The Supreme Court recently in ICICI Bank Limited v. Official Liquidator of APS Star Industries Ltd. has reversed the decision of the Gujarat High Court holding that inter-se transfer of Non Performing Assets (NPA) by banks is not illegal under Banking Regulation Act, 1949. The High Court had held that "assignment of debts by banks inter se is not an activity which is permissible under the said BR Act, 1949 and consequently all executed contracts of assignment of debts were illegal."
The Supreme Court, extensively taking note of the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, declared the law in the following terms;
14. The test to be applied is whether trading in NPAs has the characteristics of a bona fide banking business. That test is satisfied in this case. The guidelines issued by RBI dated 13.7.2005 itself authorizes banks to deal inter se in NPAs. These guidelines have been issued by the Regulator in exercise of the powers conferred by Sections 21 and 35A of the Act. They have a statutory force of law. They have allowed banks to engage in trading in NPAs with the purpose of cleaning the balance sheets so that they could raise the capital adequacy ratio. All this comes within the ambit of Section 21 which enables RBI to frame the policy in relation to Advances to be followed by the banking companies and which empowers RBI to give directions to banking companies under Section 21(2). These guidelines and directions following them have a statutory force. When a delegate is empowered by the Parliament to enact a Policy and to issue directions which have a statutory force and when the delegatee (RBI) issues such guidelines (Policy) having statutory force, such guidelines have got to be read as supplement to the provisions of the BR Act, 1949. The "banking policy" is enunciated by RBI. Such policy cannot be said to be ultra vires the Act. The idea behind empowering RBI to determine the Policy in relation to Advances is to enable banking companies to expand their business of banking and in that sense such guidelines also define as to what constitutes banking business.
Trading in NPA - a misnomer
15. At the outset one needs to know what is NPA? When a borrower who is under liability to pay to secured creditors, makes default in repayment of secured debt or any installment thereof, the account of borrower is classified as Non-Performing Asset (NPA). Such NPAs cannot be used for any productive purpose. Continuous growth in NPAs threatens the repayment capacity of the banks. They have an adverse impact on the financial strength of the banks which in the present era of globalization are required to conform to International Standards. Thus, NPA means an asset or account receivable of a borrower, which has been classified by banks or financial institutions in terms of RBI Guidelines as sub-standard, doubtful etc. These guidelines are issued to improve quality of assets of the banks. The 2005 guidelines of RBI are not to eliminate NPAs but to restructure. The BR Act, 1949 vide Section 21 empowers RBI in the interest of the Banking Policy to lay down guidelines in relation to advances to be followed by banking companies. The 2005 guidelines have been issued as "a restructuring measure" in order to avoid setbacks in the banking system. NPAs do not generate interest. 85% of the Indian Banks' income comes from interest. Thus, NPAs adversely impact profits of the banks and hence, as a matter of Banking Policy, RBI as Regulator seeks through its guidelines under Section 21 r/w Section 35A to manage these NPAs and not to eliminate. The said guidelines deal with restructuring of the banking system which is one of the objects behind giving authority to RBI to frame "banking policy". One more aspect needs to be kept in mind. In this batch of cases we are dealing with assets in the hands of banks. NPAs are "Account Receivables". The impugned guidelines show that RBI considers inter se NPA assignment between banks to be a tool for resolving the issue of NPAs and in the interest of banking policy under Section 21 of the BR Act, 1949. The object is to minimize the problem of credit risk. The corporate debt restructuring is one of the methods for reducing NPAs. Thus, such restructuring as a matter of banking policy cannot be treated as "trading". One has to keep in mind the object behind enactment of BR Act, 1949. Thus, the said Guidelines fall under Section 21 of the 1949 Act. These Guidelines are a part of Credit Appraisal Mechanism. Thus, in our view the impugned Guidelines are not ultra vires the BR Act, 1949. Dealing in NPAs as part of the Credit Appraisal Mechanism and as a part of Restructuring Mechanism falls within Section 21 r/w Section 35A of the Act. Hence, it cannot be said that "transfer of debts/NPAs" inter se between banks is an activity which is impermissible under the 1949 Act. The BR Act, 1949 is an Act enacted to consolidate and amend the law relating to banking. Thus, while interpreting the Act one needs to keep in mind not only the framework of the banking law as it stood in 1949 but also the growth and the new concepts that have emerged in the course of time. (see: Principles of Statutory Interpretation by G.P. Singh, 11 th edition at page 328.)
16. Thus, in our view on reading the provisions of the BR Act, 1949 with the Guidelines of RBI issued from time to time in relation to Advances and Re-structuring/Management of NPAs we are of the view that the BR Act, 1949 is a complete Code on banking and that dealing in NPAs inter se by the banks needs to be looked in the larger framework of "Re-structuring of banking System". Thus, we need not go into the provisions of the said TP Act. In fact, it is the case of the borrower(s) that provisions of the said TP Act has no application. (See Written Submissions filed on 31.8.2010).
