National Company Law Tribunal

From Ambiguity To Authority: Supreme Court Affirms Selective Capital Reduction

Summary: The Companies Act, 2013, under Section 66, permits the reduction of share capital by a company “in any manner”, subject to passing a special resolution and attaining a confirmation from the National Company Law Tribunal. Whether this flexibility can be extended to permit selective reduction of share capital wherein the shares of only a particular class/category of shareholders is reduced is a question the High Courts and the tribunals have answered in the past, albeit with some contradictions. The Supreme Court in its recent judgment in Pannalal Bhansali v. Bharti Telecom Limited & Ors. has conclusively settled this issue and upheld the validity of selective capital reduction.Continue Reading From Ambiguity To Authority: Supreme Court Affirms Selective Capital Reduction

Supreme Court Gives Insolvency Claims a Fresh Lease of Life: Debt Restructuring and Substantive Compliance

Summary: The recent decision of the Supreme Court in B. Prashanth Hegde v. State Bank of India recognises that an application under Section 7 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (“IBC”), that substantially complies with the requirements cannot be rejected merely due to insignificant errors or omissions. Further, debt restructuring can amount to acknowledgement of debt by the Corporate Debtor, extending the limitation period for filing such an application.Continue Reading Supreme Court Gives Insolvency Claims a Fresh Lease of Life: Debt Restructuring and Substantive Compliance

“Related Party” Creditor Under IBC: Making A Case For Purposive Interpretation

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (“Code”), has marked a significant shift in India’s corporate insolvency landscape, transitioning from a debtor-centric approach to a creditor-centric approach. With the committee of creditors (“CoC”) now driving the resolution process, it has become imperative for “related parties”, likely to sabotage the resolution process of a corporate debtor, to be excluded from the same. For this purpose, the Code stipulates that “related parties” should not (i) regain control of the company either by means of submitting a resolution plan (Section 29A); or (ii) be allowed to influence the resolution process by participating and voting in CoC meetings (first proviso to Section 21(2)).Continue Reading “Related Party” Creditor Under IBC: Making A Case For Purposive Interpretation

Background

A scheme of arrangement is an oft used mechanism for company restructuring, which may take the form of a ‘merger’, a ‘demerger’ or even a ‘compromise’ with creditors. Sections 391-394 of the Companies Act, 1956 (“1956 Act”), read with the Companies (Court) Rules, 1959, were the relevant statutory framework governing this. Continue Reading Objections at the first motion stage: Light at the end of the rainbow?

Proving default: IU reports not the be-all and end-all

As per the scheme of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (“Code”), an application for initiation of corporate initiation resolution process (“CIRP”) can be filed by the debtor itself or by a financial or operational creditor. The Code provides for filing of record of default recorded with the Information Utility (“IU”) as evidence of default, along with other specified documents.Continue Reading Proving default: IU reports not the be-all and end-all  

Critiquing the Regulatory Threshold for an ‘Officer Who is in Default’ under the Companies Act, 2013

In Part I of this series, we had discussed the ambiguities surrounding the rectification of non-compliances under the Companies Act, 2013 (“Act”). In Part II, we seek to address another critical aspect of the Act – the imposition of liability on a company’s officer for offences and non-compliances by the Company.[1]Continue Reading Critiquing the Regulatory Threshold for an ‘Officer Who is in Default’ under the Companies Act, 2013

Flipping the Script on Reverse Mergers: Analysis of The Latest Amendment to Merger Rules

Introduction

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) on September 9, 2024, amended Rule 25A of the Companies (Compromises, Arrangements and Amalgamations) Rules, 2016 (effective from September 17, 2024), by introducing sub-rule 5. The amendment is intended to promote seamless mergers and amalgamations between a foreign holding company incorporated outside India and an Indian company, being a wholly-owned subsidiary company incorporated in India, i.e., an inbound cross-border reverse merger.Continue Reading Flipping the Script on Reverse Mergers: Analysis of The Latest Amendment to Merger Rules