Section 14 SARFAESI Act - CMM/DM Not Required To Adjudicate Disputes Between Borrower/ Third Party And Secured Creditor: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court observed that, while considering an application under Section 14 SARFAESI Act, the CMM/DM is not required to adjudicate the dispute between the borrower and the secured creditor and/or between any other third party and the secured creditor with respect to the secured assets.Once all the requirements under Section 14 of the SARFAESI Act are complied. The Supreme Court observed that, while considering an application under Section 14 SARFAESI Act, the CMM/DM is not required to adjudicate the dispute between the borrower and the secured creditor and/or between any other third party and the secured creditor with respect to the secured assets. In appeal, the issue raised before the Apex Court bench was whether whether while exercising the powers under Section 14 of the SARFAESI Act, the District Magistrate/designated authority could have passed such an order that unless and until the secured creditor terminates the tenancy rights of the third person by following due procedure of law and further orders regarding possession of the mortgaged property then and then only an application under Section 14 of the SARFAESI Act will be decided? Case details Balkrishna Rama Tarle vs Phoenix ARC Private Limited | 2022 LiveLaw 799 | SLP 16013 OF 2022 | 26 September 2022 | Justices MR Shah and Krishna Murari Headnotes Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 ; Section 14 - The powers exercisable by CMM/DM under Section 14 of the SARFAESI Act are ministerial step and Section 14 does not involve any adjudicatory process qua points raised by the borrowers against the secured creditor taking possession of the secured assets - Once all the requirements under Section 14 of the SARFAESI Act are complied with/satisfied by the secured creditor, it is the duty cast upon the CMM/DM to assist the secured creditor in obtaining the possession as well as the documents related to the secured assets even with the help of any officer subordinate to him and/or with the help of an advocate appointed as Advocate Commissioner- At that stage, the CMM/DM is not required to adjudicate the dispute between the borrower and the secured creditor and/or between any other third party and the secured creditor with respect to the secured assets and the aggrieved party to be relegated to raise objections in the proceedings under Section 17 of the SARFAESI Act, before Debts Recovery Tribunal.