Invocation of Section 130 of TP Act, 1882
17. In the alternative, since the borrower(s) has relied on Section 130 of the said TP Act, one needs to analyse the contentions raised in that regard. According to the borrower(s) assignment of Financial Instruments in possession of ICICI Bank Ltd. to Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. transfers not merely the right to recover the debt but also transfers the obligations under the Financial Instruments "as if they were executed by the clients of ICICI Bank in favour of the assignee", i.e., Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. According to the borrower(s), an assignment of a debt can never carry with it the assignment of the obligations of the assignor unless there is a novation of the contract by all parties. Therefore, according to the borrower(s), the impugned Deed of Assignment is legally unsustainable without novation of original contract between ICICI Bank Ltd. (assignor) and the borrower(s) (assignee). We find no merit in the above arguments.
18. As stated above, an outstanding in the account of a borrower(s) (customer) is a debt due and payable by the borrower(s) to the bank. Secondly, the bank is the owner of such debt. Such debt is an asset in the hands of the bank as a secured creditor or mortgagee or hypothecatee. The bank can always transfer its asset. Such transfer in no manner affects any right or interest of the borrower(s) (customer). Further, there is no prohibition in the BR Act, 1949 in the bank transferring its assets inter se. Even in the matter of assigning debts, it cannot be said that the banks are trading in debts, as held by the High Court(s). The assignor bank has never purchased the debt(s). It has advanced loans against security as part of its banking business. The account of a client in the books of the bank becomes Non Performing Asset when the client fails to repay. In assigning the debts with underlying security, the bank is only transferring its asset and is not acquiring any rights of its client(s). The bank transfers its asset for a particular agreed price and is no longer entitled to recover anything from the borrower(s). The moment ICICI Bank Ltd. transfers the debt with underlying security, the borrower(s) ceases to be the borrower(s) of the ICICI Bank Ltd. and becomes the borrower(s) of Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. (assignee). At this stage, we wish to once again emphasize that debts are assets of the assignor bank. The High Court(s) has erred in not appreciating that the assignor bank is only transferring its rights under a contract and its own asset, namely, the debt as also the mortgagee's rights in the mortgaged properties without in any manner affecting the rights of the borrower(s)/mortgagor(s) in the contract or in the assets. None of the clauses of the impugned Deed of Assignment transfers any obligations of the assignor towards the assignee. In the case of Khardah Company Ltd. v. Raymon & Co. (India) Private Ltd. reported in (1963) 3 S.C.R. 183 the Supreme Court has held that the law on the subject of assignment of a contract is well settled. An assignment of a contract might result by transfer either of the rights or by transfer of obligations thereunder. There is a well recognized distinction between the two classes of assignments. As a rule, obligations under a contract cannot be assigned except with the consent of the promisee, and when such consent is given, it is really a novation resulting in substitution of liabilities. That, rights under a contract are always assignable unless the contract is personal in its nature or unless the rights are incapable of assignment, either under the law or under an agreement between the parties. A benefit under the contract can always be assigned. That, there is, in law, a clear distinction between assignment of rights under a contract by a party who has performed his obligation thereunder and an assignment of a claim for compensation which one party has against the other for breach of contract.
19. In the case of Camdex International Ltd. v. Bank of Zambia reported in (1998) Q.B. 22 (CA) the following observation which is relevant to the present case needs to be quoted:
"The assignment of a debt will not be contrary to public policy solely on the grounds that the assignee has purchased the debt for a considerably discounted price or because that price is only payable after a period of credit. Nor will the assignment be contrary to public policy simply because the assignee may make a profit on the transaction at the end of the day. If there was no prospect of a profit, Hobhouse LJ observed, commercial entities would never purchase debts."
20. Similarly, the following proposition in Chitty on Contracts, 27th edn. (1994) at para 19.027 is relevant to be noted.
"It is also well established that a claim to a simple debt is assignable even if the debtor has refused to pay. The practice of assigning or `selling' debts to debt collecting agencies and credit factors could hardly be carried on if the law were otherwise. "
21. In view of the above exposition of law, we find that under the impugned Deed of Assignment only the Account Receivables in the books of ICICI Bank Ltd. has been transferred to Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. The obligations of ICICI Bank Ltd. towards its borrower(s) (customer) under the loan agreement secured by deed of hypothecation/mortgage have not been assigned by ICICI Bank Ltd. to the assignee bank, namely, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. Hence, it cannot be said that the impugned Deed of Assignment is unsustainable in law. The obligations referred to in the impugned Deed of Assignment are the obligations, if any, of ICICI Bank Ltd. towards Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. (assignee) in the matter of transfer of NPAs. For example, when an Account Receivable is treated as NPA and assigned to the assignee bank, the parties have to follow certain Guidelines issued by RBI. If there is a breach of the Guidelines or statutory directions issued by RBI by Assignor in regard to transfer of NPA then the assignee bank can enforce such obligations vis-à-vis the assignor bank. It is these obligations which are referred to in the impugned Deed of Assignment. That, an Account Receivable becomes an NPA only because of the default committed by the borrower(s) who fails to repay. Lastly, it may be mentioned that the said SARFAESI Act, 2002 was enacted enabling specified SPVs to buy the NPAs from banks. However, from that it does not follow that banks inter se cannot transfer their own assets. Hence the said SARFAESI Act, 2002 has no relevance in this case.
22. Before concluding, we may state that NPAs are created on account of the breaches committed by the borrower. He violates his obligation to repay the debts. One fails to appreciate the opportunity he seeks to participate in the "Transfer of Account Receivable" from one bank to the other.
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