Introduction

The legislature has time and again introduced various income-tax benefits and incentives to encourage fresh investments and stimulate the economic growth. These incentives are generally given to new businesses in form of tax holidays, concessional tax rates or additional deductions.

In 2018, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 was amended to enable the withdrawal of admitted applications for the initiation of corporate insolvency resolution. Such, withdrawal applications have been subject to greater scrutiny from the adjudicating authority and the committee of creditors where they involve promoters seeking to regain control of corporate debtors.

The Economic Survey prepared by the Economic Division, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India is an annual performance report of the Country’s economy which focuses on the economic developments in the country of each and every sector and helps in better utilization of resources and their allocation in the Union Budget. The Economic Survey is presented before the Budget and the theme of Economic Survey 2021-22, relates to the art and science of policymaking under conditions of extreme uncertainty.

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (Code) was enacted to revamp the insolvency and bankruptcy laws and resolve problems being faced by creditors due to non-repayment of outstanding dues by corporate borrowers. Since our 2020 snapshot on 15 key developments in insolvency law, the Code has been further refined and amended in line with the object of the Code and taking into account the COVID 19 pandemic. The insolvency courts have also played their part in the development of the Code considering the business realities and practical considerations.

The Finance Bill, 2022 introduces amendments to provide clarity and reduce protracted litigation for entities undergoing business succession / reorganisation.

The Government has been making consistent efforts to simplify and rationalise the tax framework in India. Accordingly, the Finance Bill, 2022 (Bill) proposes several amendments to address practical nuances and anomalies arising in business successions/reorganisations.

1. The Launch

The Supreme Court of India has rejected the contention which sought to narrowly define operational debt and operational creditors under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 to only include those who supply goods or services to a corporate debtor and exclude those who receive goods or services from the corporate debtor.

The Court noted that a demand notice for an operational debt by an operational creditor does not necessarily need to be accompanied by an invoice, but it may be sent where such debt arises under a ‘provision of law, contract or other document’.

Introduction:

In a recent judgment, the Supreme Court of India, while keeping up the efforts of plugging various loopholes in Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (“Code”), decided an interesting legal issue relating to the scope of Section 5(20) of the Code, which provides the definition of “operational creditor”.

The Apex Court, in the case of Consolidated Construction Consortium Limited vs. Hitro Energy Solutions Private Limited, was seized of the following legal questions:

The Indian distressed assets sector has seen sustained interest from investors due to several legal developments over the past few years. While the outcomes so far have been a mixed bag, a flexible approach and consistent regulatory focus on resolving distressed assets promises to unleash the potential in the sector. 

The original version of this article was first published in the Trilegal Quarterly Roundup.

今回のニュースレターでは、2021 年 12 月の破産倒産法関連の主なアップデートについて取り扱ってい ます。最高裁判所（＝SC）、会社法上訴審判所（＝NCLAT）、会社法審判所（＝NCLT）において下され た重要な判決についてまとめる共に、2016 年破産倒産法の改正についても解説しています