Case: KSL &amp; Industries Ltd Vs. M/s. Arihant Threads Ltd. &amp; Others

may be considered to be a general law in relation to the recovery of debts. Whereas, the RDDB Act may be considered to be a special law in relation to the recovery of debts and the SICA may be considered to be a general law in this regard. For this purpose we rely on the decision in LIC Vs. Vijay Bahadur (supra). Normally the latter of the two would prevail on the principle that the Legislature was aware that it had enacted the earlier Act and yet chose to enact the subsequent Act with a non-obstante clause. In this case, however, the express intendment of Parliament in the non-obstante clause of the RDDB Act does not permit us to take that view. Though the RDDB Act is the later enactment, sub-section (2) of Section 34 specifically provides that the provisions of the Act or the rules thereunder shall be in addition to, and not in derogation of, the other laws mentioned therein including SICA. 50. The term “not in derogation” clearly expresses the intention of Parliament not to detract from or abrogate the provisions of SICA in any way. This, in effect must mean that Parliament intended the proceedings under SICA for reconstruction of a sick company to go on and for that purpose further intended that all other proceedings against the company and its properties should be stayed pending the process of reconstruction. While the term “proceedings” under Section 22 did not originally include the RDDB Act, which was not there in existence. Section 22 covers proceedings under the RDDB Act.51. The purpose of the two Acts is entirely different and where actions under the two laws may seem to be in conflict, Parliament has wisely preserved the proceedings under the SICA, by specifically providing for sub-section (2), which lays down that the later Act RDDB shall be in addition to and not in derogation of the SICA.52. We might add that this conclusion has been guided by what is considered to be one of the most crucial principles of interpretation viz. giving effect to the intention of the Legislature. The difficulty arose in this case mainly due to the absence of specific words denoting the intention of Parliament to cover applications for recovery of debts under the RDDB Act while enacting Section 22 of the SICA. As observed earlier, the obvious reason for this absence is the fact that the SICA was enacted earlier. It is the duty of this Court to consider SICA, after the enactment of the RDDB Act to ascertain the true intent and purpose of providing that no proceedings for execution or distraints or suits shall lie or be proceeded with. Undoubtedly, in the narrower sense an application for recovery of debt can be giving a restricted meaning i.e. a proceeding which commences on filing and terminates at the judgment. However, there is no need to give such a restricted meaning, since the true purpose of an application for recovery is to proceed to the logical end of execution and recovery itself, that is by way of execution and distraint. We thus have no hesitation in coming to the conclusion that Section 22 clearly covers and interdicts such an application for recovery made under the provisions of the RDB Act. We might remind ourselves of the oft-quoted statement of the principles of contextual construction laid down by this Court in Reserve Bank of India Versus Peerless General Finance and Investment Co. Ltd. & Ors. [(1987)1 SCC 424] , where this Court has observed:- “33. Interpretation must depend on the text and the context. They are the bases of interpretation. One may well say if the text is the texture, context is what gives the colour. Neither can be ignored. Both are important. That interpretation is best which makes the textual interpretation match the contextual. A statute is best interpreted when we know why it was enacted. With this knowledge, the statute must be read, first as a whole and then section by section, clause by clause, phrase by phrase and word by word. If a statute is looked at, in the context of its enactment, with the glasses of the statute-maker, provided by such context, its scheme, the sections, clauses, phrases and words may take colour and appear different than when the statute is looked at without the glasses provided by the context. With these glasses we must look at the Act as a whole and discover what each section, each clause, each phrase and each word is meant and designed to say as to fit into the scheme of the entire Act. No part of a statute and no word of a statute can be construed in isolation. Statutes have to be construed so that every word has a place and everything is in its place.” 53. Moreover, we have found nothing contrary in the intention of the SICA to exclude a recovery application from the purview of Section 22, indeed there could be no reason for such exclusion since the purpose of the provision is to protect the properties of a sick company, so that they may be dealt with in the best possible way for the purpose of its revival by the BIFR. In State of Punjab Vs. The Okara Grain Buyers Syndicate Ltd. [AIR 1964 SC 669 ], the Court articulated the importance of preserving the beneficent purpose of the statute and observed:- “14. …….. We shall therefore proceed to examine the provisions of the Act on the footing that the test for determining whether the Government is bound by a statute is whether it is expressly named in the provision which it is contended binds it, or whether it “is manifest that from the terms of the statute, that it was the intention of the legislature that it shall be bound”, and that the intention to bind would be clearly made out if the beneficent purpose of the statute would be wholly frustrated unless the Government were bound.” 54.

