Delhi HC sets up Committee to address entry woes at NCLT, NCLAT

The Delhi High Court today set up a committee headed by the Registrar General of the High Court to address the problems faced by lawyers and litigants at the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) due to restricted entry and limited space..Apart from the Registrar General, the Committee would comprise Registrars of NCLT and NCLAT, four representatives from the NCLT Bar Association and NCLAT Bar Association, one nominee each from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Urban Development and CISF..The Committee would consider the issue of entry of lawyers inside the building where NCLAT is located, parking of cars of lawyers inside the CGO Complex where the two Tribunals are located, inadequate size of court rooms, inadequate space and seating area, entry of clerks and assistants, issuance of car stickers, insufficient space for the registry and lack of washrooms as well as a library..The Committee would also explore the possibility of relocating the two Tribunals to another location if more space cannot be allocated to them near their present location..The Final Report, as per the Court’s direction, would be submitted by the Committee within four weeks..Meanwhile, the Committee would examine the question of entry of cars into the CGO complex and an identity card for lawyers for easier entry, and submit an interim report within 15 days..A Division Bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and V Kameswar Rao was hearing a plea by the National Company Law Tribunal and Appellate Tribunal Bar Association seeking relief with respect to the day-to-day struggle faced by the litigants as well as advocates to secure an entry into premises that houses the Appellate Tribunal..Last month, the Court had directed the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to come up with a solution to the space crunch faced by the Tribunals as well as the inconvenience caused to lawyers and litigants while entering the premises where the Tribunals are situated..Central Government Standing Counsel Bharathi Raju informed the Court today that the Government was considering allocating an additional space of 10,000 sq. ft. to the NCLAT by relocating the Special Fraud Investigation Office which is situated in the floor below NCLAT..She also submitted that the lawyers could get an unhindered entry inside NCLAT by applying for an identity card issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The card, she said, would be valid for a period of one year..With respect to the parking woes, she said that the CGO Complex has a “space crunch” as it has only 900 free parking slots..She further said that the issue of entry of cars and persons inside the premises was a matter of “security” as the premise houses several “sensitive” Government departments..Entry of vehicles and persons inside the CGO complex, where the two Tribunals are situated, is controlled by the Ministry of Home Affairs..To enter the building that houses NCLAT on its third floor, lawyers and litigants are required to get a daily pass issued from one of the counters near the building..The NCLT Bar Association was represented by Senior Advocates AS Chandiok, Virender Ganda, Kirti Uppal, Rakesh Tiku and Ashok Singh along with Advocates Rakesh Kumar, Vipul Ganda, and Managing Partner. Linklegal India Law Services Atul Sharma..Read the order: