Lockdown: NCLAT cancels summer vacation to cover shortfall in working days

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has cancelled its summer vacation this year to cover the shortfall in working days due to closure during the lockdown.

The appellate tribunal was supposed to be closed for summer vacations in the month of June this year from 1st till 30th.

However, in a full-court meeting held on Wednesday, the NCLAT has decided to cancel it and function during the month of June, said a notice issued by the registrar of the appellate tribunal.

As resolved in the full-court meeting of the NCLAT held on 13th May, 2020, it is informed that to make good the shortfall in working days occasioned due to imposition of lockdown on account of outbreak of COVID-19 declared as pandemic, the annual vacation commencing w.e.f. 1st June, 2020 till 30th June, 2020 notified earlier in the calendar 2020, shall stand cancelled and the court shall function during the month of June 2020, said the NCLAT in a circular.

Several judicial bodies and quasi-judicial bodies have cancelled their summer vacations to cover up the lost working days, as they were closed during thelockdown.

Last week, the National Company Law Tribunal(NCLT) had cancelled the scheduled summer vacation for all its benches across the country this year.

The Delhi-based principal bench was scheduled to go onsummer vacation in the month of June.

The NCLAT is presently headed by Justice Bansi Lal Bhat, who was appointed as the officiating chairpersonof the appellate tribunal in March this year.

The NCLAT was constituted under Section 410 of the Companies Act, 2013 for hearing appeals against the orders of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

It is also the appellate tribunal for hearing appeals against orders passed by NCLT under theInsolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI).

It is also the appellate tribunal to hear and dispose of appeals against any order passed by theCompetition Commission of India(CCI).