TaxTMI 
TaxTMI 
2022 (2) TMI 364
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..... 223/ALD/2018 came to be instituted under Section 7 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC) against M/s. JVL. The resolution plan failed and the company was directed to be wound up. The bank issued a show-cause to the petitioner under the Wilful Defaulter Guidelines on 7th November, 2019. During the pendency of the said proceedings, an application under Section 95 of the IBC, being C.P No. (IB) 58/ALD/2021 was filed by the Bank against the writ petitioner around 4th October, 2021. Thereafter the final order of the review committee was passed on18th October, 2021 declaring him a willful defaulter. The writ petitioner submits that he is entitled to stay of the aforesaid order 18th October, 2021, in view of the moratorium under Section 96 of the 2016 Act. Reliance is placed upon a decision dated 4.3.2021 of Co-ordinate Bench in Ayan Mallick & Anr. vs. SBI being WPO No. 23 of 2021, particularly in paragraph 22 thereof. It is further argued that if the order of the Review Committee is at large or given effect to, it would defeat the object and purpose of the IBC proceedings against him. The efforts of the writ petitioner to square off the debt would stand seriously h....
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....ess the moot question whether the scope of Moratorium U/s. 14 is the same as Section 96 of the IBC. Sections 14 and 96 of the IBC are set out hereinbelow:- "14. Moratorium - (1) Subject to provisions of sub-sections (2) and (3), on the insolvency commencement date, the adjudicating authority shall by order declare moratorium for prohibiting all of the following, namely- (a) the institution of suits or continuation of pending suits or proceedings against the corporate debtor including execution of any judgment, decree or order in any court of law, tribunal, arbitration panel or other authority; (b) transferring, encumbering, alienating or disposing of by the corporate debtor any of its assets or any legal right or beneficial interest therein; (c) any action to foreclose, recover or enforce any security interest created by the corporate debtor in respect of its property including any action under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 (54 of 2002); (d) the recovery of any property by an owner or lessor where such property is occupied by or in the possession of the corporate ....
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....been dealt with in the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of SBI Vs. Ramakrishnan reported in (2018) 17 SCC 394 Paragraphs 20, 26, 26(1) and 26(2) are set out herein below. "20. Section 14 refers to four matters that may be prohibited once the moratorium comes into effect. In each of the matters referred to, be it institution or continuation of proceedings, the transferring, encumbering or alienating of assets, action to recover security interest, or recovery of property by an owner which is in possession of the corporate debtor, what is conspicuous by its absence is any mention of the personal guarantor. Indeed, the corporate debtor and the corporate debtor alone is referred to in the said section. A plain reading of the said section, therefore, leads to the conclusion that the moratorium referred to in Section 14 can have no manner of application to personal guarantors of a corporate debtor. 26. We are also of the opinion that Sections 96 and 101, when contrasted with Section 14, would show that Section 14 cannot possibly apply to a personal guarantor. When an application is filed under Part III, an interim-moratorium or a moratorium is applicable in resp....
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....sented State law no sooner it is made or enacted. We see no justification for inhibiting Parliament from repealing, amending or varying any State legislation, which has received the President's assent, overriding within the State's territory, an earlier parliamentary enactment in the concurrent sphere, before it is brought into force. Parliament can repeal, amend, or vary such State law no sooner it is assented to by the President and that it need not wait till such assented-to State law is brought into force. This view finds support in the judgment of this Court in Tulloch [State of Orissa v. M.A. Tulloch & Co., AIR 1964 SC 1284 : (1964) 4 SCR 461] . 80. Lastly, the definitions of the expressions "laws in force" in Article 13(3)(b) and Article 372(3) Explanation I and "existing law" in Article 366(10) show that the laws in force include laws passed or made by a legislature before the commencement of the Constitution and not repealed, notwithstanding that any such law may not be in operation at all. Thus, the definition of the expression "laws in force" in Article 13(3)(b) and Article 372(3) Explanation I and the definition of the expression "existing law" in Artic....
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.... not aimed at letting a wrong doer to get away as held by the Supreme Court in the case of Manish Kumar vs. Union of India reported in 2021 SCC OnLine page 38. In the backdrop of the above this Court is inclined to accept the argument of Mr. Rai for the bank that the moratorium in respect of debt is restricted to proceedings of recovery of any debt against the respondent "in person". This is in harmony with dicta at paragraph 20 in the Ramakrishnan Case (supra). To stay wilful defaulter proceedings, criminal proceeding or quasi criminal proceeding under any Moratorium under Section 96 would defeat the object and purpose of the part III of the IBC. Stay of such collateral proceedings would also result in putting a premium on the impropriety and illegality for which the proceedings under Section 95 are initiated. The argument of Mr. Rajarshi Dutta that the continuation of the wilful defaulter proceedings would seriously hamper and impede his client's ability to make good repay or come up with; a scheme to satisfy creditors is fallacious. Such stay would also amount to permitting a wrong doer to commit a further wrongs for the purpose of remedying an existing wrong. All lenders are....