Facts
The Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) of the Corporate Debtor (CD) commenced on 19.09.2023
Source reference: para. 3(i)The Appellant (Income Tax Department) filed a claim of ₹3,11,11,442/- on 08.10.2023, which the Resolution Professional (RP) kept under verification due to the absence of enforceable assessment orders
Source reference: para. 3(iii), 5(iv)The Committee of Creditors (CoC) approved a Resolution Plan on 20.05.2024, which was subsequently approved by the Adjudicating Authority (NCLT, Jaipur) on 11.12.2024
Source reference: para. 3(vii-viii)The Appellant challenged the approval, alleging the RP failed to consider its claim and provided a "paltry" allocation of ₹1.5 lakhs while asserting that a crucial email rejection notice landed in a spam folder
Source reference: para. 2, 3(vi)Issues
Whether the Resolution Professional committed an error or irregularity in the verification and treatment of the Income Tax Department's claim
Source reference: para. 10, 12Whether the non-admission of the full claim led to a lower recovery for the Appellant than it would have otherwise been entitled to under the Section 53 waterfall mechanism
Source reference: para. 10, 13Law Applied
The Court applied Section 30(6) and Section 31 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016, regarding the approval and binding nature of resolution plans
Source reference: para. 1, 5(v)It strictly followed the "Waterfall Mechanism" under Section 53 of the Code, which mandates the priority of distribution: CIRP costs first, followed by workmen/secured creditors, then unsecured financial creditors, and finally government dues/operational creditors
Source reference: para. 16, 17-19The Court also relied on the "Clean Slate" principle and the precedent in Ghanashyam Mishra & Sons Pvt. Ltd. v. Edelweiss ARC, holding that claims not part of the approved plan stand extinguished
Source reference: para. 5(xiv-xv)Reasoning
The Court found that the RP repeatedly requested assessment orders, which the Appellant only provided on 30.05.2024—after the Plan was already submitted to the NCLT for approval
Source reference: para. 11Regarding the "spam folder" defense, the Court held that since previous communications were successful, the Appellant failed in its duty of vigilance
Source reference: para. 12On the merits of distribution, the Court noted the CD's liquidation value was only ₹1.09 lakh, while the Plan offered ₹20 lakhs
Source reference: para. 14, 20Applying Section 53, the Court calculated that if the Appellant’s claim had been admitted in full, its proportional share would have been only ₹75,000/-.
Source reference: para. 21However, the Successful Resolution Applicant (SRA) voluntarily allocated ₹1.5 lakhs
Source reference: para. 21Thus, the Appellant actually received double its legal entitlement under the waterfall priority
Source reference: para. 22Holding
The NCLAT dismissed the appeal, holding that there was no irregularity by the RP and no injustice caused to the Appellant
The Court characterized the appeal as a "perfect example of wastage of valuable public resources" and directed the judgment to be sent to the Chairperson of the CBDT to prevent frivolous litigation by government agencies in insolvency matters where recovery prospects are mathematically negligible under the law
Source reference: para. 23All pending applications were closed
Source reference: para. 24Original Court PDF
Income Tax Officer, Ward 1 (3), Jaipur v. M/s Solar Voltaic Power LLP & Anr. [Company Appeal (AT) (Ins.) No. 286 of 2025]
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