Decision (1 = appeal accepted, 0 = rejected): 0

Explanation:
0[ds]48. This Court approved the observations of the Special Court to the effect that if the legislature confers a non-obstante clause on a later enactment, it means that the legislature intends that the later enactment should prevail. Further, it is a settled rule of interpretation that if one construction leads to a conflict, whereas on another construction two Acts can be harmoniously construed, then the latter must be adopted.49. In view of the observations of this Court in the decisions referred to and relied on by the learned counsel for the parties we find that, the purpose of the two enactments is entirely different. As observed earlier, the purpose of one is to provide ameliorative measures for reconstruction of sick companies, and the purpose of the other is to provide for speedy recovery of debts of banks and financial institutions. Both the Acts arein this sense. However, with reference to the specific purpose of reconstruction of sick companies, the SICA must be held to be a special law, though it may be considered to be a general law in relation to the recovery of debts. Whereas, the RDDB Act may be considered to be a special law in relation to the recovery of debts and the SICA may be considered to be a general law in this regard. For this purpose we rely on the decision in LIC Vs. Vijay Bahadur (supra). Normally the latter of the two would prevail on the principle that the Legislature was aware that it had enacted the earlier Act and yet chose to enact the subsequent Act with a non-obstante clause. In this case, however, the express intendment of Parliament in the non-obstante clause of the RDDB Act does not permit us to take that view. Though the RDDB Act is the later enactment, sub-section (2) of Section 34 specifically provides that the provisions of the Act or the rules thereunder shall be in addition to, and not in derogation of, the other laws mentioned therein including SICA.not inclearly expresses the intention of Parliament not to detract from or abrogate the provisions of SICA in any way. This, in effect must mean that Parliament intended the proceedings under SICA for reconstruction of a sick company to go on and for that purpose further intended that all other proceedings against the company and its properties should be stayed pending the process of reconstruction. While the termunder Section 22 did not originally include the RDDB Act, which was not there in existence. Section 22 covers proceedings under the RDDB Act.51. The purpose of the two Acts is entirely different and where actions under the two laws may seem to be in conflict, Parliament has wisely preserved the proceedings under the SICA, by specifically providing for sub-section (2), which lays down that the later Act RDDB shall be inaddition to andn derogation ofthe SICA.52. We might add that this conclusion has been guided by what is considered to be one of the most crucial principles of interpretation viz. giving effect to the intention of the Legislature. The difficulty arose in this case mainly due to the absence of specific words denoting the intention of Parliament to cover applications for recovery of debts under the RDDB Act while enacting Section 22 of the SICA. As observed earlier, the obvious reason for this absence is the fact that the SICA was enacted earlier. It is the duty of this Court to consider SICA, after the enactment of the RDDB Act to ascertain the true intent and purpose of providing that no proceedings for execution or distraints or suits shall lie or be proceeded with. Undoubtedly, in the narrower sense an application for recovery of debt can be giving a restricted meaning i.e. a proceeding which commences on filing and terminates at the judgment. However, there is no need to give such a restricted meaning, since the true purpose of an application for recovery is to proceed to the logical end of execution and recovery itself, that is by way of execution and distraint. We thus have no hesitation in coming to the conclusion that Section 22 clearly covers and interdicts such an application for recovery made under the provisions of the RDB Act. We might remind ourselves of the oft-quoted statement of the principles of contextual construction laid down by this Court in Reserve Bank of India Versus Peerless General Finance and Investment Co. Ltd. & Ors. [(1987)1 SCC 424] , where this Court hasInterpretation must depend on the text and the context. They are the bases of interpretation. One may well say if the text is the texture, context is what gives the colour. Neither can be ignored. Both are important. That interpretation is best which makes the textual interpretation match the contextual. A statute is best interpreted when we know why it was enacted. With this knowledge, the statute must be read, first as a whole and then section by section, clause by clause, phrase by phrase and word by word. If a statute is looked at, in the context of its enactment, with the glasses of the statute-maker, provided by such context, its scheme, the sections, clauses, phrases and words may take colour and appear different than when the statute is looked at without the glasses provided by the context. With these glasses we must look at the Act as a whole and discover what each section, each clause, each phrase and each word is meant and designed to say as to fit into the scheme of the entire Act. No part of a statute and no word of a statute can be construed in isolation. Statutes have to be construed so that every word has a place and everything is in its place.Moreover, we have found nothing contrary in the intention of the SICA to exclude a recovery application from the purview of Section 22, indeed there could be no reason for such exclusion since the purpose of the provision is to protect the properties of a sick company, so that they may be dealt with in the best possible way for the purpose of its revival by the BIFR. In State of Punjab Vs. The Okara Grain Buyers Syndicate Ltd. [AIR 1964 SC 669 ], the Court articulated the importance of preserving the beneficent purpose of the statute and…….. We shall therefore proceed to examine the provisions of the Act on the footing that the test for determining whether the Government is bound by a statute is whether it is expressly named in the provision which it is contended binds it, or whether itmanifest that from the terms of the statute, that it was the intention of the legislature that it shall beand that the intention to bind would be clearly made out if the beneficent purpose of the statute would be wholly frustrated unless the Government weret is clear that(1) contains aclause, which gives the overriding effect to the RDDB Act.(2) acts in the nature of an exception to such an overriding effect. It states that this overriding effect is in relation to certain laws and that the RDDB Act shall be inaddition to andabrogation of, such laws. The SICA is undoubtedly one such law.38. The effect of(2) must necessarily be to preserve the powers of the authorities under the SICA and save the proceedings from being overridden by the later Act i.e. the RDDB Act.39. We, thus, find a harmonious scheme in relation to the proceedings for reconstruction of the company under the SICA, which includes the reconstruction of debts and even the sale or lease of the sickproperties for the purpose, which may or may not be a part of the security executed by the sick company in favour of a bank or a financial institution on the one hand, and the provisions of the RDDB Act, which deal with recovery of debts due to banks or financial institutions, if necessary by enforcing the security charged with the bank or financial institution, on the other.40. There is no doubt that both are special laws. SICA is a special law, which deals with the reconstruction of sick companies and matters incidental thereto, though it is general as regards other matters such as recovery of debts. The RDDB Act is also a special law, which deals with the recovery of money due to banks or financial institutions, through a special procedure, though it may be general as regards other matters such as the reconstruction of sick companies which it does not even specifically deal with. Thus the purpose of the two laws is different.The conflict that is said to arise is between Section 22 of the SICA which purports to make untenablefor recovery of the debt against the sick company andfor recovery on the one hand and on the other hand Section 34 of the RDDB Act contains an overriding effect to its own provision, obviously including those for recovery of debts. Some of the decisions of this Court dealing with this aspect may be noticed in Ram Narain Vs. Simla Banking & Industrial Co. Ltd. [AIR 1956 SC 614  : 1956 SCR 603 ]. Two statutes, both containingclauses providing that the particular provisions of the Act shall have effect (notwithstanding anything inconsistent contained therein in any other law for the time being in force) fell for consideration. The two Acts were the Banking Company Act 1949 and the Displaced Persons (Debt Adjustment) Act, 1951. This Court gave primacy to the Banking Companies Act. While doing so, this Court….. It is therefore, desirable to determine the overriding effect of one or the other of the relevant provisions in these two Acts, in a given case, on much broader considerations of the purpose and policy underlying the two Acts and the clear intendment conveyed by the language of the relevant provisions therein.In a subsequent case, this Court held that the right to possession enacted by the Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958 was not controlled by the Slum Clearance Act and the right could be enforced in the manner provided in Sectionwithout obtaining prior permission of the competent authority under the Slum Clearance Act. The conflict arose since the Slum Clearance Act contained aclause, to the effect that proceedings for eviction of tenants could not be taken without prior permission of the competent authority. The Delhi Rent Control Act conferred a right under Sectionto recover immediate possession in case the landlord had to vacate residential premises allotted to him by the Central Government. This right was conferred with aclause. This Court held that for resolving such conflicts, one test which may be adopted is that the later enactment must prevail over the earlier one. Having observed that the relevant provisions of the Delhi Rent Control Act had been enacted from 01.12.1975 alongwith aclause with the knowledge that the overriding provision of the Slum Clearance Act was already in existence, the later enactment must prevail over the former.