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2006 Supreme(AP) 637

2006 (5) ALT 218
G. ROHINI, J.
C.R.P. No. 1215 of 2003
Decided on 14-06-2006.
Jampana Rajya Lakshmi
vs.
Pattapu Seenaiah and others
Advocate Appeared
Mr. N. Satyanarayana, Advocate for the Petitioner.
Mr. E.V. Bhagiratha Rao, Advocate for Respondent No.1.

Headnote:PROVINCIAL INSOLVENCY ACT, Secs.2(e), 10 & 28(6) - CIVIL PROCEDURE CODE, Or.38, R.5 - First respondent filed suit for recovery of money and attached property of petitioner/JDR before judgment - After suit decreed respondent filed E.P for sale of attached property - Petitioner/JDR contends that since I.P filed by her pending suit to adjudicate her as insolvent allowed, all her properties including attached property vested with Official Receiver and that only remedy to petitioner/DHR is to receive dividends, but decree obtained by him in suit cannot be executed indepen-dently - Executing Court allowed E.P holding that since property attached even before filing of I.P, and that DHR is secured creditor, it is open to him to bring property for sale.

       “Secured creditor” - Defined - Order of attachment before judgment obtained by DHR does not confer status of secured creditor - Interim Receiver appointed by Court adjudicating person as insolvent has complete control over properties kept under his custody notwithstanding subsistence of any order of attachment - Order of executing Court, set aside - CRP, allowed.

ORDER

This revision petition is directed against the order dated 20-12-2002 in E.P.No.60 of 2002 in O.S.No.277 of 1997 on the file of the Principal Senior Civil Judge, Ongole.

2. The facts, in brief, are as under:

The first respondent herein filed O.S.No.277 of 1997 for recovery of money and the same was decreed on 24-04-2000. Even during the pendency of the suit, an order of attachment before judgment under Order XXXVIII Rule 5 C.P.C. was in operation against the schedule property. After the suit was decreed, the plaintiff/decree holder/first respondent herein filed E.P.No.60 of 2002 for sale of the attached property. The revision petitioner/first judgment debtor opposed the execution proceedings contending that pending the suit, she filed I.P.No.49 of 1998 under Section 10 of the Provincial Insolvency Act, 1920 (for short the Act) to adjudicate her as insolvent and the same was allowed, by virtue of which all the properties of the revision petitioner/first judgment debtor including the house property which was attached under Order XXXVIII If Rule 5 C.P.C., pending the suit vested with v the official receiver and therefore, the only If remedy available to the decree holder was to receive dividends from the Official Receiver but the decree in O.S.No.277 of 1987 cannot be executed independently. The said objection was overruled by the Court below holding that since the property in question was attached even before filing of the insolvency petition the decree holder is a secured creditor and thus it is open to him to bring the property to sale. Accordingly, by order dated 20-12-2002 the execution petition was allowed. The said order is under challenge in this revision petition

3.1 have heard the learned counsel for both the parties and perused the material on record

4. Section 2(e) of the Act, defines secured creditor as under:

"Secured Creditor" means a person holding a mortgage, charge or lien on the property of the debtor or any part thereof as a security for a debt due to him from the debtor."

5.ln the case on hand, admittedly the E.P. Schedule property was attached during the pendency of the suit under Order XXXVIII Rule 5 C.P.C. much prior to the order in I.P.No.49 of 1998.

6. The question whether such decree holder, who obtained an order of attachment before judgment, is a secured creditor as defined under Section 2(e) of the Act and thus entitled to the protection under Section 28(6) of the Act is no longer res integra.

7.ln Rachamalla Nagi Reddy v. Pasurula Naganna1, this Court, having considered the said issue in detail and having taken into consideration the principles laid down by the Supreme Court in Sardar Govindrao Mahadik and another v. Devi Sahai and others2 as well as Division Bench of this Court in Mutha Subba Rao and others v. The Official Receiver, West Godavari of Eluru and others3 which was rendered following the order in Krishnamurthy Pillai v. Sundaramurthy Pillar, held that the order of attachment before/judgment obtained by the decree holderd6~s not confer him the status of the secured creditor. It was also held that the interim receiver appointed by the Court adjudicating a person as an insolvent has complete control over the properties kept under his custody notwithstanding the subsistence of any order of attachment including attachment made under Order XXXVIII Rule 5 C.P.C.

8. In view of the ratio laid down in the above decision on interpretation of all the relevant provisions, I am of the opinion that the Court below committed an error in holding that the first respondent/decree holder should be considered as secured creditor within the meaning of Section 2(e) of the Act.

9. However, learned counsel for the first respondent, while placing reliance upon a decision of this Court in Vasa viand Company v. Nampally Padma and others5, vehemently contended that the decree holder who obtained the order of attachment before judgment pending the suit, becomes a secured creditor and such. a secured debt can be executed






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