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2013 Supreme(Kar) 845

High Court of Karnataka
N. KUMAR & RATHNAKALA, JJ.
BNP Paribas represented herein by its Constituted Attorneys Sabesan Ananthanarayanan & Hyacinth Munshi & Others
Versus
United Breweries (Holdings) Limited Company & Others
OSA Nos. 25, 26, 27, 29, 30 & 43 of 2013
Decided On : 20-12-2013

Advocates Appeared:
For the Appearing Parties:Fereshte Sethna, Advocate for G. Prashanth for M/s. DMD, Udaya Holla Senior Counsel for Vivek Holla for M/s. Holla & Holla, B.N. Harish for Samrad Partners, M.T. Nanaiah, Senior Counsel for Prabhu Goud B. Tumbagi, S.S. Naganand, Senior Counsel for N.N. Harish for M/s. Aaren Associates, M/s. Murali & Co., Shreyas Jayasimha for M/s. AZB Partners, George Joseph, Rayappa Y. Hadagali for M/s. Dua Associates, Fereshte Sethna, G. Prashanth, Advocate for M/s. DMD, Aditya Sondhi, Aditya Narayan, A. Murali, for J. Sagar Associaes Vikranth Hegde, Hina Lawence for M/s. Poovayya & Co., Kumar, Bhat, Sundar Raman, M/s. Gerohalli Law Associates, Advocates.

Headnote:COMPANIES ACT, 1956 - Section 536(2): [N. Kumar & Mrs. Rathnakala, JJ] Jurisdiction of Company Court during pendency of Company Petition for winding up - Grant of permission by Company Judge to sell equity shares -Held, The application under Section 536(2) was not maintainable, much less the Court had jurisdiction to pass an order allowing the application, even before the Company Petition is admitted. Conditions imposed to protect the interest of the Company, its creditors, its shareholders as well as purchasers of share.

Judgment :

All these appeals are preferred against the common order passed by the learned Company Judge in Company Application Nos.437, 441, 440, 439 and 438/2012 in Company Petition Nos.122, 121, 248, 185 and 57/2012 decided on 24th May 2013, where on an application filed under Section 536(2) read with Section 537(1) of the Companies Act, 1956 (for short hereinafter referred to as 'the Act'), granted permission to the Company to sell 13,612,591 equity shares of United Spirits Limited (USL) held by it, to Relay B.V. and Diageo Plc and others acting in concert, at a sale price of Rs.1,440/- per equity share and other consequential directions. Therefore, all these appeals are taken up for consideration together.

2. For the purpose of convenience, the parties are referred to as they are referred to in the Company Petitions.

3. The petitioner - BNP Paribas is a Company organized and existing under the laws of Republic of France, which has a registered office at 16, Boulevard Des, Italiens- 75009, Paris, France, which is a Bank. The petitioner financed the acquisition of three Aircrafts by Kingfisher Aero. However, they secured guarantees from the respondent - United Breweries (Holdings) Limited. On account of default committed by the Kingfisher, the petitioner became entitled to invoke the guarantees issued by the respondent. The total amount due to the petitioner as on 2nd November 2012 is in a sum of US$ 26,634,728 which roughly amounts to Rs.180 crores. Therefore, the petitioner invoked the guarantee and called upon the respondent to make the aforesaid payment. When the said amounts were not paid, petitioner through its Advocate issued a statutory notice of winding up dated 5th

July 2012 under Sections 433 and 434 of the Act, calling upon the respondent to make payment of the said sum of US$ 26,634,728 to the petitioner within 21 days from the date of receipt of the statutory notice. The statutory notice was duly served upon the respondent by registered post acknowledgement due and hand delivery at its registered office and the office stated in the guarantee deed and was received by the respondent on 6th July 2012. On receipt of the said legal notice, the respondent has failed to repay the sums demanded or respond in any manner whatsoever to the aforesaid statutory notice for winding up. Therefore, on 5th November 2012, the petitioner presented this petition for an order of winding up the respondent under the provisions of the Companies Act and for other consequential reliefs.

4. The petitioner - RRPF Engine Leasing Limited is a Company incorporated under the laws of England, having its registered office at 65 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6AT, England and is engaged in the business of renting air transport equipments, including aircraft engines.

5. The petitioner and its holding company, Rolls- Royce & Partners Finance Limited entered into a Master Engine Lease Agreement dated September 30, 2005, with Kingfisher Airlines Limited. The said master agreement was executed in order to provide for a standing facility permitting the lessee to lease aircraft engines and associated equipment from the petitioner & RRPF from time to time under a lease agreement incorporating the terms of the Master Agreement and any appropriate amendments specified in the lease agreement. Pursuant to the master agreement, petitioner & RRPF and the lessee - Kingfisher i.e., respondent, entered into agreements for leasing several aircraft engines. In terms of the aforesaid master agreement, they entered into lease agreement No.1 dated 30th September 2005; lease agreement No.2 dated 30th September 2005 and lease agreement No.4 dated 28th March 2007.

6. Their case is that, the respondent has executed a corporate guarantee dated 27th September 2007 in favour of the petitioner & RRPF for the amounts due under the aforesaid agreements. In fact, three separate deeds of corporate guarantee in respect of each lease were executed. The lessee - Kingfisher defaulted in makin





















































































































































































































































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