30th July, 2024 Approval of Resolution Plan - Satra Properties (India) Limited [Inv. Petition No. 19 of 2024
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IN THE NATIONAL COMPANY LAW TRIBUNAL,
MUMBAI BENCH- I
Inv. Petition No. 19 of 2024 IA No. 2273 of 2021
In
CP (IB) No.1632/MB/C-I/2019
Under Section 30 (6) of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016
(“code”) r/w Regulation 39(4) of the IBBI (Insolvency Resolution
Process for Corporate Persons) Regulations, 2016 for seeking
approval of the resolution plan under the provisions of Section
31(1) of the code.
Intervention Petition No. 19 of 2024
Mr. Praful Nanji Satra
…Applicant Versus Mrs. Vaishali Arun Patrikar
Resolution Professional of Satra Properties (India) Limited
…Respondent
IA No. 2273 of 2021
In the Application of
Vaishali Arun Patrikar
Resolution Professional of Satra Properties (India) Limited (filed by erstwhile Resolution Professional Mr. Devarajan Raman)
…Applicant
Order Delivered on :- 26.07.2024
Coram:
Hon’ble Member (Judicial) : Justice V.G. Bisht (Retd.)
Hon’ble Member (Technical) : Mr. Prabhat Kumar
Appearances:
For the Resolution Professional : Mr. Pulkit Sharma, Advocate a/w Mr. Varun
Nathani, Advocate i/b Mr. Amit Tungare,
Advocate
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Inv. Petition No. 19 of 2024 In IA No. 2273 of 2021
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For the Intervenor
: Ms. Gayatri Mohite, Advocate a/w Mr.
Shlok Bodas, Advocate i/b Parinam Law
Associates.
For the CoC : Mr. Rohan Agrawal, Advocate a/w Ms.
Vidhisha Rohira, Advocate a/w Mr. Amol
Bavare, Advocate Mr. Rahul Pillai, Advocate
i/b Pragnya Legal.
For the SRA
: Mr. Ayush Rajani, Advocate i/b AKR Legal
For the Intervenor Kasam Holdings : Mr. Shanay Shah, Advocate a/w Mr.
Devashish Godbole, Advocate Mr. Vaibhav
Gadre
ORDER
Per: Prabhat Kumar, Member (Technical)
Brief Facts: Intervention Petition No. 19 of 2024 1. The Applicant has filed the present Application seeking intervention in the Plan approval application seeking approval of Resolution Plan submitted by a consortium of MJ Shah Enterprises, MJ Shah Realtors LLP and Centrio Lifespaces Limited (Formerly known as Satra Realty and Builders Limited) (collectively hereinafter referred to as “MJS Group”), on the ground that the Resolution plan is illegal and contrary to law and there is a deliberate attempt to sale/transfer the assets of Corporate Debtor at substantially low value and without valuation that affects the interest of Applicant who is also being prosecuted as guarantor for various facilities availed by the Corporate Debtor.
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It is the case of the Applicant that the valuation conducted in respect of the land and
building (assets of the Corporate Debtor) is ex facie incorrect as the valuation of
certain portions of land in Kalina and the FSI potential for constructing a Hotel in
Jodhpur have not been valued at all by the Valuers/Resolution Professional and
accordingly the Resolution Plan approved by the COC fails to provide the minimum
liquidation value to the secured creditors thereby affecting the interest of the
stakeholders and also the Applicant being the Guarantor.
3.
It is the Applicants contention that ARCIL who is one of the major secured financial
creditor and member of COC has neither voted on the plan nor has not taken any
stand in writing as to acceptances of resolution plan. However, ARCIL has only
orally before the Tribunal, accepted the plan which is much below the liquidation
value that ARCIL is otherwise entitled to and as regards the wrongful valuation has
left it on the Tribunal to consider the same.
4.
It is the Applicant’s case that the Corporate Debtor is the owner of the following
properties being land/s:
i.
Leasehold Land known as Satra Plaza in the heart of Jodhpur market,
situated at, Nai Sadak, Rajasthan admeasuring about 4140 sq. yards in
addition to the FSI potential for constructing a Hotel on the said land for
which premium of Rs. 12-14 crores approximately has been paid;
ii.
7 portions of Freehold Land situated at Kalina Motor Works Compound,
Kalina Kurla Road, Kalina, Village Kole Kalyan, Taluka Bandra, Mumbai
– 400 092 in all admeasuring 6353.60 sq. mts, being
a) Survey No.158, Hissa No.1 (pt), CTS No.6564/H,
b) Survey no.150, Plot No. 3, Hissa No.41, CTS no. 7530, 7530/1 to 4,
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c) Survey No. 130 Hissa No. 33, CTS No. 7533,
d) Survey No. 130 Hissa No. 28, CTS No. 7534, 7534/1 to 11,
e) Survey No. 130 Hissa No. 26, CTS No. 7536,
f) Survey No. 130 Hissa No. 22(pt), CTS No. 7537/A
g) Survey No. 130 Hissa No. 31, CTS No. 7634,
iii.
Agriculture Open Land situated at Fulpara village, Rapar Taluka, Kutch,
Gujarat – 370 145; (hereinafter collectively referred to as “said Properties”)
5.
The valuation of the said properties at relevant time are tabulated hereinbelow:
Particulars
Valuation
undertaken
by
the Applicant
Valuation
Undertaken by
the CD while
obtaining loans
and mortgaging
the properties to
various creditors
in 2018
Valuation
Undertaken by
the
RP
by
Valuer 1
Valuation
Undertaken by
the
RP
by
Valuer 2
Fair Value
Jodhpur – 95.29
crores
Kalina – 83.00
crores
(only
with regards to 4
portions of land
valued by the
RP)
Jodhpur – 94.87
crores Kalina –
84.90 crores
Book value of
almost Rs. 40
crores
Not Disclosed
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Liquidation
Value
Jodhpur – 66.70
crores
Kalina – 58.10
crores
Not Disclosed
It is submitted by the Intervenor that the Valuation undertaken by the Resolution
Professional is incorrect as it is valued at Book Value but infact does not value all
properties of Corporate Debtor viz land parcels at Kalina bearing CTS No. 6564 /
H, 7533. 7534 / 1 to 11 and 7537/A admeasuring about 2285.78 sq.mtr. The
Applicant being Suspended Director was not involved in this process when
valuation was discussed by the Resolution Professional with the COC members and
was unable to bring this fact up before the COC members as then the COC was
predominately controlled majority by MJS Group who is also ultimately the
Successful Resolution Applicant.
