Cross-border insolvency report: A bird’s eye view

The Insolvency Law Committee issued a report on cross-border insolvency in October after considering public comments received on a draft framework issued by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. The committee considered the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency, 1997 (Model Law), and its implementation in the UK, the US, and Singapore.

Applicability: The proposed legislation may be applicable initially to corporate debtors (including foreign companies) under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC). Following principles of legal reciprocity, benches of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) may be notified for recognition of foreign proceedings and cooperation with foreign courts and foreign representatives. Insolvency professionals or liquidators under IBC also may be authorized to act in foreign countries subject to regulations. NCLT may refuse to take action in a proceeding, if its implementation will be manifestly contrary to India’s public policy. Public policy exception is recommended to be applicable restrictively with the inclusion of the phrase “manifestly contrary”. The central government will be asked to weigh in whenever a question of public policy is involved and international jurisprudence is to be relied upon where an exception is needed. The central government may be granted the power to act on its own cognizance (suo motu) in case it feels that an NCLT order may be against public policy. Amendments to certain sections of Companies Act, 2013, have also been proposed.

Abhishek Dutta is the founder and managing partner and Astha Srivastava is senior associate at Aureus Law Partners.