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NON-REPORTABLE IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION

CIVIL APPEAL NO. 18898-18899 OF 2017 [@ SPECIAL LEAVE PETITION (C) NOs. 6548-6549 OF 2017]

STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH                      Appellant(s)                                 VERSUS

OFFICIAL LIQUIDATOR  M/S HUKUMCHAND MILLS LTD.(IN LIQUIDATION)  & ORS.  Respondent(s)

J U D G M E N T KURIAN, J. 1. Leave granted. 2. The  limited  grievance  with  which  the appellant-State has come up before this Court is that the liberty sought by it before the learned Company Judge to file a suit has been declined. 3. The application was filed under Section 446 of  the  Companies  Act,  1956.   The  reason  for rejection  of  the  application,  according  to  the High Court, is that the State did not have any say in the matter since it was a case of lease between the Municipal Corporation and the company in liquidation.  However, it is the case of the State that the State is the owner of the land, therefore, it has a stake in the matter.

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4. In our view, this being a new case set up by the State for the first time before this Court, the same needs to be addressed by the learned Company Judge.  5. Accordingly, the impugned order is set aside and the matter is remitted to the learned Company Judge.  We make it clear that the learned Company Judge will decide the matter afresh without being influenced  by  any  of  the  observations  made  by this Court or the stand taken by the High Court in the impugned order.  We request the learned Company  Judge  to  consider  the  matter expeditiously and in any case, within two months from the date of production of a copy of this Judgment. 6. We make it clear that we have not expressed any opinion on the merits of the case, therefore, all contentions are left open to the parties to raise before the learned Company Judge.  It will be open to the secured creditors to bring to the notice  of  the  Company  Judge  any  subsequent development  as  well.   The  contentions  made  on behalf of the workmen shall also be addressed by the learned Company Judge.

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7. In view of the above, the civil appeals are disposed of.  

Pending Interlocutory Applications, if any, stand disposed of.    

.......................J.               [ KURIAN JOSEPH ]  

.......................J.               [ R. BANUMATHI ]  

New Delhi; November 17, 2017.

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ITEM NO.7               COURT NO.5               SECTION IV-A                S U P R E M E  C O U R T  O F  I N D I A                        RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Petition(s) for Special Leave to Appeal (C)  No(s).  6548-6549/2017 (Arising out of impugned final judgment and order dated  14-06-2016 in CO No. 3/2014 14-06-2016 in CO No. 4/2014 passed by the High Court Of M.p At Indore) STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH                            Petitioner(s)                                 VERSUS OFFICIAL LIQUIDATOR M/S HUKUMCHAND MILLS LTD.  (IN LIQUIDATION) & ORS.   Respondent(s) (FOR  STAY  APPLICATION   ON  IA  5/2017   FOR  EXEMPTION  FROM  FILING  O.T.  ON  IA  7/2017  and  IA No.63075/2017-PERMISSION  TO  FILE  ADDITIONAL  DOCUMENTS  and  IA No.63088/2017-PERMISSION  TO  FILE  ADDITIONAL  DOCUMENTS   FOR APPLICATION FOR TRANSPOSITION ON IA 51476/2017) Date : 17-11-2017 These matters were called on for hearing today. CORAM :  HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE KURIAN JOSEPH          HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE R. BANUMATHI Counsel for the  parties Mr. Dhruv Mehta, Sr. Adv.  

Mr. Amish Tandon, Adv.  Mr. Sameer Abhyankar, Adv.  Mr. Purushaindra Kaurav, Adv. Gen. Mr. Arjun Garg, Adv.  Ms. Swarupama Chaturvedi, Adv.  Mr. Manish Yadav, Adv.  Mr. Rohit Chandra, Adv.  Mr. Aakash Nandolia, Adv.  Mr. Sandeep Mahapatra, Adv.  Ms. Mrinmayee Sahu, Adv.  Mr. Kayesh Begg, Adv.  Mr. Navee Kumar, Adv.  Mr. Rabin Majumder, Adv.  Mr. Mishra Saurabh, Adv.  Mr. Ankit Kumar Lal, Adv.  Mr. Navin Prakash, Adv.

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Mr. Girish Patwardhan, Adv.  Mr. Dheeraj Singh Panwar, Adv.  Ms. Meetu Singh, Adv.  Mr. Amar Dave, Adv.  Mr. Krishnayan Sen, Adv.  Mr. Uddyam Mukherjee, Adv. Mr. Sanjay Kapur, Adv. Ms. Mansi Kapur, Adv. Ms. Megha Karnwal, Adv.  

   UPON hearing the counsel the Court made the following                              O R D E R

Leave granted.  The  civil  appeals  are  disposed  of  in  terms  of  the  signed

non-reportable Judgment.   Pending Interlocutory Applications, if any, stand disposed of.

(JAYANT KUMAR ARORA)                              (RENU DIWAN)    COURT MASTER                                ASSISTANT REGISTRAR

(Signed non-reportable Judgment is placed on the file)