7.
It is submitted that the valuation of the 4 parcels of land being situated at Kalina is
done without any basis merely on ’Book Value’, and for the remaining 3 portions of
freehold land owned by the Corporate Debtor at Kalina, the valuation is not done
at all thereby rendering the valuation report and the entire CIRP process bad in law.
It is a mandatory requirement to conduct valuation of all the assets of the Corporate
Debtor. It is submitted that SRA/ Resolution Professional cannot surpass the
requirement on the basis of faulty report and seek direction to approve the
Resolution Plan on the basis of alleged commercial wisdom of the COC. It is
pertinent to mention here that the COC’s right to approve the Resolution Plan for
lower value than the liquidation value does not entitle the COC to contend that no
valuation or improper valuation should be accepted. The present resolution plan
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approved by the COC is based on an incorrect valuation report and will impact all
the stakeholders including the Applicant being the Guarantor.
8.
Further, it is not only 3 parcels of land at Kalina but even Jodhpur property is valued
at a lesser value ignoring the additional Hotel FSI benefit which is not taken into
account/consideration by the RP/ Valuer. This Hotel FSI benefit itself is for Rs. 50
Crore approx. for which premium of Rs. 12-14 Crore has already been paid by the
erstwhile management to the government authorities. Conveniently, the said benefit
and the potential value of the hotel is also not taken into consideration by the RP.
It be noted that in real estate businesses the valuation of the FSI is of key importance
which decides the potential revenue and profit of the company.
9.
As far as the second valuation report is concerned, the same fails to even state the
method of valuation for the assets of the Corporate Debtor / assets that have been
valued. Further it may be pertinent to note that the subject plot being a land parcel
ought to have been valued on per square meter or feet. If additional land is added,
the value of the same would increase substantially in Crores. This is a case where
there is no valuation of various assets of the Corporate Debtor and the valuation
carried for the part assets are merely on “Book Value”. Needless to mention that
“Book Value” of land purchased cannot form basis for valuation under the Code. It
is pertinent to note here that the assets in question are in respect of various land
parcels which appreciate every year and even otherwise in the past 10 years after
being purchased by the Corporate Debtor.
Submissions advanced by the Resolution Professional.
10.
At the outset, the RP submits that the Applicant has no locus to file and maintain
the present Application. The Applicant is a disgruntled ex-promoter and director,
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who has, at every stage, sought to derail the CIRP process. Further, it is stated that
this Tribunal has passed orders under section 66 of the Code against the Applicant
in respect of fraudulent transactions running into several crores. The Applicant has
not complied with the orders of this Tribunal. In furtherance of the aforesaid
submission, reliance is placed on the judgement of the Hon’ble National Company
Law Appellate Tribunal, Chennai in the matter of Ramesh Kesavan v. CA Jasin Jose
& Anr.
11.
It is stated that the Information Memorandum was published in January 2021. It
contained a description of the properties of the CD including the Kalina Property
and Jodhpur Property. The Applicant was aware of the same. However, the
Applicant did not raise any objection / grievance that the description of properties
was incomplete. The Applicant has attended 12 out of 15 COC meetings. At no
point did the Applicant make any grievance on the description of properties or even
suggested that certain properties in Kalina have not been accounted for. For more
than 2 years after the approval of the resolution plan by the COC, the Applicant
remained silent.
12.
As regards, the Kalina Property, the Resolution Professional submits that the same
is an encroached property. The property consists of approximately 55 tenants
occupying in excess of 61,000 square feet. The records of the Corporate Debtor
indicate that whilst a memorandum of understanding was entered into with the
tenants, the same was not acted upon. The same is evident from an email dated 1st
July 2021 addressed by the Applicant to the then RP.
13.
It is submitted that the RP constantly updated the Virtual Data Room. The
Prospective Resolution Applicants who submitted resolution plans had access to the
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information in the data room. As recorded inter alia in the 11th COC meeting, the details of the Kalina property were being updated in the data room. As recorded in the 12th COC meeting, the prospective resolution applicants who had submitted their plans revised their proposal based on information received qua the Kalina property. The prospective resolution applicants who submitted plans were aware of the CD’s asset position including the Kalina property and details of encroachments on the property inter alia through the data room set up. The COC was aware of the information memorandum, valuation reports as well as the resolution plans. At no point have the COC members raised any objection to the valuation report and/or the resolution plans. 14. The Resolution Professional submits that every COC member and the Prospective Resolution Applicants were aware of the described area of the Kalina Property and Jodhpur Property. They were fully aware that there were gaps due to lack of clarity regarding site. The COC members and Prospective Resolution Applicants were also aware that the valuation reports had some areas missing from the overall area of the Kalina property. By an email dated 28th January 2022, the erstwhile RP noted that there were inadvertent error of omission in the Information Memorandum regard details of all CTS Nos. of the Kalina property. He further noted that this was updated so there is no confusion later on the approval of the resolution plan. There were updates made to the Information Memorandum. Not one of the COC member (including dissenting COC members) raised any objection as to how that affected their decision making. It is submitted that valuation exercise is a confidential exercise carried exclusively for the benefit of the COC members to enable them to consider the viability of the resolution plan.
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The RP has appointed two valuers viz. (i) Adroit Appraisers and Research Private
Limited and (ii) RNC Valuecon LLP for obtaining valuation. A third valuer viz. Mr
Gunjan Agarwal was appointed for SFA valuation. The summary from these
reports shows that the Fair Value of the CD is Rs. 97,64,66,956/- and the
Liquidation Value is Rs. 77,06,45,942/-. The RNC valuation report values the
Kalina property at the book value of the land cost as appearing in the books of the
Corporate Debtor. Needless to state that the value appearing in the books of the
Corporate Debtor would include value of the complete land forming part of the
Kalina property. The Adroit valuation report notes the CTS Nos. as mentioned in
the Information Memorandum.
Submissions advanced by ARCIL
16. It is submitted that ARCIL which is newly inducted member of Committee of
Creditors (CoC ) of Satra Properties (India) Limited pursuant to order dated
December 5, 2023 passed by this this bench allowing IA No. 1687 of 2020. ARCIL
through its counsel appeared in the captioned applications on June 10, 2024 and
submitted that ARCIL has no objection to the Resolution Plan approved by CoC and
the aspect of valuation may be decided by this Adjudicating Authority. Thus, ARCIL
was not privy to the terms of the CoC Approved Resolution Plan and did not have
access to the minutes of the CoC meetings.
