Home Case Index All Cases Insolvency and Bankruptcy Insolvency and Bankruptcy + AT Insolvency and Bankruptcy - 2022 (9) TMI AT This
Forgot password New User/ Regiser ⇒ Register to get Live Demo
2022 (9) TMI 1296 - AT - Insolvency and BankruptcyRevival of Insolvency Application - whether Application filed by the Appellant under Section 9 was entertainable by the Adjudicating Authority? - time limitation - HELD THAT:- There is no enabling provision in the Code to revive the Application, Learned Counsel for the Appellant has relied on a Judgment of “Shree Bhadra Parks and Resorts Ltd.” [2021 (4) TMI 402 - NATIONAL COMPANY LAW APPELLATE TRIBUNAL, CHENNAI]. This Tribunal had held that the Adjudicating Authority has jurisdiction under Rule 11 of NCLT, Rules to revive the Application. In the above case, the Adjudicating Authority had passed an Order dated 28th January, 2021 restoring the Company Petition. Initiation of proceeding under Section 9 by filing an Application to the Adjudicating Authority has to be made by Operational Creditor which must comply with requirement of Section 4. Part-II of the Code which deals with Insolvency Resolution and Liquidation for Corporate Persons applies only when minimum amount of default is Rs. 1 Crore (w.e.f. 24th March, 2020). Thus initiation of an Application under Section 9 has to conform to the requirement under Section 4. Section 4, as it is in operation with effect from 24th March, 2020, is not a mere procedural provision but provides a substantive condition to be fulfilled by an Applicant to initiate CIRP. The period of default after 25.03.2020 as provided in Section 10-A was entirely for different purpose. The purpose was to protect the corporate debtor from insolvency initiation for default committed on or after 25.03.2020 when whole country was suffering from Covid-19 and all corporate debtors were unable to function effectively, hence default in the said period legislatively was treated to be not giving rise to initiate insolvency. The threshold in Section 4 is entirely different from the protection given under Section 10 A hence Section 10-A has no relevance with regard to interpreting requirement of Section 4. Application filed by the Appellant under Section 9 on 08.09.2021 for an amount of Rs. 46,64,249/- was not entertainable due to not fulfilling the threshold of Rs. 1 Crore as statutorily required under Section 4 of the Code with effect from 24.03.2020 - there is no merit in the Appeal, the Appeal is dismissed.
|