Even after Agreement to Assign, IBC Section 7 application filed by Financial Creditor (assignor) against Corporate Debtor is maintainable – JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd. Vs. Howrah Mills Company Ltd. and Anr. – NCLAT New Delhi
Hon’ble NCLAT held that:
(i) Agreement dated 15.01.2020 was only agreement to assign and was not assignment agreement. Purchase consideration has not been paid. No document of assignment has yet been executed by the appellant in favour of Intending Assignee.
(ii) In any view of the matter, the debt of financial creditor has not been assigned to Intending Assignee till date. The Appellant continue to be creditor and the Corporate Debtor as a debtor.
(iii) Section 231 of the IBC which contains an injunction which is couched in negative term that “no civil court shall have jurisdiction in respect of any matter in which the Adjudicating Authority or the Board is empowered by, or under, this Code to pass any order”.
(iv) The interim injunction order passed by Court can have no effect on continuous of Section 7 application.
(v) The intending assignment having never taken place, the debt cannot be held to be assigned to Intending Assignee so that the Intending Assignee may step into the shoes of the financial creditor of the corporate debtor.