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Supreme Court confirms, sale certificates from confirmed auction sales do not require mandatory registration

Barsha Dikshit and Neha Malu | resolution@vinodkothari.com

In the context of an auction sale conducted during liquidation or by a secured creditor, the sale certificate serves as a critical document, evidencing the transfer of title to the purchaser upon confirmation of the sale. Its legal nature and the procedural requirements such as registration and the payment of stamp duty have often been a subject of scrutiny and debate. 

The Hon’ble Supreme Court in the matter of State of Punjab & Anr. v Ferrous Alloy Forgings P. Ltd. & Ors. reaffirmed the principle that a sale certificate issued by the authorised officer is not compulsorily registrable under section 17(1) of the Registration Act, 1908. The Court further clarified that compliance with Section 89(4) of the Registration Act, which provides for forwarding of a copy of the sale certificate by the authorised officer to the registering authority, is sufficient to satisfy the statutory requirements. However, in instances where the purchaser voluntarily presents the original sale certificate for registration or uses the same for some other purpose, the document is liable to attract stamp duty as prescribed under the Indian Stamp Act, 1899, or the relevant state enactments governing stamp duty. 

This article examines the legal framework governing sale certificates in auction sales, analyzing the procedural and practical nuances associated with their registration and the evolving interpretations rendered by courts in the context of SARFAESI Act and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016. 

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Supreme Court clarifies the boundaries of “Inherent Powers” of NCLAT

CIRP Withdrawal in GLAS Trust Company LLC v BYJU Raveendran & Ors

– Barsha Dikshit, Partner | resolution@vinodkothari.com

It is a well-established principle that the exercise of inherent powers is permissible only in the absence of an express provision within the statutory framework. Also, that the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC) is not to be used as a mechanism for mere debt recovery.

In a recent ruling in GLAS Trust Company LLC vs. BYJU Raveendran & Ors[1]., the Hon’ble Supreme Court set aside the order of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) [2]that permitted withdrawal of CIRP post admission by NCLT, by exercising inherent powers under Rule 11 of the NCLAT Rules, 2016, despite existing statutory procedures for CIRP withdrawal. The matter arose from a dispute concerning the validity of a settlement, wherein a financial creditor objected to the source of settlement funds, asserting that it constituted preferential payment or amounted to round-tripping, thereby warranting judicial scrutiny under the insolvency framework.

The article analyses the impact of the ruling on the jurisdiction of NCLAT to deal with various matters related to the corporate debtor under insolvency or liquidation.

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Summary of Important Supreme Court Judgements on IBC

Team Resolution | resolution@vinodkothari.com

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Classification of fraud and reporting

Should borrower be given an opportunity of being heard?

-Rhea Shah, Executive | rhea@vinodkothari.com

Background

A recent ruling of the Supreme Court placed emphasis on the classification of an account as fraudulent and the consequences thereof. The ruling is in favour of incorporating the principles of natural justice during the process of declaring an account as fraudulent.

Fraud classification by banks and NBFCs is essentially guided by Master Directions on Frauds – Classification and Reporting by commercial banks and select FIs[1] and the Master Direction – Monitoring of Frauds in NBFCs (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2016[2], respectively (‘Fraud Directions’). However, there has been a certain extent of ambiguity as to the procedural aspects of the classification. While the basic purpose of such classification remains to ensure the early detection and reporting of a fraudulent transaction, it also entails significance in implementing a procedure that is fast and robust for the RBI to disseminate information regarding fraudulent borrowers and related parties.

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Broken Pledge? Apex Court reviews the law on pledges

By Vinod Kothari, Managing Partner, Sikha Bansal, Partner and Shraddha Shivani, Executive | corplaw@vinodkothari.com

The Supreme Court ruling in  PTC India Financial Services Limited v. Venkateshwar Kari and Another is significant in many ways – not that it categorically rewrites the law of pledges which is settled with 150 years of the statute[1] and even longer history of rulings, but it surely refreshes one of the predicaments of a pledge. Importantly, since most of the pledges of securities currently are in the dematerialised format, it brings out a very important distinction between the meaning of beneficial owner under the Depository law, and the right of the pledgee (a.k.a. pawnee or security interest holder) to cause the sale in terms of the rights arising under the pledge. Also, very importantly, the SC dwells upon the essential principle of equity of redemption in pledges and renders void any provision in the pledge agreement which allows the pledgee to make a sale of the pledged article without notice to the pledgor, or to forfeit the pledged article and convert the same as pledgee’s own property. There are also observations in the ruling that seem to give an indefinite time to the pledgee for the sale of the pledged property – this is a point that this article discusses at some length.

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Failed Redemption of Preference Shares: Whether a Contractual Debt?

– Sikha Bansal, Partner and Megha Mittal, Associate (resolution@vinodkothari.com)

Preference shares, as the nomenclature suggests, represent that part of a Company’s capital which carries ‘preference´ vis-à-vis equity shares, with respect to payment of dividend and repayment of capital in case of winding up. However, the real position of preference shares may be quite baffling, given that the instrument, by its very nature, is sandwiched between equity capital and debt instruments.  Although envisaged as a superior class of shares, preference shareholders enjoy neither the voting powers vested with the equity shareholders (true shareholders) nor the advantages vested with debenture-holders (true creditors). As such, the preference shareholders find themselves suspended midway between true creditors and true shareholders – hence facing the worst of both worlds[1].