17. The present Intervention Petition No. 19 of 2024 is filed by the ex-promoter/director
and he simultaneously issued letters dated April 26, 2024 and May 10, 2024 to ARCIL
on a fallacious assumption that the Approved Resolution Plan provides ‘0’ amount to
ARCIL, which were replied by ARCIL vide letter dated May 24, 2024 expressly
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stating that it has unfettered right to proceed against him as per Deeds of Guarantees
executed him in favour of IIFL, now ARCIL.
18. From the bare perusal of the aforesaid communications, it is evident that the ex-
promoter who admittedly is the personal guarantor is making attempts to wriggle out
of his obligation as the personal guarantor under the garb of undervaluation or no
valuation of the assets of the Corporate Debtor during the Corporate Insolvency
Resolution Process (CIRP) under the provisions of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code,
2016.
19. As the legality with respect to the valuation of the assets of the Corporate Debtor is in
domain of this Adjudicating Authority, ARCIL on June 10, 2024 (in compliance of
order dated April 30, 2024), through its counsel submitted that it has no objection with
the resolution plan approved by the CoC (prior to ARCIL’s inclusion) and the aspect
of the Valuation was left to be decided by this Adjudicating Authority. It is pertinent
to mention that the Resolution Plan has been approved by the CoC as per its
commercial wisdom by considering its feasibility and viability. However, the same
would not impact the unfettered right of the financial creditors including ARCIL to
proceed against the personal guarantors.
20. As per Regulation 12 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (Insolvency
Resolution Process for Corporate Persons) Regulations, 2016 (CIRP Regulations)
ARCIL’s inclusion in CoC will not affect validity of any decision taken by the CoC
prior to its inclusion in the CoC. Thus, ARCIL could not have revisited the said
Resolution Plan save an except to comment on it being legally compliant as per
Section 30 of IBC. As regards the alleged illegality with respect to undervaluation/ no
valuations of assets of the Corporate Debtor by the valuers appointed as per
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Regulation 27 of CIRP Regulations during the CIRP of the Corporate Debtor, the
same has been left to the decision of Adjudicating Authority.
Submissions advanced by Kasam Holding Private Limited unsecured Financial
Creditor of the Corporate Debtor.
21. The Intervenor is an unsecured financial creditor of the Corporate Debtor. The
Intervenor is also a member of the Committee of Creditor ("COC") who is holding
1.18% voting therein. The Intervenor had filed its claim of Rs. 4,00,00,000/- (Rupees
Four Crores only) which has been admitted by this Tribunal vide Order dated
05.12.2023. Pursuant to which, the Intervenor became a part of the COC.
22. The Resolution Professional vide its Email dated 19th June 2024 provided the
Intervenor a copy of the Plan and further informed that under the plan an amount of
Rs.40,58,385/- has been allocated. It is pertinent to note here that on perusal of the
Plan, the proposed amount of Rs.40,58,385/- was unverifiable and the timelines for
the payments are not mentioned therein which was brought to the attention of the
Resolution Professional vide Email dated 20th June 2024.
23. The Intervenor sought clarification in which the said reallocation of the fund under
the Plan was placed. In the present case, the Plan was approved by the COC on
21.09.2021 and thereafter certain financial creditors viz ARCIL, IIFL Home Finance
and the Intervenor by the virtue of their claims being admitted by NCLT became a
part of the COC, leading to the major reconstitution of the COC. Basis the admission
of the new claims the Resolution Applicant ought to have reallocated the funds under
the Plan and the revised reallocation ought to have been placed before the COC for
consideration and information. It was brought to the notice of the Intervenor that the
Plan has been challenged by the Suspended Director Mr. Praful Satra vide email dated
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18.06.2024 on the ground of under valuation of the properties of the Corporate
Debtor.
24. The revised Form H was not presented before the COC and the Intervener being a
COC Member was not neither informed of the revised Form H. Neither was the
Intervener informed of about any COC meeting wherein reallocation of amounts
allocated to the creditors was approved, considered after inclusion of the Intervener,
IIFL Home Finance and ARCIL in the COC. More importantly, the valuation of the
properties of the Corporate Debtor seems to have been challenged by the Suspended
Director and the said fact is also not placed before the COC for its consideration and
thus the plan may have to be sent back to the COC, prior to its approval before the
Tribunal for its consideration and/or revaluation. The Intervener along with other
minority Unsecured Financial Creditor are heavily prejudiced due to this act of the
Resolution Professional. In such circumstances, the revised Form H ought to have
been provided to the Intervenor.
Discussion and Decision
25. We have heard the submissions advanced by the learned counsels for the Intervenors,
Resolution Professional, ARCIL and Kasam Holding Private Limited.
26. In a nutshell, the Intervenor Mr. Praful Satra, suspended promoter and director of the
Corporate Debtor has objected to the approval of the Resolution Plan on the ground
that the assets of the Corporate Debtor are valued incorrectly, thereby reducing the
payout offered to secured creditors of the Corporate Debtor, more particularly lesser
liquidation value to the dissenting financial creditor. Further, it is the intervenor’s case
that the reduced payout arising out of undervaluation of properties will trigger his
liability in capacity as the guarantor of the Corporate Debtor. Per contra, it is the
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Resolution Professional’s case that out of the two properties referred to by the
Intervenor one being situated at Kalina is an encroached property occupied by tenants.
Moreover, it is apposite to note that the Information Memorandum was published in
January 2021 and contained the description of the properties. It is only in the year
2024, the Intervenor has raised the grievance qua valuation of the properties.
27. Further, we note that none of the CoC members have objected to valuation conducted
by the Registered Valuers. ARCIL being a newly inducted member of the CoC has
also granted no objection to the Resolution Plan as is recorded in order dated 10th June
2024. We have perused the letters dated 26th April 2024 and 10th May 2024 placed on
record by ARCIL. The aforesaid letters were addressed by Mr. Praful Satra (the
Intervenor) to ARCIL wherein it is stated that the Resolution Plan provides ‘nil’
amount to ARCIL and it was also stated that if ARCIL assents to the Resolution Plan,
the Intervenor will not be liable as a guarantor. However, pursuant to orders passed
by this Bench in an application filed by the predecessor of ARCIL (IIFL), their claim
was admitted as secured creditors.
