Appointment of IP as authorised representative for classes of creditors before 15 days of resolution plan approval

Appointment of Insolvency Professionals as authorised representative for classes of creditors by electronic means before 15 days of resolution plan approval

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India
7th Floor, Mayur Bhawan, Connaught Place, New Delhi-110001

CIRCULAR

No. IBBI/CIRP/015/2018

13th July, 2018

To
All Registered Insolvency Professionals
All Recognised Insolvency Professional Entities
All Registered Insolvency Professional Agencies
(By mail to registered email addresses and on website of the IBBI)

Dear Madam / Sir,

Sub: Appointment of Authorised Representative for Classes of Creditors under section 21 (6A) (b) of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016

Section 21(6A)(b) of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (Code) read with regulation 16A (1) of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (Insolvency Resolution Process for Corporate Persons) Regulations, 2016 (Regulations) provide that where the corporate debtor has at least ten financial creditors in a class, the interim resolution professional shall offer a choice of three insolvency professionals and a creditor in the class may indicate its choice of an insolvency professional, from amongst the three, to act as its authorised representative. The insolvency professional, who is the choice of the highest number of creditors in the class, is appointed as the authorised representative of the creditors of the respective class. The authorised representative collects voting instructions from the respective class of creditors, attends the meetings of the committee of creditors (CoC) and casts vote in respect of the said class in accordance with the instructions he receives from the creditors.

2. Section 21 (6A) (b) of the Code read with regulation 16A of the Regulations provide for a simplified mechanism of representation of financial creditors through authorised representatives, as detailed in Para 1 above, and are, therefore, matters of procedure. It is necessary that an ongoing corporate insolvency resolution process, where creditors belonging to a class are otherwise not represented in the CoC, uses this simplified mechanism, irrespective of the stage of the process. The resolution professional, who exercises the powers and performs the duties as vested or conferred on the interim resolution professional under section 23 (2) of the Code, shall facilitate representation through authorised representative(s).

3. It is, accordingly, clarified that wherever the approval of resolution plan under regulation 39 (3) of the Regulations is at least 15 days away, the resolution professional shall expeditiously obtain, by electronic means, the choice of the insolvency professional from creditors in a class to act as the authorised representative of the class and proceed further in the manner as specified in regulation 16A of the Regulations.

4. This Circular is issued in exercise of powers under section 196 (1) (aa) of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, in consultation with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Yours faithfully,
-Sd-
(Ranjeeta Dubey)
General Manager
Email: ranjeta@ibbi.gov.in