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TMI Blog2019 (5) TMI 386X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... dated 21st June, 2017. 2. The Appellant- Y. Shivram Prasad, Promoter/ Director and Shareholder of the 'SPL'- ('Corporate Debtor') has challenged the said order as arbitrary and unreasonable. According to the him, opportunity should have been given to the promoters to settle the matter. 3. The other appeal has been preferred by 'Asset Reconstruction Company (India) Limited'- ("ARCIL" for short). Apart from being 'Financial Creditor', it had also filed a 'Resolution Plan' thereby, the Appellant- 'ARCIL' was one of the 'Resolution Applicant'. The 5th Respondent- 'Sripathi Papers and Boards (P) Limited' ("Sripathi" for short) filed another 'Resolution Plan'. Subsequently, both of them revised their respective 'Resolution Plans' commonly termed as 'Modified ARCIL Resolution Plan' and 'Modified Sripathi Resolution Plan'. However, the 'Committee of Creditors' having not found any of them viable and feasible had not voted in their favour with its majority due to which the order of liquidation has been passed. 4. According to the Appellant- 'ARCIL', the 'Committee of Creditors' wrongly voted against their 'Revised Resolution Plan'. 5. The Appellant- Mr. Y. Shivram Prasad (Promoter) ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... 2. It is clear that once the Code gets triggered by admission of a creditor's petition under Sections 7 to 9, the proceeding that is before the Adjudicating Authority, being a collective proceeding, is a proceeding in rem. Being a proceeding in rem, it is necessary that the body which is to oversee the resolution process must be consulted before any individual corporate debtor is allowed to settle its claim. A question arises as to what is to happen before a committee of creditors is constituted (as per the timelines that are specified, a committee of creditors can be appointed at any time within 30 days from the date of appointment of the interim resolution professional). We make it clear that at any stage where the committee of creditors is not yet constituted, a party can approach the NCLT directly, which Tribunal may, in exercise of its inherent powers under Rule11 of the NCLT Rules, 2016, allow or disallow an application for withdrawal or settlement. This will be decided after hearing all the concerned parties and considering all relevant factors on the facts of each case." iii. In terms of Section 12 A, as quoted below: "12A. Withdrawal of application admitted under sec ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... t can thus be seen that the primary focus of the legislation is to ensure revival and continuation of the corporate debtor by protecting the corporate debtor from its own management and from a corporate death by liquidation. The Code is thus a beneficial legislation which puts the corporate debtor back on its feet, not being a mere recovery legislation for creditors. The interests of the corporate debtor have, therefore, been bifurcated and separated from that of its promoters /those who are in management. Thus, the resolution process is not adversarial to the corporate debtor but, in fact, protective of its interests. The moratorium imposed by Section 14 is in the interest of the corporate debtor itself, thereby preserving the assets of the corporate debtor during the resolution process. The timelines within which the resolution process is to take place again protects the corporate debtor's assets from further dilution, and also protects all its creditors and workers by seeing that the resolution process goes through as fast as possible so that another management can, through its entrepreneurial skills, resuscitate the corporate debtor to achieve all these ends." In 'Arcelormit ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... is being wound up, of the liquidator appointed under this Act or under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 as the case may be, order a meeting of the creditors or class of creditors, or of the members or class of members, as the case may be, to be called, held and conducted in such manner as the Tribunal directs. Explanation.- For the purposes of this sub-section, arrangement includes a reorganisation of the company's share capital by the consolidation of shares of different classes or by the division of shares into shares of different classes, or by both of those methods. (2) The company or any other person, by whom an application is made under subsection (1), shall disclose to the by affidavit- (a) all material facts relating to the company, such as the latest financial position of the company, the latest auditor's report on the accounts of the company and the pendency of any investigation or proceedings against the company; (b) reduction of share capital of the company, if any, included in the compromise or arrangement; (c) any scheme of corporate debt restructuring consented to by not less than seventy-five per cent. of the secured creditors in value, includ ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... rom the date of receipt of such notice: Provided that any objection to the compromise or arrangement shall be made only by persons holding not less than ten per cent. of the shareholding or having outstanding debt amounting to not less than five per cent. of the total outstanding debt as per the latest audited financial statement. (5) A notice under sub-section (3) along with all the documents in such form as may be prescribed shall also be sent to the Central Government, the income-tax authorities, the Reserve Bank of India, the Securities and Exchange Board, the Registrar, the respective stock exchanges, the Official Liquidator, the Competition Commission of India established under sub-section (1)of section 7 of the Competition Act, 2002, if necessary, and such other sectoral regulators or authorities which are likely to be affected by the compromise or arrangement and shall require that representations, if any, to be made by them shall be made within a period of thirty days from the date of receipt of such notice, failing which, it shall be presumed that they have no representations to make on the proposals. (6) Where, at a meeting held in pursuance of sub-section (1), ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... agree and confirm, by way of affidavit, to the scheme of compromise or arrangement. (10) No compromise or arrangement in respect of any buy-back of securities under this section shall be sanctioned by the Tribunal unless such buy-back is in accordance with the provisions of section 68. (11) Any compromise or arrangement may include takeover offer made in such manner as may be prescribed: Provided that in case of listed companies, takeover offer shall be as per the regulations framed by the Securities and Exchange Board. (12) An aggrieved party may make an application to the Tribunal in the event of any grievances with respect to the takeover offer of companies other than listed companies in such manner as may be prescribed and the Tribunal may, on application, pass such order as it may deem fit. Explanation.-For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that the provisions of section 66 shall not apply to the reduction of share capital effected in pursuance of the order of the Tribunal under this section. 8. In view of the provision of Section 230 and the decision of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in 'Meghal Homes Pvt. Ltd.' and 'Swiss Ribbons Pvt. Ltd.', we direct the ' ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... Section 230 of the Companies Act, 2013. In case, for any reason the liquidation process under Section 230 takes more time, it is open to the Adjudicating Authority (Tribunal) to extend the period if there is a chance of approval of arrangement of the scheme. 18. During proceeding under Section 230, if any, objection is raised, it is open to the Adjudicating Authority (National Company Law Tribunal) which has power to pass order under Section 230 to overrule the objections, if the arrangement and scheme is beneficial for revival of the 'Corporate Debtor' (Company). While passing such order, the Adjudicating Authority is to play dual role, one as the Adjudicating Authority in the matter of liquidation and other as a Tribunal for passing order under Section 230 of the Companies Act, 2013. As the liquidation so taken up under the 'I&B Code', the arrangement of scheme should be in consonance with the statement and object of the 'I&B Code'. Meaning thereby, the scheme must ensure maximisation of the assets of the 'Corporate Debtor' and balance the stakeholders such as, the 'Financial Creditors', 'Operational Creditors', 'Secured Creditors' and 'Unsecured Creditors' without any discrimi ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X
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