Jk Jute Mill Mazdoor Morcha vs Juggilal Kamlapat Jute Mills Company ...

1. The present appeal raises an important question as to whether a trade union could be said to be an operational creditor for the purpose of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 [“Code”]. The facts of the present case reveal a long-drawn saga of a jute mill being closed and reopened several times until finally, it has been closed for good on 07.03.2014. Proceedings were pending under Digitally signed by the Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Act, 1985. On NIDHI AHUJA Date: 2019.04.30 18:13:12 IST Reason: 14.03.2017, the appellant issued a demand notice on behalf of 1 roughly 3000 workers under Section 8 of the Code for outstanding dues of workers. This was replied to by respondent No.1 on 31.03.2017. The National Company Law Tribunal [“NCLT”], on 28.04.2017, after describing all the antecedent facts including suits that have been filed by respondent No.1 and referring to pending writ petitions in the High Court of Delhi, ultimately held that a trade union not being covered as an operational creditor, the petition would have to be dismissed. By the impugned order dated 12.09.2017, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal [“NCLAT”] did likewise and dismissed the appeal filed by the appellant before us, stating that each worker may file an individual application before the NCLT.

8. No doubt, this judgment was in the context of a winding up petition, but the rationale based upon Section 15(c) and (d) equally applies to a petition filed under the Code.

10. Even otherwise, we are of the view that instead of one consolidated petition by a trade union representing a number of workmen, filing individual petitions would be burdensome as each workman would thereafter have to pay insolvency resolution process costs, costs of the interim resolution professional, costs of appointing valuers, etc. under the provisions of the Code read with Regulations 31 and 33 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (Insolvency Resolution Process for Corporate Persons) Regulations, 2016. Looked at from any angle, there is no doubt that a registered trade union which is formed for the purpose of regulating the relations between workmen and their employer can maintain a petition as an operational creditor on behalf of its members. We must never forget that procedure is the handmaid of justice, and is meant to serve justice. This Court, in Kailash v. Nanhku and Ors., (2005) 4 SCC 480, put it thus:

11. The NCLAT, by the impugned judgment, is not correct in refusing to go into whether the trade union would come within the definition of “person” under Section 3(23) of the Code. Equally, the NCLAT is not correct in stating that a trade union would not be an operational creditor as no services are rendered by the trade union to the corporate debtor. What is clear is that the trade union represents its members who are workers, to whom dues may be owed by the employer, which are certainly debts owed for services rendered by each individual workman, who are collectively represented by the trade union. Equally, to state that for each workman there will be a separate cause of action, a separate claim, 14 and a separate date of default would ignore the fact that a joint petition could be filed under Rule 6 read with Form 5 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy (Application to Adjudicating Authority) Rules, 2016, with authority from several workmen to one of them to file such petition on behalf of all. For all these reasons, we allow the appeal and set aside the judgment of the NCLAT. The matter is now remanded to the NCLAT who will decide the appeal on merits expeditiously as this matter has been pending for quite some time. The appeal is allowed accordingly.

(Vineet Saran) New Delhi.

April 30, 2019.