Yava Corp Global Limited vs. S N Capital Management Pvt Ltd
Background
Yava Corp Global Limited, which deals in unlisted and listed shares, had transferred 50 lakh shares of Kalind Limited to S N Capital Management under a Share Transfer and Settlement Agreement, appointing the respondent as a "transferee/selling agent" to sell the shares and use the proceeds to settle recorded dues in an orderly manner. On the very date it was to start selling, the respondent allegedly repudiated the settlement agreement itself, denying any final settlement had been reached, while still holding onto the shares, prompting the petitioner to fear the shares might be sold improperly or the proceeds dissipated.
Decision Breakdown
The Court found the petitioner had made out a prima facie case, since the respondent had received the shares under an agreement that limited how they could be sold and used, yet was now denying that very agreement while retaining the shares. It restrained the respondent from dealing with the shares except in accordance with the contractual mechanism and ordered it to preserve all related records, directing the petitioner to commence arbitration within three weeks, after which the interim protection would automatically lapse unless the arbitral tribunal extended it.
Lesson Learnt
Courts can grant urgent, time-limited interim protection to preserve disputed assets (like shares held under a settlement agreement) pending arbitration, but such protection is conditional on the protected party promptly starting the arbitration itself.