IBC – Threshold limit proposed to be enhanced for CIRP

At present Rs 1 lakh is the threshold limit to file an application in NCLT for triggering the incidence of Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process(CIRP) under Insolvency & bankruptcy Code,2017(IBC).

This had resulted into flooding of applications in NCLT. In last three and half year, approx. 23,000 cases have come to the NCLT under IBC.It is pertinent to note that almost 65% of such cases are settled prior to the admission under IBC.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a “pandemic” on March 11, 2020.

The Covid-19 pandemic is having an overwhelming impact on global order. These are testing times for nations. For India and for most other countries, the outbreak presents twin challenges, not only containing the virus spread, but also limiting the economic impact in an already slowing economy.

Threshold enhanced with force majeure awaited in Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code(IBC) due to COVID-19

In order to check the economical slowdown in the business, the Finance Minister on 24th March,2020 has announced various reliefs and relaxations in IBC due to the pandemic outburst of Covid-19 as below:

With more than three lakh confirmed cases and 14 thousand deaths across 190 countries, the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has caused (and continues to cause) unprecedented disruptions in the global political, social and economic environment. India has not remained untouched from this. With almost 500 confirmed cases and the country in lock-down mode to prevent further outbreak, social and economic activities have come to a grinding halt.

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 brought in a substantial financial discipline among Indian Companies. Prior to the said Code, taking advantage of delay in litigations due to high pendency of cases in the courts, companies were always dragging the payments. The above said Code mandated that if a company is not able to make the payment within 10 days from the date of receipt of a demand notice from the creditor, it is treated as default. Hence, the creditor can approach National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) seeking to initiate insolvency proceedings against the defaulter.

Impact of COVID 19 Outbreak on Courts

In terms of the number of registered Covid-19 data across the world, India lies at the bottom of the list. However, in the last few weeks, India has witnessed a rapid increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases. As a result, there lies a possibility that India might witness a severe outbreak of this pandemic disease within a short period of time if its spread is left unchecked.

On March 24, 2020, the Finance Minister announced several relief measures across sectors, relating to Statutory and Regulatory compliance matters, in view of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The main relief measures have been detailed below, along with their implications for businesses. 

In response to the global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), governments in many countries have issued emergency legislation to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on companies’ day-to-day operations. Since March 24, 2020, the Indian government has been announcing various measures aimed to ease corporate and tax compliance for companies doing business in India, as well as other measures pertaining to employment and bankruptcy matters. Below is a high-level overview of some of the most relevant aspects of these measures as they pertain to India subsidiaries of US companies.

Below are the key highlights of the newsletter:

• Supreme Court: No provision under the IBC requiring the resolution plan to match liquidation value; and an approved resolution plan cannot be withdrawn under Section 12A of the IBC
• NCLAT: No default by real estate developer if possession delayed due to reasons beyond control
• Supreme Court: Provident Fund benefits payable to contractual employees from date of filing writ petition and not retrospectively
• NCLT: Automatic waiver of legal proceedings is not permitted in a resolution plan