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The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has held that dues on account of non-payment of TDS can not be a ground to initiate insolvency proceedings against any company. Setting aside an order of the Kolkata bench of NCLT, the appellate tribunal said "the process of Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC) cannot be utilised" for recovery of TDS dues by an operational creditor of the company. "The consequences of non-payment of TDS are provided under Income Tax Act, 1961, and income tax authorities have ample powers to take appropriate action," said the NCLAT bench headed by Chairperson Justice Ashok Bhushan. The bench said the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has committed a "serious error" while directing to initiate insolvency proceedings over a section 9 application filed by an operational creditor under the IBC after admitting that non-payment of the TDS (Tax Deducted at Source) amounts as default "Regarding non-payment of TDS, we are of the view that it is not for us
The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal on Tuesday set aside an NCLT order that rejected an appeal by Reliance Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (RARCL) to initiate insolvency proceeding against Narendra Plastics. The NCLAT also directed the NCLT to initiate the insolvency proceedings against the company. A three-member NCLAT bench headed by Chairperson Justice Ashok Bhushan set aside the order passed by the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) which on August 13, 2021, rejected RARCL's plea to initiate insolvency proceedings. The NCLT had said the RARCL's plea was barred under limitations as it was filed beyond the prescribed limit of three years after default. The tribunal had said the RARCL had filed a petition under section 7 of the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code on May 8, 2019, while Narendra Plastics' account was declared as NPA on June 30, 2014, which was prima facie filed after more than five years. This was challenged by RARCL, which is registered as