(1) This Act may be called the Swadeshi Cotton Mills Company Limited (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1986.
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,--
(1) On the appointed day, every textile undertaking and the right, title and interest of the Company in relation to every such textile undertaking shall, by virtue of this Act, stand transferred to, and shall vest in, the Central Government.
(1) The textile undertakings referred to in section 3 shall be deemed to include all assets, rights, lease holds, powers, authorities and privileges and all property, movable and immovable, including lands, buildings, workshops, stores, instruments, machinery and equipment, cash balances, cash on hand, reserve funds, investments and book debts pertaining to the textile undertakings and all other rights and interests in, or arising out of, such property as were immediately before the appointed day in the ownership, possession, power or control of the Company in relation to the said undertakings, whether within or outside India, and all books of account, registers and all other documents of whatever nature relating thereto.
(1) Every liability of the Company in relation to the textile undertakings in respect of any period prior to the appointed day shall be the liability of the Company and shall be enforceable against it and not against the Central Government of the National Textile Corporation.
(1) The National Textile Corporation may, by order in writing, transfer any of the textile undertakings or part thereof to a Subsidiary Textile Corporation and any such transfer shall be subject to such terms and conditions as may be specified in the said order.
An amount equal to the value of the assets of the textile undertakings transferred to, and vested in, the National Textile Corporation under sub-section (2) of section 3 shall be deemed to be the contribution made by the Central Government to the equity capital of the National Textile Corporation; and for the contribution so made, the National Textile Corporation shall issue (if necessary after amending its memorandum and articles of association) to the Central Government paid up shares, in its equity capital having a face value equal to the amount specified in section 8.
For the transfer to, and vesting in the Central Government, under section 3, of the textile undertakings of the Company, and the right, title and interest of the Company in relation to such undertakings, there shall be given by the Central Government to the Company in cash and in the manner specified in Chapter VI, an amount of rupees twenty-four crores and thirty-two lakhs.
(1) For the deprivation of the Company of the management of the textile undertakings, there shall be given by the Central Government to the Company, in cash, an amount calculated at the rate of rupees ten thousand per annum for the period commencing on the date on which the management of the textile undertakings of the Company was taken over in pursuance of the order made by the Central Government under section 18AA of the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951 (65 of 1951) and ending on the appointed day.
The National Textile Corporation or any person which that Corporation may, by order in writing, specify, shall be entitled to exercise the powers of general superintendence, direction, control and management of the affairs and business of a textile undertaking, the right, title and interest of the Company in relation to which have vested in that Corporation under sub-section (2) of section 3, and do all such things as the Company is authorised to exercise and do.
1[10A. Special provision for disposal of assets of the textile undertakings in certain circumstances.--If the National Textile Corporation considers it necessary or expedient for the better management, modernisation, restructuring or revival of a textile undertaking so to do, it may, with the previous sanction of the Central Government, transfer, mortgage, sell or otherwise dispose of any land, plant, machinery or any other assets of any of the textile undertakings:
On the vesting of a textile undertaking in the National Textile Corporation, all persons in charge of the management of a textile undertaking immediately before such vesting shall be bound to deliver to the National Textile Corporation, all assets, books of account, registers or other documents in their custody relating to the textile undertaking.
(1) Every person who has been, immediately before the appointed day, employed by the Company in relation to a textile undertaking, shall become, on and from the appointed day, an employee of the National Textile Corporation and shall hold office or service in that Corporation with the same rights and privileges as to pension, gratuity and other like matters as would have been admissible to him if the rights in relation to such textile undertaking had not been transferred to, and vested in, the National Textile Corporation, and shall continue to do so unless and until his employment in that Corporation is duly terminated or until his remuneration, terms and conditions of employment are duly altered by that Corporation.
(1) Where the Company has established a provident fund, superannuation, welfare or other fund for the benefit of the persons employed in a textile undertaking, the moneys relatable to the officers and other employees whose services have been transferred by or under this Act to the National Textile Corporation shall, out of the moneys standing, on the appointed day, to the credit of such provident fund, superannuation, welfare or other fund, stand transferred to and vest in, the National Textile Corporation.
