Punjab-Haryana High Court
Discount Bank Of India Ltd. vs A.N. Misra on 4 July, 1952
Equivalent citations: AIR1953P&H256, [1953]23COMPCAS446(P&H), AIR 1953 PUNJAB 256
JUDGMENT Khosla, J.
1. This is an application under Section 45A, Banking Companies Act, 1949, praying that Regular First Appeal No. 51 cf 1950 be transferred to the High Court of Bombay. The appellant in the appeal is the Discount Bank of India Limited and since the appeal was filed winding up proceedings were started by the Bombay High Court. The Bank is now represented by the Official Liquidator.
2. The simple question arising in the case is whether this appeal is a proceeding which can only be dealt with by the Bombay High Court under the provisions of Section 45A. This section provides that the Court which is dealing with the matter of the winding up shall be the only court having jurisdiction to entertain "any matter relating to or arising out of the winding up of a banking company". It is contended by Mr. Chiranjiva Lal that since the Bank is now represented by the Official Liquidator, the appeal must be looked upon as a matter relating to the winding up of a company. On the other hand, it is contended by Mr. Sarin that the suit was filed before the company was wound up, the suit was decided and the appeal was also filed before the winding up proceedings began and therefore it cannot be said that this appeal has any relation to the winding up proceedings. Mr. Sarin has also referred to the provisions of the Constitution whereby the jurisdiction of a High Court to hear appeals from Courts subordinate to it cannot be curtailed by statute.
3. It appears to me that the meaning of the words "relating to or arising out of" cannot be extended to mean any matter in which a banking company is a party and the company goes into liquidation on its being wound up. The matter must relate to or arise out of the winding up of a company. Kapur J., in a recent case transferred a suit pending in the Court of a Subordinate Judge, Delhi to Bombay on the ground that after the suit was instituted the company went into liquidation and so the suit must be treated as matter relating to or arising out of the winding up of the company. Kapur J., relied upon a decision of the Bombay High Court in 'Appeal No. 35 of 1951 (A)'. In that case, however, the suit was brought by the Official Liquidator and the suit was instituted after the winding up proceedings had started. The mere fact that in appeal the liquidator seeks to set up a claim which was dismissed by the Subordinate Judge is not, in my view, sufficient to hold that this matter arises out of or relates to the winding up of a company. There must be some intimate connection between the proceedings or claim and the winding up of a company. This connection does not obtain in the present case and I must hold that the case is not covered by Section 45A, Banking Companies Act. I, therefore, decline to transfer the case to the Bombay High Court.