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2020 Supreme(Del) 1181

IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI
Anu Malhotra, J.
Har Sarup Bhasin - Appellant
Versus
Origo Commodities India Pvt Ltd - Respondent
Criminal Miscellaneous Case No. 1867 of 2019; Criminal Miscellaneous Application No. 9837 of 2019
Decided On : 07-01-2020

Advocates Appeared:
Urvika Suri, Advocate, Purushotam, Advocate

Headnote:

NEGOTIABLE INSTRUMENTS ACT, 1881 - SECTION 138 - SUMMONS - QUASHING - INDEPENDENT, NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - VICARIOUS LIABILITY - SPECIFIC ROLE - COMPANY ACT, 2013 - SECTION 149(12) - INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR - LIABILITY - KNOWLEDGE, ATTRIBUTABLE THROUGH BOARD PROCESSES, CONSENT OR CONNIVANCE OR NEGLIGENCE - COMPLAINT - SPECIFIC AVERMENTS - ESSENTIAL - MERE STATEMENT - INSUFFICIENT - ROLE OF DIRECTOR - TO BE SPELT OUT - SUMMONS QUASHED.

Fact of the Case:

Petitioner, an Independent, Non-Executive Director of the accused company, challenged the summoning order issued against him for the alleged commission of an offence punishable under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881. The complaint alleged that the accused company had availed the services of the complainant by way of sale of Crude Palm Oil and had drawn two cheques which were returned unpaid due to insufficient funds. The petitioner submitted that he was not involved in the day-to-day affairs of the company, had resigned as a Director, and had not signed the cheques in question. The respondent contended that the petitioner was in charge of and responsible for the conduct of the business of the company and that he had participated in 100% of all the meetings of the company.

Finding of the Court:

The Court held that vicarious liability could not be fastened on the petitioner in the absence of any specific role attributed to him in the complaint. The Court noted that the petitioner was an Independent, Non-Executive Director and that Section 149(12) of the Companies Act, 2013 provided that such a director could only be held liable for acts of omission or commission by the company which had occurred with his knowledge, attributable through Board processes, and with his consent or connivance or where he had not acted diligently. The Court further held that the mere statement in the complaint that the petitioner was in charge of and responsible for the conduct of the business of the company was insufficient to establish his liability. The Court quashed the summoning order issued against the petitioner.

Issues: Whether vicarious liability could be fastened on an Independent, Non-Executive Director in the absence of any specific role attributed to him in the complaint.

Ratio Decidendi: Vicarious liability can only be fastened on an Independent, Non-Executive Director for acts of omission or commission by the company which had occurred with his knowledge, attributable through Board processes, and with his consent or connivance or where he had not acted diligently. A mere statement in the complaint that the director was in charge of and responsible for the conduct of the business of the company is insufficient to establish his liability.

Final Decision: The Court quashed the summoning order issued against the petitioner.

JUDGMENT

Anu Malhotra, J. - The petitioner namely Mr. Har Sarup Bhasin vide the present petition seeks the quashing of the order dated 20.02.2017 of the Trial Court of the learned MM-01, New Delhi and the quashing of the complaint i.e. CC No.45438/2016 vide which the petitioner was summoned for the alleged commission of an offence punishable under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.The said complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 has been filed by the complainant M/s Origo Commodities India Pvt. Ltd. arrayed as the respondent to the present petition against the persons arrayed as the accused nos. 1 to 7 i.e. M/s Dinesh Oil Limited, Mr. Dinesh Arora, Ms. Shalini Arora, Mr. Narendra Sharma, Mr. Shyam Kant Tiwari, Mr. Har Sarup Bhasin and Mr. Nikit Rastogi and the petitioner herein arrayed as the respondent no.6 to the said complaint case.

2. The complainant i.e. the respondent through the complaint has alleged that the accused no.1 i.e. M/s Dinesh Oil Limited (hereinafter referred to as the accused company) had availed the services of the complainant i.e. the respondent by way of sale of 250 metric tones of Crude Palm Oil (Edible Grade) in bulk vide Bill of Lading No.DUM/KDL-02 dated 17.03.2016 at the rate of Rs.43,381.10/- per MT which were supplied by the respondent to the accused company pursuant to an agreement for procurement services dated 07.01.2016 executed between the parties. The complainant had averred in the complaint that the accused company was engaged in the business of trading and manufacturing edible/ vegetable oils and other agricultural commodities and that the accused no.2 was the Managing Director and the Whole Time Director of the accused company and that the accused nos. 3 to 7 are the whole time Directors of the accused No.1 the accused company and that the accused nos. 2 to 7 are incharge and responsible for the conduct of the day to day business of the accused No.1company towards the payment in relation to the services received by the accused No.1 the accused company towards part discharge of its liability to pay the outstanding amount to the complainant i.e. the respondent herein, the accused No.1companyinter alia drew two cheques bearing No.185257 & 185258 dated 07.06.2016 for a sum of Rs.50,00,000/- each drawn on the State Bank of India, SME Branch, Sarvoday Nagar, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh which were returned unpaid due to reason of insufficient funds vide a cheque return memo dated 09.06.2016.

3. Through the complaint, it has been stated by the complainant i.e. the respondent that after the issuance of the cheques in discharge of its liability, the accused had failed to make arrangements in their bank for honouring the said cheques and had thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 and that the accused nos. 2 to 7 were in active connivance with the accused no.1 to take malafide steps to ensure the dishonour of the cheques. The complainant i.e. the respondent has further stated through the complaint that it had complied with all the requirements of Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, in as much as the cheques in question were presented within the period of their validity and that the demand for the payment was made to the accused on 15.06.2016 within 30 days of the receipt of the information regarding the dishonouring of the cheques on 09.06.2016 but that the accused failed to make the payment within 15 days of the notice and sent a reply dated 29.07.2016 taking baseless defences.

4. Vide the impugned summoning order dated 20.02.2017, it was observed by the learned Trial Court to the effect:-

    "20.02.2017

      Present: AR for complainant in person along with Ld. Counsel.

        File perused. Heard.

          Evidence by way of affidavit tendered by AR of complainant. Original documents have been filed on record along with the complaint. Statement of AR of complainant recorded separately. Documents have been exhi

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