IL&FS Board Recast, Kotak Tasked to Restore Financial Health

IL&FS Board Recast, Kotak Tasked to Restore Financial Health

Mumbai/New Delhi: Under all-round attack over the crisis in the IL&FS, the Central government on Monday superseded the management of the beleaguered company by appointing a six-member Board led by banker Uday Kotak to restore the financial solvency of the debt-stricken conglomerate.

“The NCLT (National Company Law Tribunal) suspended the existing board and directed that the suspended members should not represent the company in any form with immediate effect,” an official statement said.

“The NCLT approved the induction of six Directors recommended by the government, in the first instance, consisting of Uday Kotak, MD & CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank as Non-Executive Chairman and Vineet Nayyar, IAS (Retd.), G.N. Bajpai, former Chairman, SEBI, G.C. Chaturvedi, Non-Executive Chairperson, ICICI Bank, Malini Shankar, IAS and Nand Kishore, IA&AS (Retd.) as Directors,” said Ministry of Corporate Affairs in a statement.

“The new Board shall take up its responsibility with immediate effect, after following due procedures.”

The development comes after the NCLT Mumbai ordered the supersession of the existing Board on a plea moved by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) to prevent any “further mismanagement in order to protect public interest”.

In Delhi, Economic Affairs Secretary S.C. Garg said the government in public interest moved NCLT to supersede the management of Infrastructre Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) on grounds of mismanagement.

“NCLT has allowed appointment of a new Board comprising people with proven record of managing financial and infrastructure institutions. (It is) not a takeover,” Garg said.

Key public sector lenders and undertakings such as LIC and SBI have a 25.34 per cent and 6.42 per cent stake in the firm which has around Rs 91,000 crore in long-term debt.

As per some industry estimates, the company has an urgent liquidity requirement of around Rs 5,000 crore. The move is reminiscent of an earlier decision in which the Central government appointed a new Board of the IT major Satyam. (IANS)

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