Add to favourtiesWherein the Supreme Court took the view that if the State Act creates first charge on the property, then secured creditor cannot have claim against the statutory provision. The Supreme Court was considering the provisions of Section 38-C of the Bombay Sales Tax Act 1959 and Section 26-B of the Kerala General Sales Tax Act 1963, vis-a-vis the provisions of Section 34(1) of the Recovery of Debts due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993 (now the RDB Act) and Section 35 of the SARFAESI Act. However, firstly, since Section 31-B was not on the statute book then, the impact of this Section did not come up for consideration while deciding the matter. Also with respect, it must be observed that the judgment in the case of Central Bank of India (supra) was prior to the amendment in the RDB Act as well as the SARFAESI Act, which inserted Section 31-B in the RDB Act and Section 26-E in the SARFAESI Act. #2021 SCeJ 149 (Bom.)
“16. Indisputably, the judgment of the Apex Court in the case of Central Bank of India (supra) was prior to the amendment in the Act, 2002 and 1993 respectively. However, what is important are the observations of the Supreme Court as contained in para-126 of this decision quoted above. The Supreme Court observed that while enacting the DRT Act, the Parliament was aware of the law laid down by the Supreme Court, wherein priority of the State dues was recognized. If the Parliament intended to create the first charge in favour of the Banks, Financial Institutions or other secured creditors on the property of the borrower, then it would have incorporated a provision like Section 529A of the Companies Act or Section 11(2) of the EPF Act and ensured that notwithstanding the series of judicial pronouncements, the dues of Banks, Financial Institutions and other secured creditors should have priority over the State’s statutory first charge in the matter of recovery of the dues of sales tax etc. The Supreme Court proceeded to observe that the fact of the matter was that no such provision had been incorporated in either of those enactments despite conferment of extraordinary power upon the secured creditors to take possession and dispose of the secured assets without the intervention of the Court or Tribunal.
17. In our prima facie opinion, such observations probably might have weighed with the Parliament which ultimately might have led to the introduction of Section 31B in the RDB Act, 1993 and 26E in the SARFAESI Act, 2002.”
Kalupur Commercial Co-operative Bank ltd. Vs. State of Gujarat., Civil Application No.17891 of 2018