The ambivalence associated with preference shares is adequately reflected in the manner various laws deal with such shares – a preference share is a part of ‘share-capital’ by legal classification[2], but can be a ‘debt’ as per accounting classification[3]; similarly, while a compulsorily convertible preference share is classified as an ‘equity instrument’[4], any other preference share constitutes external commercial borrowing[5] under foreign exchange laws. Needless to say, the divergent treatment is owed to the objective which each legislation assumes.

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Acknowledgement in Balance Sheet – A Fresh Limitation: The Final Word of Law

-Prachi Bhatia 

Legal Intern at Vinod Kothari & Company 

(resolution@vinodkothari.com)

The three-judge bench of the Hon’ble Supreme Court vide its order dated 14th April, 2021, in Asset Reconstruction Limited v. Bishal Jaiswal & Anr[1] (‘ARCIL v. Bishal) has settled the dust around acknowledgment of liability in books of corporate debtor for the purpose of section 18 of the Limitation Act; corollary to the applicability of the section to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (‘Code’). This comes in tandem with another recent order of the Hon’ble SC in LaxmiPat Surana v. Union Bank of India & Anr[2], wherein too the Apex Court upheld that acknowledgement of debt in the balance sheet would render initiation of the limitation period afresh for the purpose of filing an application under the Code.

In what seems to be the final word of law, the, vide the instant order, the Hon’ble SC further set aside the judgment set aside the Full Bench judgment of the Hon’ble NCLAT in V.Padmakumar v. Stressed Assets Stabilisation Fund[3], (‘V. Padmakumar’), wherein the Appellate Tribunal dismissed the benefit of extension of limitation to the creditors by virtue of the debt’s presentation in the books of the corporate debtor.

In this article, author humbly analyses the order of the Apex Court in ARCIL v. Bishal in light of the catena of preceding judgements both in favour and against the ratio-decidendi in ARCIL v. Bishal.

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SC uses ‘smoke-test’

Classifies persons as ‘related parties’ on the basis of ‘intermingled transactions’ 

-Sikha Bansal & Megha Mittal

(resolution@vinodkothari.com)

While in general, in order to classify a transaction as a related party transaction, one needs to first determine whether the parties involved are ‘related parties’; however, in a recent case Phoenix Arc Private Limited v. Spade Financial Services Limited & Ors.[1] (‘Ruling’), the Hon’ble Supreme Court (‘SC’) has deduced ‘relationship’ between the parties on the basis of the underlying transactions.

The SC has read the definitions of ‘financial creditor’ and ‘related party’ (in relation to the corporate debtor) under sections 5(7) and section 5(24), respectively, of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (‘Code’), in light of the ‘collusive arrangements’, ‘and ‘extensive history demonstrating interrelationship’ among the parties. Broadly put, it was held that the board/directors of these companies were ‘acting’ under the pervasive influence of common set of individuals, having ‘deeply entangled’ interrelationships. Besides, the SC refused to entertain the entities as financial creditors, as the debt was merely an eye-wash, arising out of sham and collusive transactions.

Therefore, the Ruling, in a way, uses ‘smoke’ to trace if there is a ‘fire’. The presence of collusion, entangled interrelationships, etc. have been seen as indicators suggesting that the parties were in fact ‘related’ and are thus ineligible to occupy seats in the committee of creditors.

This article touches upon the significant aspects of the Ruling, including how this ‘smoke-test’ used by the SC can act as a precedent in interpreting the provisions of the Code, specifically those relating to related parties.

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IBC Passes Another Test of Constitutionality

SC upholds the IBC Amendment Act, 2020

-Megha Mittal

Ishika Basu 

(resolution@vinodkothari.com)

In view of the rising need to fill critical gaps in the corporate insolvency framework like last-mile funding and safeguarding the interests of resolution applicants, certain amendments were introduced by way of the Ordinance dated 28.12.2019[1], which were later on incorporated in the Insolvency Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Act, 2020 (“Amendment Act”). The amendments inter-alia introduction of threshold for filing of application by Real-Estate Creditors, colloquially ‘Home-Buyers’ and section 32A for ablution of past offences of the corporate debtor, were made effective from 28.12.19 i.e. the date of Ordinance.

While the Ordinance introduced several amendments[2], clarificatory as well as in principles, apprehensions were raised against proviso to section 7 (1), that is, threshold for filing of application by Home-Buyers, the ablution provision introduced by way of section 32A, and clarification under section 11 dealing with the rights of a corporate debtor against another company. As such, various writ petitions were filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, alleging that the aforesaid amendments were in contravention of the fundamental rights viz.  Article 14 which deals with the equality before law and equal protection of law; Article 19(1)(g) deals with fundamental right to trade, occupation, and business; and Article 21 deals with the right to life and personal liberty.

Now, after a year of its effect, the Hon’ble Supreme Court vide it order dated 19.01.2021, in Manish Kumar V/s Union of India, upheld the constitutional validity of the third proviso to section 7(1) and section 32A, setting aside all apprehensions against their insertion.

In this article, the Authors analyses the order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, with respect to the threshold on filing of application by real-estate creditors, and section 32A.

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Liability Acknowledgment & Limitation Period for IBC Applications

This article has also been published in the LawStreetIndia blog – http://www.lawstreetindia.com/experts/column?sid=466 Liability Acknowledgment & Limitation Period for IBC Applications – Deciphering the Enigma -Sikha Bansal (resolution@vinodkothari.com) The applicability of the Limitation Act, 1963 (Limitation Act) to the applications under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (Code) has been settled long back, after a series of […]