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2007 DIGILAW 184 (RAJ)

Kesri Vanaspati Products Ltd. v. Industrial Development Bank of India Ltd.

2007-01-23

SHIV KUMAR SHARMA

body2007
Shiv Kumar Sharma, J.—By the instant application under Secs. 446 and 537 of the Companies Act, 1956 (for short ‘1956 Act’), the applicant has prayed as under: “To quash and set aside the notice (Annexure-A/2) published in news paper Rajasthan Patrika dt. 13.11.2005 and the auction proceedings dt. 22.11.2005 along with the certificate of sale dt. 07.06.2006 (Annexure-A/5) issued by the Recovery Officer, Debt Recovery Tribunal, Jaipur (Rajasthan) and to direct Recovery Officer, Debt Recovery Tribunal, Jaipur (Rajasthan) not to sell any assets or effects of the company in liquidation without leave of this Court. The respondent No.2 be directed to deposit the sale proceeds of the auction proceedings dt. 22.11.2005 with the Official Liquidator and not to take any decision regarding its disbursement without leave of Hon’ble Court.” 2. Contextual facts depict that the company M/s. Kesri Vanaspati Products Limited was ordered to be wound up by Hon’ble High Court vide order dt. 23.01.2004 and the Official Liquidator attached to this Court was appointed as Provisional Liquidator with the direction to take charge of all the property and effects of the company in liquidation. The provisional winding up order was passed on the matter forwarded by the Board of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (for short “BIFR”) vide order dt. 18.07.2003 in case No. 242/2000. The charge of the assets and record of the company in liquidation situated at Maharajpura, Niwai District Tonk was taken over by the Official Liquidator on 03.04.2004. The Industrial Development Bank of India Limited, Sansar Chandra Road Jaipur (for short ‘IDBI’), Vijaya Bank, Jaipur, the State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (for short ‘SBBJ’) and the Rajasthan State Industrial Development & Investment Corporation Limited (for short ‘RIICO’) are the secured creditors of the company in liquidation. Out of the above referred secured creditors of the company in liquidation except the RIICO the other secured creditors have already opted to remain out of the winding up proceedings. 3. The IDBI in response to a letter from the Official Liquidator conveyed him vide letter dt. 11.06.2004 (Annexure-A/l) that it had filed an application with Debt Recovery Tribunal, Jaipur (Rajasthan) (for short ‘DRT’) which had decreed in its favour vide order dt. 20.08.2003. 3. The IDBI in response to a letter from the Official Liquidator conveyed him vide letter dt. 11.06.2004 (Annexure-A/l) that it had filed an application with Debt Recovery Tribunal, Jaipur (Rajasthan) (for short ‘DRT’) which had decreed in its favour vide order dt. 20.08.2003. Para 4 of the letter reads as under: “(iv) Taking over the possession by secured assets: As per the provisions of the Companies Act, after the confirmation of winding up of the company by the Hon’ble High Court, the office of the Official Liquidator shall take necessary action as regard to possession and protection of the assets. We request you to constitute Sale Committee for the sale of the assets of the company under your Chairmanship subject to obtaining suitable order of the Hon’ble High Court”. On 13.11.2005 a notice issued by Recovery Officer, DRT was published in news paper Rajasthan Patrika for auction of the properties of the company in liquidation on 22.12.2005 in Recovery Matter No. 120/2003, IDBI vs. M/s. Kesri Vanaspati Products Limited. 4. The Official Liquidator was not served with any notice by Recovery Officer, DRT Jaipur or by DRT Jaipur. 5. The Official Liquidator wrote a letter to Recovery Officer, DRT Jaipur apprising him about the complete factual and legal position in the matter and requested to cancel the proposed auction but he rejected the request vide order dt. 21.11.2005. 6. M/s. Vijay Solvex vide letter dt. 23.11.2005 informed the Official Liquidator that in the auction proceedings held on 22.11.2005 a bid of Rs. 2,30,65,000/- has been received for the plant and machinery as against reserve price of Rs. 2,30,000/- and that no bid for the land and building was received. 