In order to protect honest creditors against the unscrupulous debtors who are using insolvency as a shield to evade of their liabilities, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (hereinafter referred to as “IBC”) was incorporated. The IBC works in pursuit of insolvency resolution process in a time-bound manner for maximization of value of assets which promotes entrepreneurship, availability of credit and balance the interests of all the stakeholders.

Introduction –

The Delhi High Court in the case of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. vs Jyoti Structures Ltd.[1], vide its order dated December 11, 2017, ruled that Section 14(1)(a) of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, (hereinafter referred to as the ‘IBC’) would not apply to proceedings which are beneficial to the corporate debtor.

Legal provision –

Introduction:

The objective of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (hereinafter referred to as the ’Code’) is multi-faceted. Not only does it seek to promote entrepreneurship, by making availability of credit more transparent, but it also balances the interests of all stakeholders by consolidating and amending the laws relating to reorganization and insolvency resolution of corporate persons, partnership firms and individuals, in a time bound manner and for maximization of the value assets of such persons and other related matters.

Introduction

Recently, in Neelkanth Township and Construction Pvt. Ltd. v.Urban Infrastructure Trustees Ltd, Company Appeal (AT) (Insolvency) No. 44 of 2017 (Neelkanth Township), the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) addressed several issues with regard to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC).

Owing to the dynamic nature and demand of the business, the entities require to constantly modify their business model. Corporate restructuring is an instrument to effectively implement the strategies devised by changing the business model, management team or financial structure of the corporations. Growth of these corporations is either through organic means (through internal means like financial restructuring) or inorganic means in order to obtain accelerated growth (through external sources like mergers, acquisition).

Need for Merger

The efficacious implementation of the comprehensive and systematic Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, (hereinafter referred to as “IBC”) has instilled confidence in the creditors being a comprehensive, systemic and speedy reform thereby paving way for development and progress. The latest revision in the IBC by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (hereinafter referred to as “IBBI”) has further tightened the reins over the dishonest and fraudulent debtors by implementation of stricter policies controlling their conduct.

Key points

On 5 May 2017, a day after the recent Banking Regulation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 (Ordinance) received Presidential assent, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a circular on ‘Timelines for Stressed Assets Resolution’ (Circular). The Circular amends the existing “Framework for Revitalising Distressed Assets in the Economy – Guidelines on JLF and CAP” dated 26 February 2014 (JLF Framework) and mandates members of a joint lenders forum (JLF) to follow strict timelines in implementing the corrective action plan (CAP) or suffer penal consequences for non-compliance.

Introduction

The term ‘dispute’ assumes great importance under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (Code). This is because under Section 9(5)(ii)(d) of the Code, an operational creditor’s application for initiating corporate insolvency is liable to be rejected if a ‘notice of dispute’ in relation to ‘existence of a dispute’ is received by such an operational creditor from a corporate debtor. The term ‘dispute’ is defined in Section 5(6) and referred to in Section 8(2) of the Code in the following manner: