HARIHAR NATH AND ORS.versusSTATE BANK OF INDIA AND ORS.

                    HARIHAR NATH AND ORS.                                     A
                               v.
                 STA TE BANK OF INDIA AND ORS.

                             APRIL 4, 2006

            [ARUN KUMAR AND R.V. RA VEENDRAN, JJ.]                            B

       Companies Act, I 956; Section 446-Limitation Act, I 963; Article I 37-
Loan taken by Company from a Bank by mortgaging its assets with personal
guarantee of its Directors-Mortgage suit filed by the Bank before trial court
against the Company and its directors-Meanwhile, an order of winding up C
of the Company was passed by High Court in petitions filed by some creditors
of the Company-Bank filed an application before Company Court seeking
leave to proceed with the Mortgage suit pending before trial court-Objections
raised to the application on the ground that it was time barred under the
Limitation Act-Company Court allowed the application of the Bank after D
condoning the delay suo moto-Appeal before High Court was also
dismissed-Correctness of-Held, a suit against a Company gets stayed on
passing of a winding up order of the Company-An application for leave of
Court filed under the Companies Act to proceed with a pending suit is not
an application seeking enforcement of a claim or adjudication of a right or
liability in a court-Right to apply for grant of leave under the Companies E
Act accrues every moment the suit remains stayed-Hence, period of limitation
specified under the Limitation Act is not applicable-Sick Industrial
Companies (Special Provisions) Act, 1985; Sections I 6 and 22.

      Appellants as Directors of second respondent Company obtained a loan
from first respondent Bank by mortgaging the assets of the Company on         F
their personal guarantee. The Bank filed a Title Mortgage suit before trial
court against the defendants - appellants and the Company - for decretal
amount with interest thereon and other ancillary and consequential reliefs.

     Some creditors filed petitions before High Court for winding up of the G
Company alleging that it was unable to pay its debts. Since the Company
became sick, a reference was made to the Board for Industrial and Financial
Reconstruction which directed an enquiry under section 16 of the Sick
Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Act, 1985 (SIC Act).

                                   769                                        H
    770                    SUPREME COURT REPORTS                    [2006] 3 S.C.R.

A          In view of the reference, the first appellant filed an application before
    the trial court in the Title Mortgage Suit under section 22 of the SIC Act for
    stay of further proceedings in the suit. In the meantime, the High Court
    passed an order for winding up of the Company. The trial court disposed of
    the application by rejecting it to stay the suit under section 22 of the SIC
B   Act. The trial court, however, stayed the suit in view of the order of winding
    up by the High Court.

           The Bank filed an application under section 446(1) of the Act before
    Company Court seeking leave to proceed with the suit. The appellants resisted
    the application on the ground that it was time barred under Article 137 of the
C   Limitation Act, 1963. The Company Court granted leave after condoning the
    delay suu moto subject to the condition that if a decree was granted in the
    suit, jointly and severally against various defendants, the Bank should proceed
    to recover the decretal amount from the appellant-guarantors first and only
    if there was any deficit, it should be recovered from the Company. A Letters
    Patent Appeal filed by the appellants before Division Bench of the High Court
D   was dismissed.

           In appeal to this Court, the appellants contended that an application for
    grant of leave filed by the Bank is time barred under Article 137 of the
    Limitation Act, 1963 since it was not filed within 3 years from the date of the
    order of winding up; that the Company Court erred in condoning the delay
E   suo moto by exercising power under section 5 of the Limitation Act in absence
    of an application seeking condonation of delay; and that there was no
    justification for directing that the decretal amount should be recovered from
    the guarantors first and only if there was any deficit, it should be recovered
    from the Company.
F
          Dismissing the appeal, the Court

           HELD: I. I. The object of Section 446 of the Companies Act, 1956 is
    not to cancel, nullify or abate any claim against the company. Its object is to
    save the company which has been ordered to be wound up, from unnecessary
G   litigation and from multiplicity of proceeding and protect the assets for
    equitable distribution among its creditors and shareholders. This object is
    achieved by compelling the creditors and others to come to the court which is
    winding up the company and prove their claims in the winding up. For this
    purpose, all suits and proceedings pending against the company are also
    stayed subject to the discretion of the winding up court to allow such suits
H   and proceedings to proceed. When a winding up order is passed, the effect is
               HARIHAR NATH v. STATE BANK OF INDIA                        771
that all the affairs pertaining to the company in liquidation, including all A
suits/proceedings by or against the company, come within the control and
supervision of the winding up court. The winding up court has to decide
whether it will let the suit proceedings to continue in the court where it is
pending, or it will itself adjudicate the suit/proceeding. Thus under Section
446(1) of the Act, the winding up court only decides about the forum where
the suit has to be tried and disposed of. The Limitation Act, 1963 which B
prescribes the periods within which a party can approach a court seeking
remedies for various causes of action, is not attracted to such applications
under Section 446(6) of the Act. (778-D-G)

       1.2. An application seeking leave to proceed, in respect of a pending C
suit or proceeding is not an application for enforcement of any claim or
right. It does not seek any 'relier or 'remedy' with reference to any claim or
right or obligation or liability. It is an application which is interlocutory in
nature. An interlocutory application is not subject to any period of limitation,
unless otherwise specifically provided by law. The application under section
446 (1) of the Act filed before the Company court seeking leave to proceed D
with a pending suit or proceeding, in an 'interlocutory application' with
reference to the pending suit/proceeding. Article 137 of the Limitation Act
is intended to apply to application for enforcement of a claim or adjudication
of a right or liability in a court. An application for leave to proceed with a
pending suit or proceeding not being such an application for any relief will E
not attract Article 137 of the Limitation Act. (779-B-C]

       1.3. If any winding up order is passed, during the pendency of a suit
against the company, and if the suit is continued without obtaining leave,
inspite of that bar contained in section 446(1) of the Act, the decree passed is
only voidable at the instance of the liquidator, and not void ab initio. A suiU p
proceeding filed against a company, prior to the order of its winding up, does
not come to an end on the passing of an order of winding up. The order of
winding up merely stays further proceedings in the suit/proceeding. The
suit proceeding becomes dormant. If the suit is proceeded with, without
obtaining leave of the Company Court, either not being aware of the order of
winding up or ignoring the provisions of section 446(1) of the Act, the resultant G
decree will not be void but only be voidable at the instance and option of the
official liquidator of the Company. When the winding up is so stayed, a suit
against the company filed before the winding up order which stood stayed
under section .446(1) of the Act could be proceeded with, even though leave
had not been obtained to proceed with the suit. (779-D-Fl                         H
    772                   SUPREME COURT REPORTS                    [2006] 3 S.C.R.

A          1.4. A suit, which is filed prior to the order of winding up and pending
    on the date of winding up, gets stayed when an order of winding up is passed.
    An order of winding up does not create any 'right' to file an application
    under Section 446(1) of the Act. Nor does any right 'accrue' to a plaintiff/
    petitioner in a suit proceeding to file an application under Section 446(1) of
B   the Act, when an order of winding up is passed. On the other hand, passing of
    an order of winding up casts a duty or obligation on the person who has sued
    the company to obtain the leave of the court to proceed with his suit for
    proceeding. The right to apply for leave accrues, not because of the order of
    winding up, but because the suiUproceeding is stayed. The right to apply for
    grant of leave under Section 446(1) of the Act accrues every moment the suit
C   remains stayed. Consequently, it follows that as long as the suit/proceeding
    filed before the order of winding up remains stayed, an application for leave
    can be filed. Therefore, the application filed was in time and not barred by
    limitation, even if Article 137 of Limitation Act is applied.1781-B-DI

          Kera/a State Electricity Board v. TP. Kunha/iumma, AIR (1977) SC
D 282; Additional Special land Acquisition Officer v. Thakoredas. AIR (1994)
    SC 2227 and Bansidhar Sankar/al v. Md Ibrahim. AIR (1971) SC 1292
    referred to.

          2.1. There is no question of directing the amount to be first recovered
    from the guarantors. The creditor has the option of recovering the amount in
E   the manner he deems fit. Though the company court has the power while
    granting leave, to impose conditions such conditions can be imposed only for
    good and valid reasons. The terms imposed cannot affect the rights of third
    parties nor impose an obligation contrary to law. Therefore, the condition
    imposed while granting leave is deleted. 1781-F, GI
F
          CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal No. 5072/1998.

          From the Judgment and Order dated I. 9.1997 of the High Court of Patna
    in LP.A. No. 259/1996.

          Ravi Shankar Prasad and Ms. Kamini Jaiswal for the Appellants.
G
         Deba Prasad Mukherjee. M.P. Jha, Ram Ekbal Roy, Harshavardhan Jha,
    R.P. Wadhwani, Himanshu Shekhar, Gopal Singh and B.B. Singh (NP) for the
    Respondents.

          The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
H
     HARi HAR NATH v. STATE BANK OF INDIA [RAVEENDRAN, J.] 773

      RA VEENDRAN, J. This appeal directed against the order dated 1.9.1997 A
of the Patna High Cou1t in LPA No. 259/1996, relates to the applicability of
Article 137 of Limitation Act, 1963 to a petition under Section 446(1) of the
Companies Act, 1956, seeking leave of the Company Court to proceed with
a pending suit.

        2. Nalanda Ceramic & Industries Ltd. (second respondent herein, referred B
to as 'the Company') was a company incorporated under the Companies Act,
1956 (for short 'the Act'). Appellant Nos. I to 3 were its Directors. The
Company had obtained certain credit facilities from the State Bank of India
(first respondent herein and referred to as 'the Bank'). The loans were secured
by mortgage of the assets of the Company. The repayment of the amounts C
advanced to the Company was guaranteed by the appellants. On 28.11.1988,
the Bank filed a suit (Title Mortgage Suit No.150/1988 on the file of the Special
Subordinate Judge, Ranchi) against the Company (defendant No. I), the
appellants (defendants 2 to 4), and four others namely, State of Bihar, Bihar
State Financial Corporation, LF.C.l. and IDBI (defendant Nos.5 to 8). In the
said suit, the Bank sought a decree for Rs. 5,95,98,258.31 against defendants D
 I to 4 (the company and the appellants) with interest thereon and several
ancillary and consequential reliefs.

       3. Even prior to the said suit, other creditors had filed petitions for
winding up of the Company, in Company Petition Nos.1/79, 2/79 and 4/79 on
the file of the Patna High Court, alleging that it was unable to pay its debts. E
During the pendency of the said company petitions, a notification dated
16.4.1984 was issued under the Bihar Relief Undertakings (Special Provisions)
Act, 1982, declaring the Company as a relief undertaking, thereby preventing
further progress of the petitions for winding-up. As the company became
sick, a reference was also made to the Board for Industrial & Financial F
Reconstruction which directed an inquiry under Section 16 of the Sick Industrial
Companies (Special Provisions) Act, 1985 (for short 'SIC Act'). In view of the
said reference, the first appellant (second defendant in the suit), filed an
application on 16.9.1989 in the Bank's suit under Section 22 of the SIC Act,
for stay of further proceedings in the suit.
                                                                                  G
      4. The Bank resisted the said application, inter alia, on the ground that
Section 22 of SIC Act had the effect of staying only proceedings in the nature
of winding-up and execution and did not come in the way of progress of any
suit for recovery of money due by the Company by enforcing the security.

      5. When matters stood thus, an order for winding up the company was H
    774                     SUPREME COURT REPORTS                     [2006] 3 S.C.R.

A passed by the High Court on 24.10.1989. When the said order came to its
    knowledge, the Bank filed a further objection to the application under Section
    22 of the SIC Act, contending that Section 22 of the SIC Act will not apply
    in view of the order for winding up. The Bank also submitted that having
    regard to Section 446(1) of the Act. it required the leave of the court only to
B   proceed against the company, but there was no bar for proceeding against
    the other defendants. The Bank, therefore, prayed for dismissal of the
    application for stay (filed by appellant No. I herein) and further prayed that
    while the proceedings as against the first defendant company may be kept
    in abeyance, the suit may be proceeded with against the other defendants.

C          6. The trial court disposed of the application by an order dated 9.3.1990.
    It rejected the application filed by second defendant (appellant No. I herein)
    for staying the suit under Section 22 of the SIC Act. It, however, held that
    the suit against all the defendants will have to be stayed in view of the order
    of winding up. It was of the view that the liability to pay the amount due was
    on the principal-debtor, namely, the Company, and that the guarantors would
D   be liable only if the Company defaulted; and that, therefore, ifthe proceedings
    against the Company had to be stayed, it had also to be kept in abeyance
    against all defendants till the Bank obtained an appropriate direction from the
    High Court. The Bank challenged the said order in CRP No.388/1990 before
    the High Court.
E          7. When the Company Court was informed that an inquiry under Section
    16 of the SIC Act had been directed by the BIFR, it passed an order on
    16. 7.1990, staying the operation of the order of winding up dated 24.10.1989.
    The said stay order dated 16.7.1990 was vacated subsequently by the Company
    Court on 16.12.1994 and the winding up order was revived.
F
          8. The Bank withdrew its revision petition (CRP No.388/1990) on 4.4.1995.
    Th~reafter, on 11.8.1995, the Bank filed an application under Section 446(1) of
    the Act, seeking leave of the Company Court to proceed with its suit. The
    said application was resisted by the appellants herein, inter alia, on the
    ground that the application seeking leave was barred under Article 137 of the
G   Limitation Act, 1963. The appellants contended that the application ought to
    have been filed within 3 years from the date of winding up, that is, on or
    before 24.10.1992 and the application filed on 11.8.1995 was barred by limitation.

          9. The Company Court by order dated 17.9.1996 granted leave to proceed
    with the suit. The Company Court was of the view that though Article 137
H
     HARIHAR NATH v. STATE BANK OF INDIA [RAVEENDRAN, J.] 775

of the Limitation Act was applicable to an application under Section 446( I)       A
of the Act, the provision relating to limitation should be construed liberally
and the period could be extended in exercise of judicial discretion even suo
moto. It condoned the delay in filing the application for leave, being satisfied
that there were sufficient causes for the delay, first being the stay of winding
up between 16.7.1990 and 16.12.1994 (in view of the inquiry under Section 16
of the SIC Act) and the second being the prosecution of the revision petition
                                                                                   B
(CRP No.388/1990) from 1990 till its withdrawal on 4.4.1995. The grant of leave
was, however, made subject to the condition that even if a decree was granted
in the suit, jointly and severally against various defendants, the Bank should
proceed to get the decree satisfied from other defendants, and if the decree
was not fully satisfied, then the matter may be brought to its notice for          C
proceeding against the Company for realization of residuary decretal dues.
Feeling aggrieved by the said order granting leave, the appellants herein filed
LPA No.259of1996. A Division Bench of the High Court dismissed the appeal
by order dated 1.9.1997. The said order is challenged in this appeal by special
leave.
                                                                                   D
      IO. Learned counsel for the appellants urged the following contentions:

        (i)    An application for grant of leave under Section 446( I) of the Act
               was governed by Article 137 of the Limitation Act, 1963.
               Therefore, the application by the Bank seeking leave to proceed E
               with the suit ought to have been filed within 3 years from the
               date when the right to apply accrued. The right to apply accrued
               on 24. l 0.1989 when the order of winding up was passed.
               Therefore, the last date for filing an application seeking leave
               was 24.10.1992 and the application filed on 11.8.1995 was barred
               by limitation.                                                     F
               The Company Court erred in condoning the delay by exercising
               power under Section 5 of the Limitation Act, 1963 suo moto, in
               the absence of an application seeking condonation of delay.
        (ii)   Even if leave was to be granted, there was no justification for G
               directing that the decretal amount should be recovered from the
               guarantors and only if there was any deficit, it should be
               recovered from the company.

Contention (i) :
                                                                                   H
      11. Sub-section (I) of Section 446 as it stood to the relevant point of
    776                     SUPREME COURT REPORTS                     [2006] 3 S.C.R.

A time provided that when a winding up order has been made (or the Official
    Liquidator has been appointed as provisional liquidator), no suit or other legal
    proceeding shall be commenced, or if pending at the date of the winding up
    order, shall be proceeded with, against the company, except by leave of the
    court and subject to such terms as the court may impose. Sub-section (2) of
B   the said section provided that the court which is winding up the company
    shall, notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being
    in force, have jurisdiction to entertain, or dispose of--{a) any suit or proceeding
    by or against the company; (b) any claim made by or against the company;
    (c) any application made under Section 391 by or in respect of the company;
    (d) any question of priorities or any other question whatsoever, whether of
C   law or fact, which may relate to or arise in course of the winding up of the
    company. The claims against a company made directly to the winding up
    Court under Section 446(2)(b) of the Act, present no difficulty. Section
    3(2)(a)(iii) of Limitation Act, 1963 provides that in the case of a claim against
    a company which is being wound up, for the purposes of the Limitation Act,
D   a suit is instituted when the claimant first sends in his claim to the official
    liquidator. The period of limitation would be, of course, as prescribed in the
    Schedule for the appropriate suit or proceedings.

          12. Sub-section (I) of section 446 of the Act contemplated two categories
    of applications for leave being filed before the Company Court. They are :
E
            (i)    Applications seeking leave to file a suit or commence a legal
                   proceeding against the company, after an order for its winding
                   up has been made.
            (ii)   Applications seeking leave to proceed with a pending suit or
                   legal proceeding against a company, filed or initiated before the
F
                   order for winding up of such company.

        Neither the Companies Act, 1956 nor the rules thereunder prescribe any
  period of limitation for applications under Section 446( I) of the Act. Article
  13 7 of Limitation Act, 1963, prescribes a three year period of limitation in
G regard to any application for which no period of limitation is provided. The
  issue whether Article 137 will apply only to application filed under the Code
  of Civil Procedure or to applications filed under any Act, was settled in
  Kera/a State Electricity Board v. T P. Kunhaliumma, AIR (1977) SC 282. This
  Court held :

H           "Any other application" under Article 137 would be a petition or any
     HARIHAR NATH v. STATE BANK OF INDJA [RAVEENDRAN, J.] 777

        application under any Act. But it has to be an application to a court....   A
        The conclusion we reach is that Article 137 of the 1963 Limitation Act
        will apply to any petition or application filed under any Act to a civil
        court. With respect we differ from the view taken by the two Judge
        Bench of this Court in Athani Municipal Council case (AIR 1969 SC
        1335) and hold that Article 137 of the 1963 Limitation Act is not           B
        confined to applications contemplated by or under the Code of Civil
        Procedure."

The said view was reiterated in Additional Special Land Acquisition Officer
v. Thakoredas, AIR (l 994) SC 2227. But the question is whether Article 137
would apply to an application under section 446( I) of the Act.                     C
        13. Insofar as the first category of applications under Section 446( I) of
the Act, there is no question of any period of limitation. The period of
limitation is to be calculated, not with regard to the application seeking leave
to file a suit or proceeding, but in regard to the suit/proceeding itself. An
 illustration may clarify. If the proposed suit is to enforce payment of money D
secured by a mortgage by the company, the period of limitaiion for such suit
is 12 years. Surely an application seeking leave to file such suit, cannot be
rejected by applying Artici'e 137 on the ground three years have ·elapsed from
the date of the order of winding up, even though the 12 years period for filing
the suit has not expired. So long as the suit is within time as on the date of
filing the application for leave, the application will be entertained. ·while E
computing the period of limitation for the suit/proceeding, the time spent in
obtaining leave to file the suit/proceeding will have to be excluded by applying
the principle underlying Section 15(2) of Limitation Act, 1963. Section 15(2)
of Limitation Act provides that in computing the period of liinitatiort for any
suit of which notice has been given, or for which the previous consent or p
sanction of the government or any other authority is required, in accordance
with the requirements of any law for the time being in force, the period of stich
notice or, as the case may be, the time required for obtaining such consent
or sanction shall be excluded. We may note that the Company Court may not
examine the question of limitation for the suit or proceeding, leaving it to be
dealt with by the court where such suit/proceeding is to be initiated.             G
      14. This Court in Bansidhar Sankar/al v. Md. Ibrahim, AIR (1971) SC
1292 indirectly affirmed the position that the limitation is to be. considered
only with reference to the suit or proceedings, while considering the position
of suit/proceeding initiated after an order of winding up, without obtaining H
    778                    SUPREME COURT REPORTS                     [2006] 3 S.C.R.

A leave of the Company Court. This Court held thus :
            " ....... we do not think that there is anything in the Act which makes
            the leave a condition precedent to the institution of a proceeding in
            execution of a decree against the company and failure to obtain leave
            before institution of the proceeding entails dismissal of the proceeding.
B           The suit or proceeding instituted without leave of the court may, in
            our judgment. be regarded as ineffective until leave is obtained. but
            once leave is obtained, proceeding will be deemed to be instituted
            on the date of granting leave. "

                                                               (emphasis supplied)
c
            15. When there is no period of limitation for an application under the
    first category of cases under Section 446( I) of the Act, it is inconceivable and
    illogical to apply the period of limitation prescribed under Article 13 7, to an
    application seeking leave falling under the second category.

