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1962 Supreme(Mad) 124

High Court of Judicature at Madras
THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE S RAMACHANDRA IYER & THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE T V RAMAKRISHNAN
Gitanjali Press Private Limited - Appellant
Versus
S. Thangaswami and Another - Respondent
Case No : Original Side Appeal No. 59 of 1961
Decided On : 10 April 1962

Advocates Appeared:R. Gopalaswami Ayyangar, S. Sankara Ayyar, K. Radhakrishnan, Advocates.

Judgment :-

RAMACHANDRA IYER C.J.

This appeal arises from the judgment of Venkatadri J. in O.P. No. 77 of 1960 appointing an administrator to conduct the affairs of a private limited company, Gitanjali Press (Private) Ltd., at Pudukottai, along with its managing director for the duration of certain appeals pending in this court. Gitanjali Press (Private) Ltd., the appellant, was incorporated on 27th October, 1946, under the Indian Companies Act, 1913, as applied to the former Pudukottai State. The nominal capital of the company is Rs. 30, 000 divided into 300 shares of Rs. 100 each; 203 out of the 300 shares have been issued and are fully paid up. Swamikannu Pillai, an Indian Christian, was the promoter of this concern and he owned 50 shares. Thangaswami and Ratnam, the son and brother respectively of Swamikannu Pillai, owned 20 shares each; 113 shares stood in the names of the employees of the press owned and conducted by the company. It is, however, claimed on behalf of the respondents, the heirs of Swamikannu Pillai who died on 18th November, 1956, that these shares were held by the employees only benami for Swamikannu Pillai and that after his death they stood transferred in their favour. The company, as stated already was running a press at Pudukottai. Swamikannu Pillai was its managing director till the date of his death. His brother, Ratnam, who was the secretary of the company till then, succeeded to the office as managing director, though it is not clear as to how he succeeded to that office. After the death of SWamikannu Pillai misunderstandings arose between his heirs (respondents) on the one side and Ratnam, his brother, on the other. The latter claimed that although he and his brother (Swamikannu Pillai) were Indian Christians, they had adopted Hindu law and customs and that there having been a coparcenary between the brothers he would be entitled to a half share in all the properties which stood in the name of Swamikannu Pillai including his interest in the company's shares. Ratnam then filed three suits, O.S. Nos. 6, 20 and 34 of 1958 in the Sub-Court, Pudukottai, for a declaration that the properties standing in the name of the deceased, Swamikannu Pillai, belonged to the joint family of which he was a member and for partition and separate possession of his share in the said joint family properties. These suits were however dismissed. Appeals have been filed by Ratnam in this court against decrees and judgments in those suits. A.S. No. 35 of 1960 is the appeal which comprises as its subject-matter, the interest of the deceased, Swamikannu Pillai, in the Gitanjali PressWhile the suits filed by Ratnam were pending in the trial court, the son and the widow of Swamikannu Pillai, respondents to this appeal, filed a company application No. 77 of 1960 for the winding up of the company under section 433 of the Companies Act, 1956. Substantially two grounds were alleged in support of the petition. The first was that the company was unable to pay its debts in that it had not discharged a liability of Rs. 21, 747.77 due to the estate of the deceased, Swamikannu Pillai, in spite of demands. The second was that it was just and equitable that the company should be wound up, the reason being that there was a deadlock in the management in that a minor shareholder was oppressing the majority of shareholders. The latter ground requires further clarification. The case for the respondents was that by virtue of the fact that they had become the sole heirs of Swamikannu Pillai, they were entitled exclusively to the fifty shares that stood in his name and also to the 113, shares held by the employees of the press benami for the deceased and thus they had become entitled to 203 shares inclusive of those that originally stood in the name of the first respondent. It was stated that Ratnam, on the other hand, was entitled only to 20 shares and that he, arrogating to himself the position of a managing director, was conducting the affairs o


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