NCLAT tells NCLT to speed up Essar Steel insolvency case
Live MintAhmedabad/Mumbai: The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, in an oral order on Thursday, directed the Ahmedabad bench of the National Company Law Tribunal to expedite the insolvency case filed against Essar Steel Ltd. NCLAT’s directive came while it was hearing the petition filed by the committee of creditors of Essar Steel, through State Bank of India, against the resolution professional Satish Kumar Gupta and others, said two people privy to the development. “Senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam, appearing for the lenders of Essar Steel, argued that while the statutory requirement is to finish the insolvency case within 270 days this case has already passed 500 days,” said one of the persons cited above. In November 2018, 30 operational creditors and Essar Steel shareholders challenged the CoC and the resolution professional’s decision to accept ArcelorMittal’s resolution plan. At Ahmedabad NCLT, CoC and the resolution professional have opposed ESAHL’s debt recast plan claiming it was against the apex court’s order and was also against the Insolvency and Bankruptcy law and that such proposals by Essar Steel shareholders have been rejected by them in the past.