D        16. The object of Section 446 of the Act is not to cancel, nullify or abate
  any claim against the company. Its object is to save the company which has
  been ordered to be wound up. from unnecessary litigation and from multiplicity
  of proceedings and protect the assets for equitable distribution among its
  creditors and shareholders. This object is achieved by compelling the creditors
E and others to come to the court which is winding up the company and prove
  their claims in the winding up. For this purpose. all suits and proceedings
  pending against the company are also stayed subject to the discretion of the
  winding up court to allow such suits and proceedings to proceed. When a
  winding up order is passed, the effect is that all the affairs pertaining to the
  company in liquidation, including all suits/proceedings by or against the
F company. come within the control and supervision of the winding up court.
  The winding up court has to decide whether it will let the suit/proceeding to
  continue in the court where it is pending, or it will itself adjudicate the suit/
  proceeding. Thus, under Section 446(1 ), the winding up court only decides
  about the forum where the suit has to be tried and disposed of. The Limitation
G Act which prescribes the periods within which a party can approach a court
  seeking remedies for various causes of action, is not attracted to such
  applications under Section 446( I) of the Act. However, as elaborate arguments
  were advanced on this issue, we will deal with it in some more detail.

          17. An application seeking leave to proceed, in respect of a pending suit
H or proceeding (filed before the order of winding up) is not an application for
     HARIHAR NATH v. STATE BANK OF INDIA [RAVEENDRAN, .I.] 779

enforcement of any claim or right. It does not seek any 'relief or 'remedy' A
with reference to any claim or right or obligation or liabi.lity. It is an application
which is interlocutory in nature. An interlocutory application is not subject
to any period of limitation, unless otherwise specifically provided by law. We
are conscious of the fact that an application under Section 446( 1) seeking
leave to proceed with the suit/proceeding, is not filed as an 'interlocutory
application' in the suit/proceeding before the court where such suit/proceeding B
is pending. But an interlocutory application is nothing but an application in
the course of an action. It is a request made to a court, for its interference,
in a matter arising in the progress of a proceeding. Therefore, in a broad
sense, the application under section 446( 1) filed before the company court
seeking leave to proceed with a pending suit or proceeding, is an 'interlocutory C
app:ication' with reference to the pending suit/proceeding. Article 137 is
intended to apply to applications for enforcement of a claim or adjudication
of a right or liability in a court. An application for leave to proceed with a
pending suit or proceeding not being such an application for any relief, will
not attract Article 13 7.
                                                                                   D
       IS. Ii is now well settled that if any winding up order is passed, during
the pendency of a suit against the company, and if the suit is continued
without obtaining leave, in spite of that bar contained in section 446( 1), the
decree passed is only voidable at the instance of the liquidator, and not void
ab initio. In fact, where such decree has been passed against the company E
and others, the only person who can avoid the decree on the ground of non-
compliance with section 446(1) of the Act, is the official liquidator of the
compan).,rnd not the other defendants. A suit/proceeding filed against a
company, prior to the order of its winding up, does not come to an end on
the p·assing of an order of winding up. The order of winding up merely stays
further proceedings in the suit/proceeding. The suit/proceeding becomes F
dormant. Various alternatives are possible when a suit gets so stayed. The
plaintiff in the suit can move an application under section 446(1) of the Act,
and when leave is granted, proceed with the suit. If the leave is refused, the
suit may be transferred to the company court for being tried and disposed
of under section 446 (2) (a) of the Act. The plaintiff may also file an application G
for transfer of the suit to the Company Court for disposal under Section
446(2)(a). Alternatively, the plaintiff may get the suit dismissed with liberty to
make a claim under section 446(2)(b) of the Act. Even if the suit is proceeded
with, without obtaining leave of the Company Court, either not being aware
of the order of winding up or ignoring the provisions of section 446( I), the
                                                                                   H
    780                      SUPREME COURT REPORTS                   [2006] 3 S.C.R.

A resultant decree will not be void, but only be voidable at the instance and
    option of the official liquidator of the company. It is also possible that the
    court passing the winding up order may at any time, on the application either
    of the liquidator or of any creditor or contributory, make an order staying the
    winding up either altogether or for a limited time on such terms and conditions
B   as the court deems fit, under section 466 of the Act. When the winding up
    is so stayed. a suit against the company (filed before the winding up order)
    which stood stayed under section 446( I) could be proceeded with, even
    though leave had r.ot been obtained to proceed with the suit. We have
    referred to these alternative possibilities to show that having regard to the
    nature of an application under Section 446( I) of the Act, it does not attract
C   Article 137.