7. The Official Liquidator filed SB Civil Writ Petition No. 9715/2005 challenging the notice dt. 13.11.2005, along with the stay application. The Hon’ble Court passed interim order that sale in pursuance of the auction held by Recovery Officer shall not be confirmed. The writ petition was dismissed vide order dt. 02.06.2006, which reads as under: “Heard. Company Application No. 79/2005 has been filed by the Official Liquidator in regard to the controversy involved in the instant writ petition. Even though the instant writ petition was filed while Company Judge was not available in this Court, I am of the view that this writ petition is not maintainable and it stands accordingly dismissed. The interim order passed shall stand vacated. Even though the instant writ petition was filed while Company Judge was not available in this Court, I am of the view that this writ petition is not maintainable and it stands accordingly dismissed. The interim order passed shall stand vacated. However, I observe that the recovery proceedings as well as confirmation of sale shall be subject to the decision of Company Application No. 79/2005, Let the Company Application No. 79/2005 be listed on 07.07.2006.” 8. On 07.06.2006 the Recovery Officer, DRT issued a certificate of sale of auctioned property of company in liquidation in favour of auction purchaser M/s. Blooming Engineers Private Limited. The said certificate does not mention that the sale confirmation is subject to the decision of Company Application No. 79/2005 as ordered in the order dt. 02.06.2006. 9. The Official Liquidator raised following grounds in the application: (i) No action as notified in notice dt. 13.11.2005 could be held after the winding up order dt. 23.01.2004. The record, assets and effects of the company in liquidation are under the deemed custody of Hon’ble High Court by virtue of Sec. 456 of the 1956 Act and no sale of the property of company in liquidation could be made except prior permission of the Court. Section 537 of the 1956 Act prohibits any such action of sale or execution without leave of the Court and further declared that any sale of properties or effects of company in liquidation held without leave of the Court shall be void. Therefore the proposed action was in violation of Sec. 537 of the 1956 Act. (ii) The proposed action of notice (Annexure A/2) was illegal since the matter of company in liquidation was forwarded by BIFR to Hon’ble Court and when after accepting the recommendations of BIFR the Hon’ble Court ordered for winding up of company in liquidation and the assets and effects of the company in liquidation had been taken in custody of the Official liquidator the same could not be put to sale by the Recovery Officer DRT Jaipur without leave of the Hon’ble Court. (iii) The IDBI acted illegally when he proceeded with its application before DRT Jaipur after the order dt. 18.07.2003 passed by BIFR, as BIFR put certain conditions with respect to IDBI in its order under Sec. 20(4) of Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Act, 1985. This condition had been ignored by IDBI. (iii) The IDBI acted illegally when he proceeded with its application before DRT Jaipur after the order dt. 18.07.2003 passed by BIFR, as BIFR put certain conditions with respect to IDBI in its order under Sec. 20(4) of Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Act, 1985. This condition had been ignored by IDBI. Even as per the order of BIFR the sale proceeds of the assets of the company in liquidation were to be forwarded to High Court for orders for distribution in accordance with the provisions of Sec. 529-A and other provisions of 1956 Act. (iv) The IDBI committed illegality in seeking to recover its dues through Recovery Officer, DRT Jaipur, in as much as IDBI vide letter dt. 11.06.2004 had requested the Official Liquidator to constitute sale committee for the sale of the assets of the company under his Chairmanship subject to obtaining suitable order of Hon’ble Court. (v) The question whether DRT can direct sale of assets of a company which had been wound up and Official Liquidator was appointed is subjudice before Hon’ble Supreme Court in M/s. Bagrian Shoes Ltd. vs. Indian Overseas Bank in Special Leave to Appeal (Civil) No. 3636/2002 and the Hon’ble Supreme Court vide order dt. 14.11.2003 restrained the Recovery Officer from selling the assets of the company. In such view of the matter Recovery Officer, DRT Jaipur should not have proceeded to hold auction of the assets of the company in liquidation. (vi) No notice of proposed action was issued to Official Liquidator despite the fact that assets of the company in liquidation are in the deemed custody of the Hon’ble Court vide order dt. 23.01.2004 therefore holding of auction is illegal being violative of principles of natural justice. (vii)The notice dt. 13.11.2005, auction proceedings dt. 22.11.2005 and sale certificate dt. 07.06.2006 are illegal and void being violative of Secs. 536 and 537 of 1956 Act and in view of the order of Apex Court dt. 14.11.2003. (viii)The notice dt. 13.11.2005, auction proceedings dt. 22.11.2005 and sale certificate dt. 