NE LEGAL BUREAU
NEW DELHI, SEPT 18
The government has extended the tenure of Acting Chairperson of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), Justice B L Bhat, by one month till October 16.
Justice Bhat’s previous extension of three months as “officiating Chairman” of the appellate tribunal ended on September 16 and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in a notification informed to extend his tenure further till October 16.
“… the term of office of Justice Bansi Lal Bhat, Member (Judicial) as officiating Chairperson, NCLAT, is extended up to 16.10.2020 or until a regular Chairperson is appointed or until further orders, whichever is the earliest,” the official notification issued on September 17 stated.
Justice Bhat, a Judicial Member of NCLAT, was appointed as officiating Chairman of the appellate tribunal after its last Chairman Justice S J Mukhopadhaya superannuated on March 15, 2020.
Justice Bhat was appointed as officiating Chairperson of NCLAT on March 15 for three months and later was given a three-month extension.
Presently, the NCLAT like other judicial and quasi-judicial bodies is conducting virtual hearing of cases.
Justice Bhat, a former Judge of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court, had joined the NCLAT as a judicial member on October 17, 2017.
Prior to this, he was a judicial member of the Armed Forces Tribunal and had presided over benches at Chandigarh, Shimla, Jaipur, and Delhi.
The NCLAT 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 an appellate tribunal for hearing appeals against the orders passed by NCLT under the IBC and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India.
It is also the Appellate Tribunal to hear and dispose of appeals against any direction issued or decision made or order passed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