           19. We may next examine the position by even assuming that Article 13 7
    applied to an application under section 446( I) for leave to proceed with a
    pending suit. Article 137 is a residuary provision applicable to all applications
    and petitions filed in a court, for which no period of limitation is prescribed.
D   It prescribes a limitation of three years and the period or limitation begins to
    run when the "right to apply accrues". To understand the meaning of the
    words ·'right to apply accrues". we may refer to the wording of Article 137
    and a few other Articles in the Schedule to the Limitation Act :

    Article   Description of suit                     Period oj    Time from which
E   No.                                               ,imitation   period begins to
                                                                   run

     137      Any other application for which no      3 years      When the right to
              period of limitation is provided                     appl) accrues.
              elsewhere in this division.
F
    113       Any suit for which no period of         3 years      When the right to
              limitation is provided elsewhere in                  sue accrues.
              this Schedule.


    58        To obtain any other declaration.        3 years      When the right to
G                                                                  sue first accrues.


    104       To establish a periodically recurring   3 years      When the plaintiff
              right.                                               is lirsl refused the
                                                                   enjoyment of the
                                                                   right.
H
          llARIHAR NATH v. STATE BANK OF INDIA [RAVEENDRAN, J.] 781

     Article 58 provides that the time will begin to run when the "right to sue first A
     accrues". Article 104 provides that time will begin to run when 'the plaintiff.
     is first refused' the enjoyment of the -right. On the other hand, Article 137
     uses the words when the "right to apply accrues" and is similar to Article 113.
     A suit, which is filed prior to the order of winding up and pending on the
     date of winding up, gets stayed when an order of winding up is passed. An B


--
     order of winding up does not create any '~ight' to file an application under
     Section 446(1) of the Act. Nor does any right 'accrue' to a plaintiff/petitioner
     in a suit/proceeding to file an application under Section 446( 1), when an order
     of winding up is passed. On the other hand, passing of an order of winding
     up casts a duty or obligation on the person who has sued the com;iany to
     obtain the leave of the court to proceed with his suit for proceeding. The right C
     to apply for leave accrues, not because of the order of winding up, but
     because the suit/proceeding is stayed. The right to apply for grant of leave
     under Section 446 ( 1) accrues every moment the suit remains stayed.
     Consequently, it follows that as long as the suit/proceeding (filed before the
     order of winding up) remains stayed, an application for leave can be filed.
     Therefore, the application filed on 11.8.1995 was in time and not barred by D
     limitation, even if Article 137 is applied.

     Re: Contention (ii)

            20. Learned counsel for the appellant submitted that there was no E
     justification for the court to direct that the decretal amount should be recovered
     from the guarantors first and only if there was any deficit, it should be
     recovered from the company in liquidation. Learned counsel for the Bank and
     the Official Liquidator fairly conceded that there was no reason or justification
     for imposing such a condition, having regard to the legal position that the
     liability of the principal-debtor and guarantors is joint or several. There is no F
     question of directing the amount to be first recovered from the guarantors.
     The creditor has the option of recovering the amount in the manner he deems
     fit. Though the company court has the power while granting leave, to impose
     conditions, such conditions can be imposed only for good and valid reasons.
     The terms imposed cannot affect the rights of third parties nor impose an G
     obligation contrary to law. Therefore, the condition imposed while granting
     leave is deleted.

     Conclusion :

           21. Jn the present case, the suit was against the company as well as its H
    782                    SUPREME COURT REPORTS                   (2006 I 3 S.C.R.

A Directors being guarantors in their personal capacity. The suit could have in
    any case proceeded against the guarantors. It was stayed by the trial court
    apparently under Section 446( I) even though there was no such prayer to that
    effect. The only prayer before the Court at the instance of first defendant in
    the suit for stay of suit under Section 22 of SIC Act which was not granted.
B   The object of appellants in filing an application for stay was to drag on the
    suit. They have succeeded in their effort to stall the suit for more than 16
    years on a virtually non-existent ground. The trial court will, therefore, have
    to proceed with the suit with all expedition.

         22. In view of the above, subject to the deletion of the condition
C   imposed by company court while granting leave, this appeal Is dismissed
    upholding the grant of leave. Parties to bear their respective costs.

    B.S.                                                       Appeal dismissed.