relating to Forest Leases and appropriation of forest products: By the secretary to Government	 Chief Conser vator	 Conservators of Forests and Divisional Forest Officers". The three leases	 containing the arbitration clauses which the appellant wants to avoid	 were executed on 27th Febru ary	 1963	 and 28th February	 1963	 and 19th March	 1963	 after the notification mentioned above. The leases were duly signed by Conservators of Forests	 who were expressly authorised	 without any limits imposed on the valuation of the leases	 to sign and execute them on behalf of the Gov ernment. The delegation of power made prior to the Jammu 10 1338SCI/76 940 and Kashmir Constitution related to grants of sanction and their cancellation. It did not expressly refer to powers to execute leases which is a separate matter. The notification of 1957	 however	 is specifically related to the execution of formal documents including leases. Hence	 it will cover the three leases before us even if the former rules relating to the limits of the authority of Forest Officers to give or cancel certain sanctions could be said to be in existence at all after the enactment of the new Constitution of Jammu & Kashmir and the notification of 23rd February	 1957	 cited above. We may mention that	 as has been indicated in the separate judgment of the learned Chief Justice of the High Court	 the Jammu & Kashmir Government had tried to remove the doubts it entertained about the validity of past leases executed by the Conservator of Forests. It	 therefore	 passed two orders: one of 14th April	 1965	 and the other of 29th April	 1971. The order of 14th April	 1965	 ran as follows: "In supersession of previous orders regarding signing of lease agreement it is ordered that the Conservator of Forests will sign agreements relating to all cases of For ests leases and appropriation of forest products and Chief Conservator of Forests will act as the arbitrator as provided under C1. 44 of the Agreement. By order of the Government of Jammu & Kashmir. Sd/ Bharat Bhushan Secre tary to Govt. Forests Department". The order of 29th April	 1971	 runs as fol lows: "Government Order No. FST 31 dated 14 4 65 shall bedeemed to have taken effect from 29 1 63 and all actions taken by the Conser vators of Forests in executing the lease agreements by virtue of the said order are hereby regularised. By order of the Government of Jammu & Kashmir. Sd/ R.C. Bhargava	 Secretary to Government	 Agricultural Department". The learned Chief Justice had observed that these orders	 purporting to ratify the leases which were valid	 did not have any legal effect whatsoever and were unneces sary. If there had been any question to be decided as to whether the Government had sanctioned the leases	 its ac tions	 apart from the execution of leases	 could be consid ered. But	 once there has been a valid execution of leases by duly authorised officers	 the documents would be the best evidence of sanction also. That was one of the objects of. prescribing a formal mode of execution of instruments on behalf of the Government apart from the need to protect its interests against mala fide and other unauthorised acts of its servants or agents as indicated by this Court in Mulam Chand vs State of Madhya Pradesh(1) 1) [1968] 3S.C.R. 214. 941 In the cases before us the only question which needed decision was whether formal execution of the leases by duly authorised officers had been proved. We are of opinion that the Conservator of Forests was	 for the reasons given by us	 duly authorised to execute the leases. Accordingly	 we affirm the orders of the Division Bench so that matters in dispute between the parties could be validly referred to Arbitration under the appropriate clauses of the agreements. These appeals are	 therefore	 dismissed with costs. Civil Miscellaneous Petition No. 8573 of 1975 for interim orders is also dismissed as infructuous. S.R. Appeals dismissed.

All the three applications filed by the respondent state for a reference to an arbitrator under section 20 of the Jammu & Kashmir Arbitration Act	 2002 were dismissed by a single judge of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court on the ground that the arbitration clause was	 in each case	 a part of an agreement which was not duly exercised in accordance with the provisions of action 122(1) of the J&K constitution which correspond to those of article 299(1) of the Constitution of India. But the Division Bench allowed the appeals hold ing that if contracts were signed by the Conservator of Forests in compliance with an order of the Government	 the provisions of Section 122(1) of J&K constitution could not be said to have been infringed. " Dismissing the appeals of the appellant company by certifi cates the Court. HELD : It is true that the contract could not be execut ed without the sanction. Nevertheless	 if the sanction could be either expressly or impliedly given by or on behalf of the Government	 as it.could	 and	 if some acts of the Government could fasten some obligations upon the Govern ment	 the lessee could also be estopped from questioning the terms of the grant of the sanction even where there is no written contract executed to bind the lessee. [938 G H	 939 A] But	 once there had been a valid execution of lessee by duly authorised officers	 the documents would be the best evidence of sanction also. That was one of the objects of prescribing a formal mode of execution of instruments on behalf of the Government apart from the need to protect its interest against mala fide and other unauthorised acts of its servants or agents. [940 G H] Mulamchand vs State of Madhya Pradesh	 ; 	 applied. In this case the contracts were executed by duly autho rised officials under Government 's orders.