07.06.2006 are illegal since the Recovery Officer DRT Jaipur did not implead the company in liquidation as party to the proceedings. No proceeding could be held without participation of the Official Liquidator and without taking leave of the Court. (ix) The sale certificate dt. 07.06.2006 is illegal since the same has been issued violating the condition imposed in order dt. 07.06.2006 are illegal since the Recovery Officer DRT Jaipur did not implead the company in liquidation as party to the proceedings. No proceeding could be held without participation of the Official Liquidator and without taking leave of the Court. (ix) The sale certificate dt. 07.06.2006 is illegal since the same has been issued violating the condition imposed in order dt. 02.06.2006 in Writ Petition No. 9715/2005. 10. Learned counsel for the applicant placed reliance on Rajasthan State Financial Corpn. vs. Official Liquidator, (2005) 8 SCC 190 , wherein the Apex Court held that DRT so acting will have power to order such sale, but only after issuing notice to Official Liquidator or Liquidator appointed by Company Court and after hearing him. 11. I have pondered over the rival submissions. 12. In Rajasthan State Financial Corpn. vs. Official Liquidator (supra) their Lordships of the Supreme Court indicated as under: [Para 17] “Thus, on the authorities what emerges is that once a winding up proceeding has commenced and the Liquidator is put in charge of the assets of the company being wound up, the distribution of the proceeds of the sale of the assets held at the instance of the financial institutions coming under the Recovery of Debts Act or of financial corporations coming under the SFC Act, can only be with the association of the Official Liquidator and under the supervision of the Company Court. The right of a financial institution or of the Recovery Tribunal or that of a financial corporation or the Court which was been approached under Sec. 31 of the SFC Act to sell the assets may not be taken away, but the same stands restricted by the requirement of the Official Liquidator being associated with it, giving the Company Court the right to ensure that the distribution of the assets in terms of Sec. 529-A of the Companies Act takes place ...” Having discussed the relevant case law the legal position that has been summed up is as under: [Para 18] “(i) A Debts Recovery Tribunal acting under the Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993 would be entitled to order the sale and to sell the properties of the debtor, even if a company-in-liquidation, through its Recovery Officer but only after notice to the Official Liquidator or the Liquidator appointed by the Company Court and after hearing him. (ii) A District Court entertaining an application under Sec. 31 of the SFC Act will have the power to order sale of the assets of a borrower company-in-liquidation but only after notice to the Official Liquidator or the Liquidator appointed by the Company Court and after hearing him. (iii) If a financial corporation acting under Sec. 29 of the SFC Act seeks to sell or otherwise transfer the assets of a debtor company-in-liquidation, the said power could be exercised by it only after obtaining the appropriate permission from the Company Court and acting in terms of the directions issued by that Court as regards associating the Official Liquidator with the sale, the fixing of the upset price or the reserve price, confirmation of the sale, holding of the sale proceeds and the distribution thereof among the creditors in terms of Sec. 529-A and Sec. 529 of the Companies Act. (vi) In a case where proceedings under the Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993 or the SFC Act are not set in motion, the creditor concerned is to approach the Company Court for appropriate directions regarding the realization of its securities consistent with the relevant provisions of the Companies Act regarding distribution of the assets of the company-in-liquidation.” 13. Reverting back to the case on hand, I find that since the Official Liquidator has not been associated in auction proceedings by Recovery Officer DRT Jaipur the notice (Annexure-A/2), auction proceedings held on 22.11.2005 along with the certificate of sale dt. 07.06.2006 (Annexure-A/5) deserve to be quashed. 14. For these reasons, I allow the instant application and quash the notice (Annexure-A/2) published in Rajasthan Patrika on 13.11.2005, auction proceedings held on 22.11.2005 and the sale certificate dt. 07.06.2006 (Annex. A/5). The IDBI is directed to refund the sum of Rs. 2,30,65,000/- to respondent No. 3 M/s. Blooming Engineers Private Limited. There shall be no order as to costs. * * * * *