Digitise new NCLAT benches: HC tells Centre

The Madras High Court asked the Union government to ensure the expeditious digitisation of National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) benches and introduce e-filing to make the system more efficient.

The first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said this on a plea that challenged the principal bench retaining old cases, thereby thwarting the purpose of setting up a bench in Chennai.

With the Centre clarifying through an order on July 17 issued by the principal bench that all pending appeals, interim applications and other matters arising from the jurisdiction of the Chennai bench would be transferred and taken up before the bench here, the court disposed of the plea.

But following submission by the Corporate, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Laws Bar Association that the Centre should be encouraged to ensure that a newly formed tribunal like the NCLAT does not add to any backlog because of the voluminous papers that it handles, the bench asked the government to ensure digitisation of the files already physically received by NCLAT benches.

Also recording the grievance that in some cases new applications were not being entertained citing substantial pendency, the bench held, “There is no doubt that urgent matters may require the immediate attention of the tribunal and the previous pendency should not prejudice the next urgent matter which may be brought before the tribunal.”