#Operational Debt

NCLAT ruled that advance payments for undelivered goods qualify as operational debt under Section 9 of the IBC, and that a demand notice sent via FedEx meets procedural requirements if delivery is proven. The decision expands creditors ability to trigger insolvency proceedings and validates courier based notice service.

Milestone payments under the EPC agreement are treated as operational debt under Section 5(21) of the IBC, and the creditor’s Section 9 petition is dismissed as time-barred after three years. The ruling confirms that such contracts continue despite delays, limiting insolvency claims by contractors. This impacts EPC contractors and lenders seeking recovery in insolvency proceedings.

The NCLAT has ruled that advance payments made under a consortium agreement for goods supply qualify as operational debt under Section 5(21) of the IBC, even when payment obligations are structured between consortium members rather than directly with a corporate debtor. This expands the scope of operational creditors in complex supply chains and clarifies that inter-se financial arrangements do not negate the existence of a debt arising from a transaction in the ordinary course of business.

NCLAT rules that a contractual obligation to pay minimum guaranteed royalty qualifies as operational debt under IBC Section 9, even in the absence of invoices, if the default is admitted and exceeds ₹1 lakh. This expands the scope of operational debt to include uninvoiced but contractually mandated payments, impacting creditors' rights in insolvency proceedings.

NCLAT rules that labour proceedings disputing wage quantum, even if liability is partially admitted, qualify as a pre-existing dispute under IBC Section 9, preventing Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process initiation. This reinforces the bar on operational creditors using CIRP to bypass ongoing labour adjudication, impacting trade unions and government-owned corporate debtors.

The NCLAT has ruled that interest charged in invoices cannot be included in the operational debt threshold under Section 9 of the IBC unless there is a clear contractual provision or established past practice of accepting such interest. This sets a critical precedent for operational creditors relying on invoice terms alone, requiring explicit consent for interest to count toward the ₹1 lakh threshold.

The NCLAT has ruled that profit-sharing payments under an Operation & Management agreement are not operational debt under the IBC, as they arise from commercial collaboration, not goods or services supplied. This clarifies the boundary between revenue-sharing arrangements and true creditor-debtor relationships, impacting how operators and owners structure agreements to avoid insolvency triggers.