Law4u - Made in India

Can a creditor initiate bankruptcy & insolvency proceedings against a guarantor?

Answer By law4u team

No, a creditor cannot initiate bankruptcy/insolvency proceedings against a guarantor under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). The IBC only provides for the initiation of bankruptcy/insolvency proceedings against a corporate debtor (company) or an individual debtor. A guarantor is a person who guarantees the payment of a debt or the fulfillment of an obligation by another person (the principal debtor). If the principal debtor defaults on the debt or obligation, the creditor can initiate recovery proceedings against the guarantor to recover the amount owed. However, the recovery proceedings against a guarantor are governed by the provisions of the Indian Contract Act and the Limitation Act, and not by the IBC. The creditor may file a civil suit against the guarantor to recover the amount owed, and may also initiate proceedings under the Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act (SARFAESI Act) if the debt is secured by collateral. In summary, a creditor cannot initiate bankruptcy/insolvency proceedings against a guarantor under the IBC. The recovery proceedings against a guarantor are governed by the provisions of the Indian Contract Act and the Limitation Act, and the creditor may file a civil suit or initiate proceedings under the SARFAESI Act to recover the amount owed.

Answer By Anik

Dear client, Yes, under the Indian legal framework the creditors can initiate a bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings against a guarantor under the insolvency and bankruptcy code, 2016. Further supreme of court India clarified the power of the creditors to proceed against both corporate debtor and the guarantor simultaneously. The legal provisions governing guarantors in Insolvency Section 5(22) of the IBC – defines a personal guarantor as an individual who has given the guarantee on behalf of the corporate debtor. Section 60(2) of the IBC - allows the creditors to initiate an insolvency proceeding against a personal guarantor before the national company law tribunal (NCLT). Section 128 of Indian contract act, 1872 – it states that the liability of the guarantor is co- extensive with that of the borrower unless it is specifically stated otherwise. The process for initiating insolvency against the guarantor: Filing of applications- a financial creditor or an operational creditor can file an application under the section 95 of IBC to initiate the insolvency proceedings against the personal guarantor. The application is filed before the national company law tribunal (NCLT) that has the jurisdiction over the corporate debtor. Appointment of resolution professional – the NCLT will appoint interim resolution professional to examine the case. The resolution professional will submit the report before the NCLT on whether the application should be accepted or rejected. Moratorium period – once the insolvency application is accepted the moratorium period is applied under section 96 of IBC which prevents the creditors from taking legal action against the guarantor. Resolution plan – if the resolution plan by the resolution professional is accepted then the guarantor may enter into a repayment plan. If no plan is approved, then the NCLT may declare the guarantor bankrupt under the section 125 of IBC. I hope this answer helps. In case of future queries please feel free to contact us. Thank you

Bankruptcy & Insolvency Verified Advocates

Get expert legal advice instantly.

Advocate Shaika Parween

Advocate Shaika Parween

Anticipatory Bail, Arbitration, Armed Forces Tribunal, Bankruptcy & Insolvency, Breach of Contract, Child Custody, Corporate, Criminal, Cyber Crime, Domestic Violence, High Court, Labour & Service, Landlord & Tenant, Medical Negligence, Motor Accident, Muslim Law, Property, Supreme Court, Tax, Wills Trusts, Revenue

Get Advice
Advocate Pankaj Shrivastava

Advocate Pankaj Shrivastava

Anticipatory Bail,Arbitration,Bankruptcy & Insolvency,Banking & Finance,Breach of Contract,Cheque Bounce,Child Custody,Civil,Consumer Court,Court Marriage,Customs & Central Excise,Criminal,Divorce,Documentation,GST,Domestic Violence,Family,High Court,Immigration,Insurance,Landlord & Tenant,Media and Entertainment,Motor Accident,NCLT,Patent,Property,R.T.I,Recovery,RERA,Startup,Succession Certificate,Trademark & Copyright,Wills Trusts,Revenue

Get Advice
Advocate Sumant Chaturvedi

Advocate Sumant Chaturvedi

Criminal,Anticipatory Bail,Civil,Cheque Bounce,Domestic Violence,Banking & Finance,Consumer Court,Labour & Service,Cyber Crime,Divorce,Motor Accident,Family,Court Marriage,Breach of Contract,Medical Negligence,Landlord & Tenant,Insurance,R.T.I,Property,RERA,Media and Entertainment,Recovery,Patent,Succession Certificate,Trademark & Copyright,Wills Trusts,Child Custody,Documentation,Bankruptcy & Insolvency,

