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1991 Supreme(Bom) 450

IN THE HIGH COURT OF BOMBAY
S.P. Bharucha S.M. Jhunjhunuwala, JJ.
Podar Mills Limited.... Appellants.
Versus
State Bank of India others.... Respondents.
Appeal No. 432 of 1988 in Notice of Motion No. 337 of 1987 in Suit No. 3607 of 1986, decided on 18-9-1991.
Advocates appeared :
S.H. Doctor with P.R. Diwan i/b Metha Girdharlal, for the appellants.
N.G. Thakkar with S.A. Diwan i/b Little Co., for respondent No. 1.
S.N. Shah i/b Bhaishankar Kanga Girdharlal, for respondents 4 and 5.

Headnote:Sections 8 (1) (e)-Embargo upon filing of proceeding for appointment of Receiver-Notice of motion taken out by Bank-Judge appointed Court receiver of immovable property belonging to Textile company even in absence of consent of Central Government-Whether notice of motion maintainable even in view of embargo under Section 8 (1) (c).

       Clause (c) makes a proceeding for winding up a textile company, a proceeding for the appointment of a liquidator in respect thereof and a proceeding for the appointment of a receiver in respect thereof not maintainable in any Court except thereof not maintainable in any Court except with the consent of the Central Government. The words "in respect there of which follow the words "for the appointment of a liquidator or receiver" must undoubtedly be rean as referring to a proceeding for the appointment of a liquidator or a receiver in respect of the textile company. Proceedings for winding up and for the appointment of a liquidator can only be proceedings under the provisions of the Companies Act. The proceedings for the appointment of a receiver in respect of a textile company must be rean in this context. The word "receiver" must take colour from the words "winding up" and liquidator. So rean, the embargo will be seen to be placed only upon proceedings for the appointment of a receiver in respect of a textile company in the course of proceedings under the Companies Act.

       Section 8 (2) makes it clear that Section 8 is intend ended to carve out of the provisions of the Companies Act certain provisions which will not apply to a textile company the management of whose textile undertaking has been taken over by the Central Government under the Taking Over of Management Act. The note in the margin of Section 8 shows that Section 8 is intended to regulate the application of the Companies Act to textile companies as defined in the Taking over of Management Act.

       Held-Accordingly the plaintiffs notice of motion for the appointment of the Court Receiver as receiver of the immovable property was main able in the absence of the consent of the Central Government.

JUDGMENT - S.P. BHARUCHA, J.:---By the order under appeal the learned Single Judge, upon the Notice of Motion taken out by the plaintiffs, appointed the Court Receiver of immovable property at Jaipur belonging to the 1st defendants and of goods, stocks machineries and moveables therein and of book-debts. He directed the Court Receiver to appoint the 1st defendants his agents in respect of the machinery, fittings, fixtures and immovable property at Jaipur on such terms and Conditions as he thought proper. Further, he gave liberty to the Court Receiver to sell the machines and the moveables and retain the sale proceeds with himself in the event that the 1st defendants were not willing or not in a position to accept the terms of the agency. The 1st defendants are in appeal.

2. The plaintiffs are the State Bank of India. The suit is filed against the 1st defendants for recovery of the sum of Rs. 13,59,49,986.59 due by the 1st defendants under a cash credit account and the sum of Rs. 1,16,58,682.59 due under a term loan account and interest thereon. The suit prays for a declaration that the aforementioned sums are secured by a valid and subsisting equitable mortgage in respect of two immoveable properties at Bombay and land admeasuring 35,380 square meters with structures thereon at Jaipur.

3. It is an admitted position that, by reason of the provisions of the Textile Undertakings (Taking Over of Management) Act, 1983, the textile undertakings of the 1st defendants situated at Bombay have been taken over and vest in the Central Government. The only security in the form of immoveable property which is, therefore, available to the plaintiffs is the immoveable property at Jaipur.

4. It was contended before the learned Single Judge that, by reason of the provisions of section 8(1)(c) of the said Taking Over of Management Act, a receiver could not be appointed of the immoveable property at Jaipur. The learned Single Judge, upon an interpretation of section 8 rejected the contention. He also rejected the contention that, this being a case of an equitable mortgage in which the mortgagee has no right to possession, no receiver could be appointed. He came to the conclusion that a case for the appointment of a receiver had been made out by the plaintiffs.

5. Section 2(d) of the said Taking Over of Management Act defines "textile undertakings" or "the textile undertakings" to mean an undertaking specified in the second column of the First Schedule thereto. Sub-section (e) of section 2 defines "textile company" to mean a company (being a company as defined in the Companies Act, 1956) specified in the third column of the First Schedule, as owning the undertaking specified in the corresponding entry in the second column of that Schedule. The First Schedule, at Item Nos. 9 and 10, refers to the two undertakings of the 1st defendants to Bombay and, in the corresponding entry in column 3, refers to the 1st defendants as the owners thereof. Section 8 reads thus :

"8. Application of Act 1 of 1956.---(1) So long as the management of the textile undertaking of a textile company remains vested in the Central Government under this Act, notwithstanding anything contained in the Companies Act, 1956 or in the memorandum of articles of association of such company, ---

(a) it shall not be lawful for the shareholders of the textile company or any other person to nominate or appoint any person to be a Director of such textile company in relation to such undertaking;

(b) no resolution affecting (whether directly of indirectly) such undertaking which is passed at any meeting of a shareholders of the textile company on or after the appointed day shall be given effect to unless approved by the Central Government;

(c) no proceeding for the winding up of the textile company or for the appointment of a liquidator or receiver in respect thereof shall lie in any Court except with the consent of the Central Government.

(2) Subject to the provisions contained in sub-section (1), a

























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