Where any textile undertaking or any part thereof is transferred under this Act to a Subsidiary Textile Corporation, every person referred to in section 12 shall, on and from the date of such transfer, become an employee of the Subsidiary Textile Corporation, and the provisions of sections 12 and 13 shall apply to such employee of the National Textile Corporation as if references in the said sections to the National Textile Corporation were references to the Subsidiary Textile Corporation.
(1) The Central Government shall, for the purpose of disbursing the amounts payable under sections 8 and 9 to the Company, by notification, appoint a Commissioner of Payments.
(1) The Central Government shall, within thirty days from the specified date pay in cash to the Commissioner, for payment to the Company, an amount equal to the amount specified in section 8 and the amounts payable to the Company under section 9.
(1) The National Textile Corporation shall be entitled to receive, up to the specified date, to the exclusion of all other persons, any money due to a textile undertaking, realised after the appointed day, notwithstanding that the realisation pertains to a period prior to the appointed day.
Every person having a claim against the Company in relation to the textile undertakings with regard to any of the matters specified in the Schedule shall prefer such claim before the Commissioner within thirty days from the specified date:
The claims arising out of matters specified in the Schedule shall have priorities in accordance with the following principles namely:--
(1) On receipt of the claims made under section 18, the Commissioner shall arrange the claims in the order of priorities specified in the Schedule and examine the same in accordance with such order.
(1) After examining the claims against the Company with reference to the priorities set out in the Schedule, the Commissioner shall fix a date on or before which every claimant shall file the proof of his claim.
(1) After admitting a claim against the Company under this Act, the amount due in respect of such claim shall be paid by the Commissioner to the person or persons to whom such amount is due and on such payment, the liability of the Company in respect of such claim shall stand discharged.
Any money paid to the Commissioner which remains undisbursed or unclaimed on the date immediately preceding the date on which the office of the Commissioner is finally wound up, shall be transferred by the Commissioner before his office is finally wound up, to the general revenue account of the Central Government, but a claim to any money so transferred may be preferred to the Central Government by the person entitled to such payment and shall be dealt with as if such transfer had not been made, and the order, if any, for payment of the claim being treated as an order for the refund of revenue.
The provisions of this Act shall have effect notwithstanding anything inconsistent therewith contained in any other law for the time being in force or in any instrument having effect by virtue of any law, other than this Act, or in any decree or order of any court, tribunal or other authority.
(1) Where any liability of the Company in relation to any textile undertaking arising out of any item specified in Part I of the Schedule is not discharged fully by the Commissioner out of the amounts paid to him under this Act, the Commissioner shall intimate in writing to the Central Government the extent of the liability which remains undischarged and that liability shall be assumed by the Central Government.
Every contract, entered into by the Company in relation to any textile undertaking which has vested in the National Textile Corporation under sub-section (2) of section 3, for any service, sale or supply and in force immediately before the appointed day, shall, on and from the expiry of a period of one hundred and eighty days from the date on which the Ordinance was promulgated, cease to have effect unless such contract is, before the expiry of that period, ratified in writing by the National Textile Corporation, and in ratifying such contract, the National Textile Corporation may make such alterations or modifications therein as it may think fit:
Any person who,--
(1) Where an offence under this Act has been committed by a company, every person who, at the time the offence was committed, was in charge of, and was responsible to, the company for the conduct of the business of the company, as well as the company, shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be preceded against and punished accordingly:
(1) No suit, prosecution or other legal proceeding shall lie against the Central Government or any officer of, or other person authorised by, that Government or the National Textile Corporation or any Subsidiary Textile Corporation or any officer of, or other person authorised by, such Corporation for anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done under this Act.
(1) The Central Government may by notification, direct that all or any of the powers exercisable by it under this Act, other than the powers conferred by this section and sections 31 and 32, may also be exercised by such person or persons as may be specified in the notification.
(1) The Central Government may, by notification, make rules for carrying out the provisions of this Act.
If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of this Act, the Central Government may, by order, not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, remove the difficulty:
(1) The Swadeshi Cotton Mills Company Limited (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Ordinance, 1986 (5 of 1986), is hereby repealed.