28. It is apparent from a mere perusal of the aforesaid letters addressed by Mr. Satra, the
present Application is nothing but an attempt to wriggle out of the impending personal
insolvency proceedings arising out of the Deed of Guarantees executed by him on
behalf of the Corporate Debtor. As regards the valuation is concerned, the CoC
members have not objected to the valuation conducted. Moreover, the Resolution
Plan was approved by the CoC after considering the updated information in the
Virtual Data Room. The valuation was conducted by registered valuers being (i)
Adroit Appraisers and Research Private Limited and (ii) RNC Valuecon LLP for
obtaining valuation. A third valuer viz. Mr Gunjan Agarwal was appointed for SFA
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valuation. The Applicant attended the CoC meetings, however the objection qua valuation report is raised by the Application at this stage only to derail the approval of plan. Accordingly, the Intervention Petition No. 19 of 2024 is dismissed. IA No.2280 of 2020 29. The present application is filed by erstwhile Resolution Professional Mr. Devarajan Raman under section 30 (6) of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (“code”) r/w Regulation 39(4) of the IBBI (Insolvency Resolution Process for Corporate Persons) Regulations, 2016 for seeking approval of the resolution plan under the provisions of Section 31(1) of the code. Mr. Raman was replaced by Ms. Vaishali Arun Patrikar as the Resolution Professional of the Corporate Debtor vide order dated 22.09.2022. 30. Initially, at the time of initiation of Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process, the composition of the CoC was as follows: Sr No. Name of Creditor Voting Share % 1 Gajendra Investment Limited 16.50 2 Zircon Traders Ltd 0.60 3 Vistra ITCL (India) Limited 52.38 4 Pratiti Trading Private Limited 18.47 5 Neon Laboratories Limited 1.99 6 U.Y. Fincorp Limited 9.81 7 Divyagyan Trading Private Limited 0.25
Total 100.00
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It is submitted that a total of 15 CoC meetings were held leading upto the approval
of the Resolution Plan. The Information Memorandum was circulated in January
2021. The Information Memorandum (hereinafter referred to as the “IM”)
contained a description of properties of the Corporate Debtor, as per the information
available at the relevant time. Further, every CoC member as well as the erstwhile
directors and promoters of the Corporate Debtor were aware of the description of
the properties.
32.
The Resolution Professional published an invitation for Expression of Interest
(“EOI”) in Form G on 4th January 2021. At the relevant, only 3 entitles submitted
the documents with the refundable deposit of Rs.5 lakh.
i.
Shree Naman Developers Private Limited
ii.
MJ Shah Enterprises along with consortium partners, and
iii.
Dev Land and Housing Private Limited.
33.
It is stated that with a view to invite more participation, the CoC approved the
issuance of revised form G on 4th February 2021. However, only one (1) additional
entity submitted the requisite documents and refundable security deposit of Rs.5
Lakhs. The final list of PRAs is as follows:
i.
Shree Naman Developers Private Limited
ii. MJ Shah Enterprises along with consortium partners, and
iii. Dev Land and Housing Private Limited.
iv. Jaynil Enterprises.
34.
It is stated that at the request of the PRA’s, the timeline for submission of the
Resolution Plan was extended from 19th April 2021 to 4th May 2021. The Resolution
Professional received Resolution Plans from only 3 PRAs:
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i. MJ Shah Enterprises along with consortium partners, and
ii. Dev Land and Housing Private Limited.
iii. Jaynil Enterprises.
35.
The PRA’s presented their plans on 26th August 2021 and 1st September 2021. Based
on negotiations with the CoC, the PRAs were permitted to revise their offers.
Pursuant to this, Dev Land & Housing Private Limited and Jaynil Enterprises
submitted revised Resolution Plans on 16th September 2021. The RP states that the
plans were opened at the 14th CoC meeting on 17th September 2021. The voting on
the plan was conducted 21st September 2021. The Resolution Plan submitted by MJ
Shah Enterprises along with consortium partners was approved by a majority of
95.40%.
36.
The MJ Shah consortium comprises of (i) MJ Shah Enterprises, (ii) MJ Shah LLP
Realtors, and (iii) Centrio Lifespaces Limited. The LOI was issued on 23rd
September 2021.
37.
It is submitted that the pursuant to the orders passed by this Tribunal, the
composition of CoC stood revised.
Sr. No.
Name of Creditor
% of voting share in CoC
1.
IIFL Home Finance Limited
7.14%
2.
Asset Reconstruction Company
(India) Limited (ARCIL)
51.68%
3.
Jumbo Finvest India Ltd.
1.93%
4.
Pratiti Trading Private Limited
2.93%
5.
Punjab National Bank
0.43%
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Neon Laboratories Ltd.
0.84%
7.
U.Y. FinCorp Ltd.
4.17%
8.
Zircon Traders Ltd.
0.25%
9.
Gajendra Investments Ltd.
7.01%
10.
Divyagyan
Trading
Private
Limited
0.11%
11.
Vistra ITCL (India) Ltd
22.25%
12.
Sudesh Bhatia and Sahil Bhatia
0.11%
13.
Kasam Holding Private Limited
1.11%
14.
Rishabh Kankariya
0.03%
Total 100.00%
ARCIL has accorded no objection to the Resolution Plan, the same has been
recorded in order dated 10th June 2024. The RP has appointed two valuers (i) Adroit
Appraisers and Research Private Limited and (ii) RNC Valuecon LLP for obtaining
valuation. A third valuer Mr. Gunjan Agarwal was appointed for valuation. As per
the said report the Fair Value of the Corporate Debtor is Rs.97,64,66,956/- and the
Liquidation Value is Rs.77,06,45,942/-.
39.
The total value of the Resolution Plan as indicated is Rs.184,09,33,297/-. The Plan
provides that the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process Costs shall be paid at
actuals by the Resolution Applicants within 30 days from the approval date. The
Resolution Plan proceeds on the basis that the Corporate Insolvency Resolution
Process Costs incurred is Rs.1,50,00,000/-. The SRA has indicated that the actual
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costs will be borne over and above the plan amount offered. The claims of the
employees amounting to Rs.1,26,08,598/- are being paid in full within 90 days from
date of approval of the plan. Secured Financial Creditors are offered a sum of
Rs.60,97,76,484/-. Unsecured Financial Creditors are being paid a sum of
Rs.5,50,83,756/- in full and final settlement of their claims (10.67%) over a period
of 3 years. The Operational Creditors are being paid a sum of Rs.84,64,460/- in full
and final settlement of their claims (3.20%) within 90 days of the approval of the
plan.
40.
SRA shall introduce a sum of Rs.11,00,00,000/- or such other sum as required
towards cost of construction and completion of Jodhpur project. The Resolution
Applicants will infuse money to restart the pending construction in relation to the
Jodhpur Project and it will developed fully and will be sold and money will be
recovered. The possession of premises will be given to those with whom the
agreement to sell have been entered into and accepted by the Resolution Applicants
provided these persons pay the amounts due as per their respective agreements with
the Corporate Debtor.
41.
The Resolution Plan provides that the amounts recovered under PUFE transactions
shall be dealt with by the Corporate Debtor as per directions of this Tribunal. We
observe that the amounts recovered shall be distributed amongst the Financial
Creditors of the Corporate Debtor.
42.
The Applicant submits that the Resolution Plan and the approval of the Resolution
Plan are in accordance with all the provisions of the Code and CIRP Regulations
and that it does not contravene any of the provisions of the law for the time being.
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The Successful Resolution Applicant has also confirmed its eligibility under Section
29A of the Insolvency Bankruptcy Code, 2016 ("Code").
43.
The SRA has furnished a Performance Bank Guarantee of Rs.50,00,000 /-.
44.
The RP has certified that the Resolution Plan complies with the requirements of the
Code by providing a revised compliance certificate ‘Form-H’. The RP further
submits that the key requirements of the Code are complied with in the manner
detailed hereinbelow:
Section 30(2) of the Code
45.
In compliance of Section 30(2) of IBC, 2016, the Resolution Professional has
examined the Resolution plan of the Successful Resolution Applicant and confirms
that this Resolution Plan:
a) Provides for payment of Insolvency Resolution Process cost in a manner
specified by the Board in the priority to the payment of other debts of the
corporate debtor;
b) Provides for payment of debts of operational creditor in such manner as may
be specified by the board which shall not be less than
(i) The amount to be paid to such creditors in the event of liquidation of the corporate debtor under Section 53; or
(ii) The amount that would have been paid to such creditors, if the amount to be distributed under the Resolution Plan had been distribute in accordance with sub-section (1) of Section 53 in the event of liquidation of the corporate debtor.
c) Provides for management of the affairs of the Corporate Debtor after approval of Resolution Plan;
MUMBAI BENCH- I
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d) The implementation and supervision of Resolution Plan;
e) Does not prima facie contravene any of the provisions of the law for time being
in force,
f) Confirms to such other requirements as may be specified by the Board.
g) As per the Affidavit, the Resolution Applicant is not covered under 29A.
In compliance of Regulation 38 of CIRP Regulations, the Resolution Professional
confirms that the Resolution plan provides that
a) The amount due to the Operational Creditors under resolution plan shall be
given priority in payment over Financial Creditors.
b) It has dealt with the interest of all Stakeholders including Financial Creditors
and Operational Creditors of the CD.
c) A statement that neither the Resolution Applicants nor any related parties have
failed to implement nor have contributed to the failure of implementation of
any other Resolution Plan approved by the AA in the past.
d) The terms of the plan and its implementation schedule.
e) The management and control of the business of the CD during its term.
f) Adequate means of Supervising its implementation.
g) The Resolution Plan Demonstrate that it addresses
i. The cause of the Default
ii. It is feasible and viable
iii. Provision for effective implementation
iv. Provisions for approvals required and the time lines for the same.
MUMBAI BENCH- I
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v. Capability to Implement the Resolution Plan 47. Now, coming to objections raised by Kasam Holding Private Limited, the Unsecured Financial Creditor holding 1.18% voting share in the CoC. The amount payable to Kasam Holdings under the plan is Rs.40,58,385/-. The objection raised by the Kasam Holdings is that after reconstitution of CoC. Further, the funds ought to have been reallocated and revised form H ought to have been placed before the CoC. We have perused the allocation of funds as provided in the Resolution Plan and the amount payable to Kasam is crystallized. Moreover, the objection of Kasam Holding qua revised Form H cannot be considered as the same is to be placed before the Adjudicating Authority. Therefore, this bench is of considered view that the contentions raised by the Intervenor are devoid of merits. 48. The Resolution Professional has annexed Form H of the Application under Regulation 39(4) In FORM H of the CIRP Regulations to certify that the resolution plan as approved by the CoC meets all the requirements of the IBC and its Regulations. The relevant extracts, as otherwise stated elsewhere in the order, are as follows - I, Ms Vaishali Arun Patrikar, an insolvency professional enrolled with ICSIIIP and registered with the Board with registration number IBBI/IPA-002/IP- N00812/2019-2020/12566, am the resolution professional for the corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP) of Satra Properties (India) Limited. 2. The details of the CIRP are as under:
Sl. No. Particulars Description 1 Name of the CD Satra Properties (India) Limited
MUMBAI BENCH- I
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2 Date of Initiation of CIRP 03.08.2020 3 Date of Appointment of IRP 03.08.2020 4 Date of Publication of Public Announcement 08.08.2020 & 15.08.2020 5 Date of Constitution of CoC 28.09.2020 6 Date of First Meeting of CoC 03.10.2020 7 Date of Appointment of RP 07.10.2020 8 Date of Appointment of Registered Valuers 19.10.2020 & 17.09.2021 9 Date of Issue of Invitation for EoI 04.01.2021 & revised 04.02.2021 10 Date of Final List of Eligible Prospective Resolution Applicants 16.03.2021 11 Date of Invitation of Resolution Plan 02.03.2021 12 Last Date of Submission of Resolution Plan 19.01.2021, Revised 19.02.2021, then extension given for submission of resolution plan. Last date was 05.05.2021 13 Date of Approval of Resolution Plan by CoC 18.09.2021 – CoC Meeting 21.09.2021- E Voting 14 Date of Filing of Resolution Plan with Adjudicating Authority 30.09.2021 15 Date of Expiry of 180 days of CIRP 30.01.2021 16 Date of Order extending the period of CIRP 27.04.2021 17 Date of Expiry of Extended Period of CIRP 23.09.2021 18 Fair Value Rs.97,64,66,956/- 19 Liquidation value Rs.77,06,45,942/- 20 Number of Meetings of CoC held 15 (till approval of resolution plan )
- I have examined the Resolution Plan received from Resolution Applicant M J Shah Consortium
MUMBAI BENCH- I
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and approved by Committee of Creditors (CoC) of Satra Properties (India) Limited.
