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IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY
ORDINARY ORIGINAL CIVIL JURISDICTION
WRIT PETITION NO.2909 OF 2008
Iccon Oil & Specialities Ltd. )
a Company incorporated under the provisions )
of the Companies Act, 1956 represented through its)
Director Mr. Tushar H. Shah and having its )
registered office at Village Honad, Takai Adhoshi )
Road, Taluka Khalapur, Dist.Raigad,
ig )
Khopoli-400 203. )..Petitioner
Vs.
1.Union of India )
having its address at Aaykar Bhavan, )
Churchgate, Mumbai-400 020. )
2.The Appellate Authority for Industrial )
& Financial Reconstruction (AAIFR) appointed )
under the Sick Industrial Companies (Special )
Provisions) Act, 1985 having its Bench at 10th )
Floor, Jeevan Prakash, 25, Kasturba Gandhi Marg,)
New Delhi. )
3.The Board for Industrial Financial Reconstruction)
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(BIFR) established under Section 4(1) of the Sick )
Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Act, )
1985 and having its Tribunal at Jawahar Vyapar )
Bhavan, 1, Tolstoy Marg, Janpath, )
New Delhi. )
4.The Development Commissioner (Ind.) )
Department of Industries, Government of )
Maharashtra, New Administrative Building, )
Opp. Mantralaya, Madam Cama Road, )
Mumbai-400 032. )
5.Central Bank of India, Head Office, BIFR Cell, )
4th Floor, Chandramukhi, Nariman Point, )
Mumbai-400 020. )
6.Union Bank of India, Central Office, )
239, Vidhan Sabha Marg, Nariman Point, )
Mumbai-400 021. )
7.State Bank of Indore, Head Office, )
5, Y.B.N. Road, Indore-452 003, Madhya )
Pradesh. )
8.The Direcetor General, ESIC, ESIC Building, )
Kotla Road, Behind Foreign Post Office, )
New Delhi. )
9.The General Secretary, Bharatiya Kamgar )
Karmachari Mahasangh, Navalkar Lane, )
1st Floor, Prarthna Samaj, Girgaon, Mumbai-4 )
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10.The Central Provident Fund Commissioner, )
Regional Office, Bhavishyanidhi Bhavan, )
341, Bandra (E), Mumbai-400 051. )
11.The Registrar, The Hon'ble Debts Recovery )
Tribunal No.II at Mumbai having its Bench at )
Scindia House, 5th Floor, Ballard Estate, )
Mumbai-400 038. )
12.Asset Reconstruction Company (India) Ltd., )
a Company incorporated under the provisions )
of the Companies Act, 1956 and having its )
registered office at Shreepati Arcade, August )
Kranti Marg, Nana Chowk, Mumbai-400 036. )..Respondents
Mr. Praveer Diwan with Mr. Gautam Mehta i/b. Shah & Sanghavi, for the petitioner
Ms. Sapana Rachure i/b. Mr. T.N. Tripathi & Co., for the Respondent No.5.
Mr. K. Kandpile with M.S. Bharadwaj for respondent No.1.
Ms.Manjusha Badhe with Mr. Suresh Kumar for Respondent No.10.
.
CORAM : FERDINO I. REBELLO &
A.R. JOSHI, JJ.
DATED : 8TH JANUARY, 2010
ORAL JUDGMENT (PER FERDINO I. REBELLO, J.)
The petitioners are before this Court against the order dated 29th January,
2008 whereby the Appeal preferred by the petitioners herein has been disposed off on
the ground that it is hopelessly barred by limitation.
2. The order by B.I.F.R. is dated 21st December, 2005. Considering Section 25
of the Act the limitation to prefer an Appeal is within 45 days from the date on which
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a copy of the order is issued to the party who prefers an Appeal.
3. On behalf of the petitioners learned Counsel places reliance on the judgment
of the Delhi High Court in the case of Paam Pharmaceutical (Delhi) Ltd. vs. Union
of India &Ors. Section 25 of the Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provisions)
Act, 1985 which hereinafter referred to as the Act reads as under:-
“25. Appeal.– (1) Any person aggrieved by an order of the Board made
under this Act may, within forty-five days from the date on which a copy of the
order is issued to him, prefer an appeal to the Appellate Authority;
Provided that the Appellate Authority may entertain any appeal after the said
period of forty-five days but not after sixty days from the date aforesaid if it is
satisfied that the appellant was prevented by sufficient cause from filing the appeal in
time.
(2) On receipt of an appeal under sub-section (1), the Appellate Authority
may, after giving an opportunity to the appellant to be heard, if he so desires, and
after making such further inquiry as it deems fit, confirm, modify or set aside the
order appealed against or remand the matter to the Board for fresh consideration.”
A perusal of sub-section (1) of Section 25 would show that the limitation
commences from the “date on which a copy of the order is issued to him”. This
would contemplate that the Act itself requires that the copy of the order passed by the
B.I.F.R. Is made available to the Appellant and it is only then the limitation will
commence.
4. From the facts on record we do not find that the learned Appellate Authority
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addressed itself to that issue. The Appellate Authority has proceeded on the footing
that the Appeal was filed on 18th September, 2006 whereas the order of the B.I.F.R.,
is dated 12th December, 2005. It is true that on that day the petitioner before this
Court and Appellant before the Appellate Authority was not represented. Not
represented and/or exparte proceeding would not mean that the order was made
available to the party concerned. The language in its plain and literal sense means a
copy must be made available to the person. In other words that order must be made
available on the very day when the order is passed or if it is not passed on the same
day it must be made available to the party which would contemplate that the copy of
the order is forwarded to the party. If the person is not present, then a copy of the
order must be forwarded to the person. There is no other way that the expression
“from the date on which a copy of the order is issued to him” can be construed.
When the Act uses an expression, that expression must be assigned its natural
meaning.
5. In the instant case we find that the learned Appellate Authority has not
addressed itself to the issue nor recorded a finding as to when the copy of the order
was issued to the petitioner herein. In the light of that the impugned order is set
aside. The matter is restored to the file of the Appellate Authority for de novo
consideration according to law after hearing the petitioner.
6. Rule made absolute accordingly. There shall be no order as to costs.
(A.R. JOSHI, J.) (FERDINO I. REBELLO, J.)
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