Auction Purchaser Rights Not Absolute Under SARFAESI; Must Yield Where Sale Is Illegal: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (April 1) held that the rights of a bona fide auction purchaser are not absolute and must yield where the sale process is legally flawed, as it dismissed appeals filed by auction purchasers and the Central Bank of India and upheld a Madras High Court judgment setting aside a SARFAESI auction sale.A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma affirmed the High Court's April 12, 2023 ruling, which had annulled the auction after finding that the...

Delay In Taking Possession Of Secured Asset Not Ground To Close Section 14 SARFAESI Proceedings: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Tuesday held that a Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) is under a statutory obligation to ensure execution of a warrant of possession under Section 14 of the SARFAESI Act and cannot close proceedings merely because possession could not be taken within the prescribed time limit. The top court cautioned that the secured creditor cannot be made to run from pillar to post for recovery.A bench of Justices Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Alok Aradhe was hearing an appeal filed by...

High Courts Can Examine Valuation, Reserve Price In Recovery Proceedings Under Supervisory Jurisdiction: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Friday observed that high courts may invoke their supervisory jurisdiction to examine valuation and reserve price fixation in recovery proceedings where credible issues are raised regarding the adequacy of valuation or the fairness of the process. A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan made the observation while dismissing an appeal filed by an auction purchaser challenging a Madras High Court judgment dated February 6, 2020, which had remitted the matter to...

Supreme Court Dismisses Plea Against Allahabad HC Ruling Upholding DRT Registrar's Power to Issue Notice Under SARFAESI

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a special leave petition challenging an Allahabad High Court ruling that upheld the authority of the Registrar of the Debts Recovery Tribunal to issue notice in a securitisation application under the SARFAESI Act. A Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma declined to interfere with the High Court's decision, observing, “We are not inclined to interfere with the impugned judgment and order of the High Court; hence, the special leave...