- I hereby certify that- (i) The said Resolution Plan complies with all the provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 (Code), the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (Insolvency Resolution Process for Corporate Persons) Regulations, 2016 (CIRP Regulations) and does not contravene any of the provisions of the law for the time being in force. (ii) The Resolution Applicant M J Shah Consortium has submitted an affidavit pursuant to section30(1) of the Code confirming its eligibility under section 29A of the Code to submit resolution plan. The contents of the said affidavit are in order. (iii) The said Resolution Plan has been approved by the CoC in accordance with the provisions of the Code and the CIRP Regulations made thereunder. The Resolution Plan has been approved by 95.40% of voting share of financial creditors after considering its feasibility and viability and other requirements specified by the CIRP Regulations. (iv) The voting was held in the meeting of the CoC on [state the date of meeting] where all the members of the CoC were present. or I sought vote of members of the CoC by electronic voting system which was kept open at least for 24 hours as per the Regulation 26. [strike off the part that is not relevant]
Sr
No
Name of Secured
Financial Creditor
Amount
Claimed
Amount of
Claim
admitted
%
Offered to
secured
financial
creditors
Net
payment to
secured
financial
creditors
after
adjustments
Upfront
payment
within 3
months
(25%)
Payment
at the
end of 1st
year
(25%)
Payment
at the end
of 2nd
year
(40%)
Payment
at the
end of
3rd year
(10%)
1
Asset Reconstruction
Company (India)
Limited (ARCIL)
1855492275
1855492275
60.89%
377524596
370731094
92682773 92682773 148292438 37073109
2
IIFL Home Finance Ltd.
256225566
256225566
8.41%
52132501
51194384
12798596 12798596
20477754
5119438
3
Jumbo Finvest India
Ltd.
82795155
69268996
2.27%
14093699
13840085
3460021
3460021
5536034
1384008
4
Pratiti Trading Pvt Ltd.
222256206
46971024
1.54%
9556880
9384905
2346226
2346226
3753962
938491
5
Punjab National Bank
15950266
15315115
0.50%
3116064
3797808
949452
949452
1519123
379781
6
Vistra ITCL (India) Ltd
1310282634
798708505
26.21%
162507875
159583568
39895892 39895892
63833427 15958357
7
Sudesh Bhatia & Sahil
Bhatia
5888219
4057644
0.13%
825582
1006206
251551
251551
402482
100621
8
Rishabh Kankariya
1605902
1193351
0.04%
242803
238434
59608
59608
95374
23843
Total
3750496223 3047232476 100.00% 620000000 609776484 152444121 152444121 243910594 60977648
MUMBAI BENCH- I
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On perusal of the Resolution Plan, we find that the Resolution Plan provides for the
following:
a) Payment of CIRP Cost as specified u/s 30(2)(a) of the Code.
b) Repayment of Debts of Operational Creditors as specified u/s 30(2)(b) of
the Code.
c) For management of the affairs of the Corporate Debtor, after the approval
of Resolution Plan, as specified U/s 30(2)(c) of the Code.
d) The implementation and supervision of Resolution Plan by the RP and the
CoC as specified u/s 30(2)(d) of the Code.
The RP has complied with the requirement of the Code in terms of Section 30(2)(a)
to 30(2)(f) and Regulations 38(1), 38(1)(a), 38(2)(a), 38(2)(b), 38(2)(c) & 38(3) of the
Regulations.
51.
The RP has filed Compliance Certificate in Form-H along with the Plan. On perusal
the same is found to be in order. The Resolution Plan has been approved by the
CoC by majority of 95.4%.
52.
In K Sashidhar v. Indian Overseas Bank & Others (in Civil Appeal No.10673/2018
decided on 05.02.2019) the Hon’ble Apex Court held that if the CoC had approved
the Resolution Plan by requisite percent of voting share, then as per section 30(6) of
Name of Creditor
Amount
claimed
Amount of
Claim
admitted
offer to
Unsecured
FC
Offer to
dissenting
USFC
Upfront
payment
within 3
months
(25%)
Payment
at the
end of 1st
year
(25%)
Payment at
the end of
2nd year
(40%)
Payment
at the
end of
3rd year
(10%)
Neon Laboratories Ltd.
30305675
30305675
3074803
3074803
768701
768701
1229921
307480
U.Y. FinCorp Ltd.
149635069
149635069
15181920
3795480
3795480
6072768
1518192
Zircon Traders Ltd.
9129990
9129990
926325
231581
231581
370530
92633
Anish & Jigisha Shah
8019594
0
0
0
0
0
0
Gajendra Investments
Ltd.
264344576
251643876
25531696
6382924
6382924
10212679
2553170
Ultra LifeSpace Private
Ltd.
375108586
0
0
0
0
0
0
Pratiti Trading Pvt Ltd.
59441216
58342705
5919430
1479857
1479857
2367772
591943
Divyagyan Trading
Private Limited
4355684
3855684
391196
391196
97799
97799
156479
39120
Suraksha Realty Ltd
33610960
0
0
0
0
0
0
Kasam Holding Pvt. Ltd.
40000000
40000000
4058385
1014596
1014596
1623354
405839
Total
973951350
542912999
55083756
3465999
13770939 13770939
22033502
5508376
MUMBAI BENCH- I
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Page 25 of 27
the Code, it is imperative for the Resolution Professional to submit the same to the Adjudicating Authority (NCLT). On receipt of such a proposal, the Adjudicating Authority is required to satisfy itself that the Resolution Plan as approved by CoC meets the requirements specified in Section 30(2). The Hon’ble Apex Court further observed that the role of the NCLT is ‘no more and no less’. The Hon’ble Apex Court further held that the discretion of the Adjudicating Authority is circumscribed by Section 31 and is limited to scrutiny of the Resolution Plan “as approved” by the requisite percent of voting share of financial creditors. Even in that enquiry, the grounds on which the Adjudicating Authority can reject the Resolution Plan is in reference to matters specified in Section 30(2) when the Resolution Plan does not conform to the stated requirements.
In view of the discussions and the law thus settled, the instant Resolution Plan meets the requirements of Section 30(2) of the Code and Regulations 37, 38, 38 (1A) and 39 (4) of the Regulations. The Resolution Plan is not in contravention of any of the provisions of Section 29A of the Code and is in accordance with law. The same needs to be approved. Hence ordered.
It shall become effective from this date and shall form part of this order with the
following directions:
i.
It shall be binding on the Corporate Debtor, its employees, members,
creditors, including the Central Government, any State Government or
any local authority to whom a debt in respect of the payment of dues
arising under any law for the time being in force is due, guarantors and
other stakeholders involved in the Resolution Plan.
ii.