Get Advice
Advocate Yogesh Share

Advocate Yogesh Share

Cyber Crime, Anticipatory Bail, Arbitration, Armed Forces Tribunal, Bankruptcy & Insolvency, Banking & Finance, Cheque Bounce, Child Custody, Corporate, Consumer Court, Breach of Contract, Civil, Customs & Central Excise, Criminal, GST, Domestic Violence, Insurance, Immigration, Documentation, High Court, Family, Divorce, International Law, Labour & Service, Media and Entertainment, Landlord & Tenant, Medical Negligence, Motor Accident, Muslim Law, Recovery, R.T.I, Property, Patent, NCLT, RERA, Startup, Succession Certificate, Tax, Trademark & Copyright, Supreme Court, Revenue, Wills Trusts

Get Advice
Advocate Neel Kumar

Advocate Neel Kumar

Anticipatory Bail, Arbitration, Armed Forces Tribunal, Bankruptcy & Insolvency, Banking & Finance, Breach of Contract, Cheque Bounce, Child Custody, Civil, Consumer Court, Corporate, Court Marriage, Customs & Central Excise, Criminal, Cyber Crime, Divorce, Documentation, Domestic Violence, Family, High Court, Immigration, Insurance, Labour & Service, Landlord & Tenant, Media and Entertainment, Medical Negligence, Motor Accident, Muslim Law, Patent, Property, R.T.I, Recovery, RERA, Startup, Succession Certificate, Supreme Court, Trademark & Copyright, Wills Trusts, Revenue

Get Advice
Advocate Sami Ullah Mohammad

Advocate Sami Ullah Mohammad

Anticipatory Bail,Arbitration,Bankruptcy & Insolvency,Banking & Finance,Breach of Contract,Cheque Bounce,Child Custody,Civil,Consumer Court,Corporate,Court Marriage,Criminal,Cyber Crime,Divorce,Documentation,Domestic Violence,Family,High Court,Labour & Service,Landlord & Tenant,Motor Accident,Muslim Law,NCLT,Property,R.T.I,RERA,Succession Certificate,Trademark & Copyright

Get Advice
Advocate Syed Nawaz

Advocate Syed Nawaz

Anticipatory Bail, Bankruptcy & Insolvency, Banking & Finance, Breach of Contract, Cheque Bounce, Child Custody, Civil, Consumer Court, Corporate, Court Marriage, Criminal, Cyber Crime, Divorce, GST, Domestic Violence, Documentation, Family, High Court, International Law, Landlord & Tenant, Media and Entertainment, Medical Negligence, Motor Accident, Muslim Law, NCLT, R.T.I, Recovery, RERA, Succession Certificate, Startup, Supreme Court, Trademark & Copyright, Wills Trusts, Revenue

Get Advice
Advocate Smitha Mn

Advocate Smitha Mn

Anticipatory Bail, Arbitration, Armed Forces Tribunal, Bankruptcy & Insolvency, Banking & Finance, Breach of Contract, Cheque Bounce, Child Custody, Civil, Consumer Court, Corporate, Customs & Central Excise, Criminal, Cyber Crime, Divorce, Documentation, GST, Domestic Violence, Family, Immigration, Insurance, International Law, Labour & Service, Landlord & Tenant, Media and Entertainment, Medical Negligence, Motor Accident, Patent, Property, R.T.I, Recovery, Startup, Succession Certificate, Tax, Trademark & Copyright, Revenue

Get Advice
Advocate Rohit Mishra

Advocate Rohit Mishra

Anticipatory Bail, Arbitration, Armed Forces Tribunal, Bankruptcy & Insolvency, Banking & Finance, Breach of Contract, Cheque Bounce, Child Custody, Civil, Consumer Court, Corporate, Court Marriage, Criminal, Cyber Crime, Divorce, Documentation, GST, Domestic Violence, Family, High Court, Insurance, Labour & Service, Landlord & Tenant, Medical Negligence, Motor Accident, Muslim Law, NCLT, Patent, Property, R.T.I, Recovery, RERA, Startup, Succession Certificate, Supreme Court, Trademark & Copyright, Wills Trusts, Tax, Revenue, Immigration, Media and Entertainment, Customs & Central Excise, International Law

Get Advice
Advocate Neeraj T Narendran

Advocate Neeraj T Narendran

Anticipatory Bail, Bankruptcy & Insolvency, Banking & Finance, Civil, Criminal, Cyber Crime, Domestic Violence, Family, Startup, Motor Accident

Get Advice

Bankruptcy & Insolvency Related Questions

Discover clear and detailed answers to common questions about Breach of Contract. Learn about procedures and more in straightforward language.