Tribunal sets aside order under Section 9 of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code

The Tribunal set aside the order admitting the application under Section 9 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, due to incomplete documentation from the Companies Act, 1956. Consequently, all actions taken were declared illegal, the application was dismissed, and proceedings closed. The Respondent was directed to pay the Interim Resolution Professional's fees if appointed. The appeal was allowed without costs.

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Issues:
1. Appeal against order admitting application under Section 9 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.
2. Compliance with Rules for admission of petition under Section 9 of the I&B Code.
3. Settlement of dispute between parties.

Issue 1 - Appeal against order admitting application under Section 9 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016:
The appeal was filed by the Corporate Debtor against the order passed by the Adjudicating Authority admitting the application under Section 9 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016. The appellant argued that the petition was treated as an application under Section 9 without complete documents as per the I&B Code.

Issue 2 - Compliance with Rules for admission of petition under Section 9 of the I&B Code:
The appellant contended that Rule 5 of the Companies (Transfer of Pending Proceedings) Rules, 2016 was not complied with. The respondent failed to submit all required information within 60 days for admission of the petition under Section 9 of the I&B Code and did not propose the name of the Interim Resolution Professional. It was noted that the provisions of the I&B Code were not followed as required.

Issue 3 - Settlement of dispute between parties:
Both parties acknowledged that they had settled the dispute and filed a copy of the settlement before the Tribunal. Despite the settlement, the Adjudicating Authority had admitted the application under Section 9 of the I&B Code without proper completion of the transferred application under the Companies Act, 1956.

The Tribunal, after considering the arguments, held that the application transferred from the Companies Act, 1956 to the Adjudicating Authority was not complete before being treated as an application under Section 9 of the I&B Code. As a result, the impugned order admitting the application was set aside. Consequently, all orders passed by the Adjudicating Authority, including the appointment of an Interim Resolution Professional and actions taken, were declared illegal and set aside. The application under Section 9 of the I&B Code was dismissed, and the proceedings were directed to be closed.

Additionally, the Tribunal directed the Adjudicating Authority to determine the fee of the Interim Resolution Professional, if appointed, with the Respondent being responsible for paying the fees. The appeal was allowed with the above observations and directions, and no costs were awarded in the circumstances of the case.

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