The approval of the Resolution Plan shall not be construed as waiver of any
statutory obligations/liabilities of the Corporate Debtor and shall be dealt
by the appropriate Authorities in accordance with law. Any waiver sought
MUMBAI BENCH- I
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in the Resolution Plan, shall be subject to approval by the Authorities
concerned in light of the Judgment of Supreme Court in Ghanshyam Mishra
and Sons Private Limited v/s. Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company
Limited, the relevant para’s of which are extracted herein below:
“95. (i) Once a resolution plan is duly approved by the
adjudicating authority under sub-section (1) of Section 31, the
claims as provided in the resolution plan shall stand frozen and will
be binding on the corporate debtor and its employees, members,
creditors, including the Central Government, any State
Government or any local authority, guarantors and other
stakeholders. On the date of approval of resolution plan by the
adjudicating authority, all such claims, which are not a part of the
resolution plan shall stand extinguished and no person will be
entitled to initiate or continue any proceedings in respect to a
claim, which is not part of the resolution plan;
(ii) 2019 Amendment to Section 31 of the I&B Code is clarificatory and declaratory in nature and therefore will be effective from the date on which the Code has come into effect;
(iii) consequently, all the dues including the statutory dues owed to the Central Government, any State Government or any local authority, if not part of the resolution plan, shall stand extinguished and no proceedings in respect of such dues for the period prior to the date on which the adjudicating authority grants its approval under Section 31 could be continued.” iii. The Memorandum of Association (MoA) and Articles of Association (AoA) shall accordingly be amended and filed with the Registrar of Companies (RoC), Mumbai, Maharashtra for information and record. The Resolution Applicant, for effective implementation of the Plan, shall obtain all necessary approvals, under any law for the time being in force, within such period as may be prescribed.
MUMBAI BENCH- I
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iv.
The moratorium under Section 14 of the Code shall cease to have effect from
this date.
v.
The Applicant shall supervise the implementation of the Resolution Plan
and file status of its implementation before this Authority from time to time,
preferably every quarter.
vi.
The Applicant shall forward all records relating to the conduct of the CIRP
and the Resolution Plan to the IBBI along with copy of this Order for
information.
vii.
The Applicant shall forthwith send a certified copy of this Order to the CoC
and the Resolution Applicant, respectively for necessary compliance.
Sd/-
Sd/-
PRABHAT KUMAR
JUSTICE V.G. BISHT Member (Technical)
Member (Judicial) 27.06.2024 Priyal
Page 1 of 7
MUMBAI BENCH- I
IA No. 1330 of 2024
And IA No. 1817 of 2024
IN
Under 60(5) of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.
In the Application of
Vaishali Arun Patrikar
Resolution Professional of Satra Properties (India) Limited (filed by erstwhile Resolution Professional Mr. Devarajan Raman)
…Applicant
Versus Housing Unit-1, Economic Offenses Wing, Mumbai
…Respondent
Order Delivered on :- 26.07.2024
Coram:
Hon’ble Member (Judicial) : Justice V.G. Bisht (Retd.)
Hon’ble Member (Technical) : Mr. Prabhat Kumar
Appearances:
For the Resolution Professional
: Mr. Amit Tungare, Advocate
ORDER
Per: Prabhat Kumar, Member (Technical) Brief Facts: IA No. 1330 of 2024 1. The present Application is filed by the Resolution Professional of the Corporate Debtor seeking a direction that the Respondent and its office to remove the attachments on the Bank Account number 017100103896 held with COSMOS Bank located at Vile Parle Branch, Mumbai.
MUMBAI BENCH- I IA No. 1330 of 2024 and IA No. 1817 of 2024
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The Applicant states that by virtue of order dated 03rd August 2020 as passed by the
NCLT, the CIRP was initiated against of Satra Properties (India) Limited (SPIL).
Initially, when the CIRP was initiated against SPIL, one Mr. Devarajan Raman was
appointed as the Interim Resolution Professional of SPIL, who was later confirmed as
the Resolution Professional of SPIL by majority of the members of the Committee of
Creditors (CoC). The Applicant was appointed as the Resolution Professional by this
bench vide order dated 22nd September 2022.
3.
Thereafter, the Applicant took over the charge as the Resolution professional of the
Corporate Debtor. Upon perusal of documents received from the erstwhile Resolution
Professional, Mr. Devarajan Raman, the Applicant came to know that the Respondent
had attached a bank account bearing no. 017100103896 held with COSMOS Bank. The
Respondent herein, vide letter dated 19th March 2020 had ordered the COSMOS Bank
to freeze the accounts of SPIL. In the interregnum, a moratorium under Section 14 of
the Code commenced from the date of order passed by the bench admitting SPIL into
CIRP.
4.
The Applicant vide letter dated 27th November 2023, addressed to the Respondent, had
informed the Respondent about the initiation of CIRP and imposition of moratorium. It
is submitted that the Applicant visited the office of the Respondent and met with the
Senior Police Inspector and Assistant Police Inspector, of Economic Offences Wing and
explained them the situation in detail.
5.
The Applicant informed the Respondent about the moratorium period and even
submitted copy of Order dated 3rd August 2020 passed by this bench admitting the
Corporate Debtor into Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process. In view of the above,
MUMBAI BENCH- I IA No. 1330 of 2024 and IA No. 1817 of 2024
In
Page 3 of 7
the Senior Police Inspector said that they do not have the power to remove the
attachments and would require a Court Order to do the same.
IA No. 1817 of 2024
6.
The present Application is also moved by the Resolution Professional seeking the
following reliefs:
a) Direct the Respondent and its office to remove the attachments on the Axis Bank
Accounts bearing numbers 912020001612578, 911020058661836 of the
Corporate Debtor held with AXIS Bank, Andheri West Branch, Mumbai and
911020051088009 held with AXIS Bank, Nariman Point, Mumbai.
b) Direct the Respondent and its office to remove the attachments on the ICICI
Bank account bearing number 001105027186 held with ICICI Bank, Andheri
West branch.
7.
It is submitted that the Corporate Debtor has bank accounts with AXIS Bank, S V Road
Branch and Nariman Point Branch. The Applicant contacted AXIS Bank, S V Road
Branch and Nariman Point Branch for change of authorized signatory and submitted all
the required documents. Thereafter, the AXIS Bank informed the Applicant that they
are unable to change the signatures because the accounts belonging to the Corporate
Debtor were put under attachments by various government bodies including the
Respondent herein. The Applicant followed up with the bank asking about the details of
the attachment order. Pursuant to this, the Applicant received a letter from AXIS bank
giving details about the attachments on the accounts of the Corporate Debtor to the
following bank accounts: -
A) Axis Bank accounts at S V Road, Andheri West, Mumbai
a. 912020001612578
MUMBAI BENCH- I IA No. 1330 of 2024 and IA No. 1817 of 2024
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b. 911020058661836
B) Axis Bank account number 911020051088009 at Nariman Point, Mumbai.
