Skip to main content

Dues to Government Should be Mentioned in Encumbrance Certificate: High Court

The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) to ensure that electricity bill dues of premises were reflected in encumbrance certificate issued by the Registration Department as and when a purchaser approached the property.

Wherever an electricity bill was due for a premises in question, TNEB should immeidately communicate the same to the Inspector General of Registration who, in turn, shall communicate the encumrance of the property in question to the Sub-Registrar concerned without delay and ensure it was reflected in the encumbrance certificate, Justice R Mahadevan said.

He gave the direction while allowing petitions filed by a school and two dargahs seeking to direct to give fresh electricity connection to their property in the city, which was disconnected for non-payment of dues accumulated over a period of 11 years.

Assistant Engineer of TNEB had rejected the plea for fresh connection saying that unless the dues of Rs. 3,12,656, which their erstwhile tenant had to pay were cleared, fresh connection could not be given.

The Judge directed that wherever there was an encumbrance over the properties pertaining to dues to the government like, municipal tax, electricity bill etc, and a charge should be created on such properties and the government should ensure the same was reflected in the encumbrance certificate.

This was necessary to protect the interest of purchasers, including government departments.

The court said it would be neither legal nor proper to insist on the realisation of the arrears due for giving re-connection.

The Judge also said that TNEB was at fault as it did not take steps to collect the dues.

Article referred: http://www.ndtv.com/tamil-nadu-news/dues-to-government-should-be-mentioned-in-encumbrance-certificate-high-court-1203938

Comments

Most viewed this month

Court approached in the early stages of arbitration will prevail in all other subsequent proceedings

In National Highway Authority of India v. Hindustan Steelworks Construction Limited, the Hon'ble Delhi High Court opined that once the parties have approached a certain court for relief under Act at earlier stages of disputes then it is same court that, parties must return to for all other subsequent proceedings. Language of Section 42 of Act is categorical and brooks no exception. In fact, the language used has the effect of jurisdiction of all courts since it states that once an application has been made in Part I of the Act then ―that Court alone shall have jurisdiction over arbitral proceedings and all subsequent applications arising out of that agreement and arbitral proceedings shall be made in that Court and in no other Court. Court holds that NHAI in present case cannot take advantage of Section 14 of the Limitation Act, 1963 for explaining inordinate delay in filing present petition under Section 34 of this Act in this Court.

NCLT - Board meetings by video-conferencing

In Achintya Kumar Barua vs. Ranjit Barthkur, the NCLAT has held recently that if any director desires to attend board meetings by video conferencing, the company is bound to allow attendance in this manner. In other words, it is not up to the company or at the discretion of the Chairman/Company Secretary whether or not to allow attendance by video conferencing. The right and option is with any director who so desires. NCLAT has held that the words of Section 173(2) of the Companies Act, 2013 are clear on this. There are, of course, some specified resolutions which cannot be considered in a meeting held by video-conference. However, a proviso inserted to Section 173(2) by the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2017, though not yet brought into effect, says that even in respect of these matters, if the required quorum is physically present, other directors can attend and participate by video-conferencing.