Karnataka High Court
Airwings Private Limited - Appellant
Versus
Viktoria Air Cargo Gmbh Langer Kornweg - Respondent
Decided On : 08-17-94
O.S.A. : 19 of 1993
The court held that before admitting and advertising a winding-up petition under Section 433(e) of the Companies Act against a company that is a going concern, the Company Court must conduct a summary inquiry after hearing the petitioning-creditor and the company on notice to determine whether there is a prima facie case for winding up the company. The court also held that the order passed by the Company Court admitting and advertising the petition must be sufficiently speaking to enable any reader to understand the reasons for the court's findings and the line of reasoning adopted by the court in appreciating the relevant evidence.
Fact of the Case:
In this case, several company petitions were filed under Section 433(e) of the Companies Act, seeking the winding up of various companies on the ground that they were unable to pay their debts. The petitions were referred to the court for a decision on two questions: (1) What is the scope of inquiry or hearing before admitting and advertising the company petition? (2) What is the nature or contents of the order and whether the usual practice of not providing detailed reasons for admission and advertisement of the petition is applicable?
Finding of the Court:
1. The court held that before admitting and advertising a winding-up petition under Section 433(e) of the Companies Act against a company that is a going concern, the Company Court must conduct a summary inquiry after hearing the petitioning-creditor and the company on notice to determine whether there is a prima facie case for winding up the company. 2. The court also held that the order passed by the Company Court admitting and advertising the petition must be sufficiently speaking to enable any reader to understand the reasons for the court's findings and the line of reasoning adopted by the court in appreciating the relevant evidence.
Issues: 1. What is the scope of inquiry or hearing before admitting and advertising the company petition? 2. What is the nature or contents of the order and whether the usual practice of not providing detailed reasons for admission and advertisement of the petition is applicable?
Ratio Decidendi: The court held that the Company Court has the discretion to issue notice to the company before admitting and advertising the petition, and that in appropriate cases, a notice and hearing may be necessary to protect the commercial prestige of the company and to prevent disastrous effects on its existence in the commercial world. The court also held that the order passed by the Company Court admitting and advertising the petition must be sufficiently speaking to enable any reader to understand the reasons for the court's findings and the line of reasoning adopted by the court in appreciating the relevant evidence.
Final Decision: The court answered the referred questions accordingly and held that in the case of a company that is a going concern, the Company Court must conduct a summary inquiry after hearing the petitioning-creditor and the company on notice to determine whether there is a prima facie case for winding up the company. The court also held that the order passed by the Company Court admitting and advertising the petition must be sufficiently speaking to enable any reader to understand the reasons for the court's findings and the line of reasoning adopted by the court in appreciating the relevant evidence.
( 1 ) COMMON procedural questions arise for our consideration in O. S. A. 19/93 and other Company Petitions. In Company Petitions, learned single Judge, Rajendra Babu, J. , has referred the following two questions for our decision. (1) What is the scope of enquiry or hearing. (2) The nature or contents of order and whether the usual practise of this Court when matters are admitted and interim orders are granted no detailed reasons are setforth, applicable? as the common reference order shows these questions pertain to the stage prior to admission and advertisement of the Company petition moved by the petitioning-creditor for seeking order for winding-up respondent company on the ground that the Comany is unable to pay its debts as envisaged by S. 433 (e) of the Act. In O. S. A. No. 19/93 also these procedural questions squarely arise for our consideration. Therefore, they were all heard together and are being disposed of by this common judgment.
( 2 ) THE common questions pertain to the procedure to be followed by learned Company Judge before admitting and ordering advertisement of such petition. When such company petitions are filed, whether they could be straightway admitted and ordered to be advertised by the learned Company Judge or whether the learned Company Judge is required to follow some procedure by way of holding a summary enquiry about the right of the petitioner to move the petition and the nature of the order to be passed in such an enquiry or hearing are the main questions posed for our consideration. As the aforesaid questions are referred in the Company petitions and as they also arise in O. S. A. 19/93, we shall first deal with these procedural questions before adverting to the merits of O. S. A. 19/193, the fate of which will depend upon our decision on these referred questions.
( 3 ) MR. Harikrishna Holla, Advocate appearing for appellant Company in O. S. A. No. 19/93 and other learned advocates appearing for the concerned respondent companies, sought to be wound-up, have contended before us that in case of companies which are going concerns and whose commercial-cum-manufacturing activities have not come to a grinding halt and who employ large number of workers would suffer very great and disastrous consequences if such petitions moved by the petitioning-creditors for their winding-up on the ground that the respondent-companies are unable to pay their debts, are ex parte admitted and ordered to be advertised by the learned Company Judge. They however were not very sanguine about these respondent companies which had become defunct by passage of time and which had suspended for indefinite period their commercial-cum manufacturing activities and which had discharged their workmen by the time company petitions came to be filed. In cases of such companies which are already defunct and which otherwise also have no commercial or financial credit in the market, if winding-up petitions against them are ex parte admitted and advertised as per the provisions of the Act and the Rules, no pernicious effect thereof would result on such defunct companies. But in case of a Company, which is a going concern, if petition is moved to wind it up, learned Company Judge has to hold at least a summary enquiry for finding-out whether the petitioning creditor is a creditor of the Company. If yes, what is the ascertained or substantially ascertained due amount whether such debt is due and payable and is not barred by time, whether the company is unable to pay this debt and also its all other debts and after satisfying itself on all these preliminary questions, the question of admitting the company petition and directing its advertisement would arise and not before that. That in the process, the respondent. Company will have to be issued a notice and has to be heard. Mr. Holla, submitted that such a preliminary enquiry would be in the nature of decision on preliminary issues as aforesaid and which may not be lig
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