Insolvency Act-1997

Origin of the Law of Insolvency

The law relating to Insolvency first introduced in this subcontinent in India. At that time there were two acts:
1). The Presidency Town Insolvency Act-1909: which applied for Calcutta, Mumbai and Madras
2). The Provincial Insolvency Act-1920: which applies for the remain India.

After the independence of Bangladesh, both of the acts are approved by the first parliamentary session.
a)The first act was applied for Dhaka and
The second was applied for remain of the country.
But at last the act was changed again in 1997 that was known as – “The Insolvency Act-1997”

What is Insolvency?
An insolvent is one who is unable to pay his debt. But no man can be called “ insolvent” unless the competent
court declares him an insolvent.
Usually used to refer to a business, insolvency refers to the inability of a company to pay off its debts

Business insolvency is defined in two different ways:

1).Cash flow insolvency : Unable to pay debts as they fall due.
2)Balance Sheet insolvency: Having negative net assets – in other words, liabilities exceed assets. It includes its
contingent and prospective liabilities.

The object of the insolvency

Insolvency legislation has two fold objective:

(i) Protection of debtors and
(ii) Safeguarding the interests of creditors , as far as possible.

These objects are sought to be achieved in the following way:

(a) Distribution of insolvent’s property
(b) Cancellation of debt and removal of disqualification
(c) Benefits of creditors
(d) Fresh start in the life of debtors

(a) Distribution of insolvent’s property:

After a person is declared insolvent by the court, his properties are taken over by an officer of the court, known
as Official Assignee or the Official Receiver.
The properties are converted into cash and distributed among his creditors in proportion to the claim of each.

(b) Cancellation of debt and removal of disqualification:

After the distribution is complete, the unpaid debts are cancelled and the insolvent is allowed to engage in
trade or services without any of his former obligations.
The creditor lose a part of their claims, the debtor gets a fresh start in life.

(c) Benefits of creditors:

It ensures the equitable distribution of the debtor’s remaining properties among all the creditors.
If there were no insolvency laws there would have been free to dispose of his properties in any way he liked. He
might have wasted the properties or might have paid one creditors proportionately more than the other
creditors.

Biplob Kumar Sannyasi

 (d) Fresh start in the life of debtors:
Prior to the passing of insolvency legislation, a debtor who was unable to pay debts was regarded as a sort of
criminal and was very often sent to jail.
It was realized in course of time that inability to pay debt is more often due to misfortune than to misconduct
and sending the debtor to jail is oppressive. Insolvency legislation provides a method by which the debtor can
free himself from his past obligations and get a fresh start.

When can a person be declared insolvent?

Two conditions must be satisfied before a person can be adjudicated insolvent:

(i) he must be a debtor, i.e., he must owe money to others and his assets must be insufficient to meet all claim
upon them;
(ii) the debtor has committed an ‘ act of insolvency’.

Act of Insolvency

An act of insolvency is some act of the debtor which shows that he is financially embarrassed.
Only those acts which are listed as such by the act are considered to be acts of insolvency.

Each of the following acts committed by the debtor is an act of insolvency:

(1). If he makes a transfer of all or substantially all his property to a third person for the benefit of his creditors
generally.

(2). If he makes a transfer of his property or any part thereof, with the intend to defraud or to delay his
creditors.
(3). If he makes a transfer of his property or any part thereof it would under this act or any other enactment for
the time being in force, be void as a fraudulent preference if he were adjudged as insolvent.

(4). If, with intent to defeat or delay his creditors-

i) he departs from or remain out of Bangladesh
ii) he departs from his dwelling house or usual place of business or otherwise absent himself
iii) he secluded (to keep oneself away from contract with other people) himself so as to deprive his creditors of
the means of communicating with him.

(5). If any of his property has been sold or attached for a period of not less than 21 days in execution of the
decree of any court for the payment of money.
(6). If he petitions to be adjudged an insolvent
(7). If he gives notice to any of his creditors that he has suspended, or that he is about to suspend, payment of
his debt.

(8). If he is imprisoned in execution of the decree of any court for the payment of money.
(9). If a creditor has served an “insolvency notice” in respect of any decree or order for payment of money, and
if the debtor has not paid the money within the period specified in notice.
The rules regarding notice are stated below:
(a) The notice must be given according to the prescribed form and prescribed manner
(b) It must specify the amount due.
(c) It must specify the period for its compliance, i.e., not less than 01 month.
(d) It must specify the consequences of non-compliance ( the practice of obeying rules).

Biplob Kumar Sannyasi

Procedure of adjudication
What is the order of adjudication?
The order of court by which a person is declared to be insolvent is called the Order of adjudication.
Before the court can pass an order of adjudication there must be a petition presented to it either by a creditor
or by the debtor. The petitioning creditor or debtor must fulfill certain conditions.

Conditions of a creditor’s petition:

The following conditions must be fulfilled before a creditor can present a petition for the adjudication of a
person as insolvent:
1) The amount owned must be Tk 500,000 or more.
2) The debtor must have committed an act of insolvency within one year before the presentation of the
petition.
3) A secured creditor is one who holds some movable or immovable property of the debtor out of which he can
realize his claims.

A secured creditor can present an insolvency petition if the following conditions are satisfied:
a)He abandoned his security in favor of all the creditors, or
b)The security is insufficient to meet his claim of minimum Tk 500,000.

Conditions of a debtor’s petition:

1)His debt amount of Tk 500,000 or
2)He has been arrested and imprisoned in execution of the decree of any court for the payment of money, or
3)An order of attachment in execution of a money decree has been made and is subsisting against his property.

Who can not be declared insolvent?

Any person, man or women, who has attained majority can be declared insolvent if the conditions laid down in
the insolvency act.
The following persons can be considered:

(a) Companies: A company can not be declared insolvent. Because companies are directed by the Company Act-
1994 approved by the govt.

(b) Govt. Body: Any govt. body can not be declared insolvent. If any creditor claim any due from the govt.
organization, it is considered as the liability to the government. And government is bound to pay the amount at
any time.

(c) Convict: A prisoner in the jail can be declared insolvent.

(d) Deceased Person: A dead man can not be declared insolvent. If a debtor dies after the presentation of the
insolvency petition, his estate will be administered by the Official Assignee as upon insolvency, unless the court
otherwise directs.

(e) Minor: A minor is not personally responsible for his debts and is not capable of entering into the contracts.
Therefore a minor can not be declared an insolvent.

(f) Partner: Since every partner is responsible for his debts of the firm, the creditor of a firm can file an
insolvency petition against any partner or all of the partners for any debt due and owned by the firm.

Biplob Kumar Sannyasi