8.
The erstwhile Resolution Professional, Mr. Devarajan Raman had addressed a letter to
the Respondent in view of the attachments to the Bank Accounts held with AXIS Bank
(Letter dated 17/05/2022), asking the Respondent to remove the attachments from the
Accounts. Thereafter, the erstwhile Resolution Professional sent 2 emails dated
17.05.2022 and 08.06.2022 to the office of the Respondent as a reminder to release the
attachments from the bank account. However, the Respondents did not respond to the
request. As mentioned earlier, the Applicant was appointed as the Resolution
Professional of the CD vide order dated 22.09.2022.
9.
The Applicant addressed a letter, dated 27th November 2023 informing the office of the
Respondent about the initiation of Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process against the
Corporate Debtor and moratorium as per Section 14 of the Code and thereby requesting
them to remove all attachment and lien from the bank accounts belonging to the
Corporate Debtor.
10.
The Applicant had visited the ICICI Bank, Andheri Branch, for getting the bank
statements of the Corporate Debtor for the account held with them. During the visit, the
applicant was informed by the officials of ICICI Bank, that the account belonging to the
Corporate Debtor, bearing Acc. No. 001105027186, was under an attachment.
11.
The Applicant had previously visited the office of the respondent, the Senior Police
Inspector, at the relevant time, said that they do not have the power to remove the
attachments and would require a Court Order to do the same.
12.
We have perused the Application and heard the Learned counsel.
MUMBAI BENCH- I IA No. 1330 of 2024 and IA No. 1817 of 2024
In
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The present Application is filed by the Resolution Professional seeking de-freezing of
the accounts attached by the Economic Offence Wing and other government authorities
i.e. the Respondents herein in both the applications. It is pertinent to note that the
Resolution Plan is approved in the present matter by the CoC and now by this
Adjudicating Authority vide its Order of even date. By virtue of Section 32A of the
Code, the Corporate Debtor shall not be held liable for offences prior to the
commencement of Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process. The Hon’ble Bombay
High Court Shiv Charan v. Adjudicating Authority, WP (L) No. 9943 of 2023 & WP (L)
No. 29111 of 2023, whilst dealing with a similar issue of attachment of assets of the
Corporate Debtor by Enforcement Directorate held as under:
“28. In the instant case, the NCLT was aware of the attachment effected by the ED
over the Attached Properties well before the CIRP commenced. The NCLT applied
Section 32A to the facts of the case before it, and rightly took cognizance of the
attachment when approving the resolution plan. The NCLT has accurately
answered the question of law arising under Section 32A, that the approval of the
resolution plan brings the prosecution of the Corporate Debtor to an end under
Section 32A(1) and the attachment of the Attached Properties to an end under
Section 32A(2) read with the Clause (i) in the Explanation to Section 32A(2). Such
an exercise of jurisdiction was wholly within the scope of power and jurisdiction
explicitly conferred on the NCLT by Parliament under Section 60(5). No fault can
be found with either the substance of the NCLT’s exercise of such jurisdiction, or
with the manner of its exercise. Whether the jurisdictional facts necessary to
attract the immunity under Section 32A exist, is a mixed question of fact and law
that the NCLT was entitled to entertain and dispose of. Once the jurisdictional
MUMBAI BENCH- I IA No. 1330 of 2024 and IA No. 1817 of 2024
In
Page 6 of 7
facts are found to exist, whether the immunity becomes available is a question of
law which is clearly within the domain of the NCLT’s jurisdiction.
29. It should not be forgotten that both Section 32A and Section 60(5) are non-
obstante provisions that operate notwithstanding anything contained in any other
law, including the PMLA, 2002. Therefore, there is no basis whatsoever to treat
the provisions of attachment under the PMLA, 2002 as being uniquely carved out
as an exception, when the legislature indeed chose to cover prosecution by, and
attachment of assets, under the PMLA, 2002 as coming to an end by virtue of
Section 32A of the IBC, 2016.
33. The Hon’ble Supreme Court has had occasion to deal with the legislative intent
and purpose underlying Section 32A of the IBC, 2016, albeit when considering a
challenge to the constitutional validity of Section 32A. In doing so, the Hon’ble
Supreme Court had the benefit of the Union of India’s clear explanation and
support for the view that corporate debtors must get to begin with a clean slate
under Section 32A, making a clean break from their past. In Manish Kumar Vs
Union of India – (2021) 5 SCC 1 (Manish Kumar), the Hon’ble Supreme Court
ruled that the immunity under Section 32A is a conscious and valid legislative
conferment by Parliament. The
Union of India had emphasized the vital need for introducing Section 32A and defended having piloted the provision through Parliament, giving insight into the legislative intent behind the provision, and that too when presented with how the provision would give immunity from an attachment under the PMLA, 2002.” 14. Further, Section 32A (2) of the Code reads as under:
MUMBAI BENCH- I IA No. 1330 of 2024 and IA No. 1817 of 2024
In
Page 7 of 7
“..(2) No action shall be taken against the property of the corporate debtor in
relation to an offence committed prior to the commencement of the corporate
insolvency resolution process of the corporate debtor, where such property is
covered under a resolution plan approved by the Adjudicating Authority under
section 31, which results in the change in control of the corporate debtor to a
person, or sale of liquidation assets under the provisions of Chapter III of Part II
of this Code to a person, who was not –
(i) a promoter or in the management or control of the corporate debtor or a related
party of such a person; or
(ii) a person with regard to whom the relevant investigating authority has, on the
basis of material in its possession, reason to believe that he had abetted or
conspired for the commission of the offence, and has submitted or filed a report or
a complaint to the relevant statutory authority or Court.”
15.
A conjoint reading of Section 32A (2) of the Code and the Judgment of the Hon’ble
Bombay High Court in Shiv Charan (supra). It is clear that after the approval of the
Resolution Plan no action can be taken against the assets of the Corporate Debtor in
relation to an offence committed prior to the commencement of Corporate Insolvency
Resolution Process. Accordingly, the Respondent herein is directed to lift the attachment
on the bank accounts of the Corporate Debtor.
16.
IA No. 1330 of 2024 and 1817 of 2024 in CP(IB) No. 1632 of 2019 are allowed.
Sd/-
Sd/-
PRABHAT KUMAR
JUSTICE V.G. BISHT Member (Technical)
Member (Judicial) 27.06.2024 Priyal
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