EPFO invested Rs 2,500cr in Reliance Capital's bonds; asked govt to initiate insolvency process: FinMin

The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) had asked the government to initiate insolvency and bankruptcy proceedings against Reliance Capital as it has invested Rs 2,500 crore in the company's bond programmes, the Finance Ministry said in Parliament on Tuesday. The Ministry of Labour and Employment has apprised that Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has invested Rs 2,500 crore in Reliance Capital Ltd (RCL), for which RCL has defaulted in payment of interest from October 2019, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

He was replying to a query asked by Member of Parliament from RJD, Manoj Kumar Jha, whether it was a fact that Reliance Capital had defaulted on payment of principal and interest obligations on bonds held by EPFO. The total interest default on the non-convertible debentures (NCDs) (secured) is Rs 534.64 crore as of November 30, 2021, Karad said.

Ministry of Labour and Employment has informed that as the maturity date of these investment has not become due till date, there is no default on principal as on date, he said. "The matter for initiation of action under the provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC), against Reliance Capital Ltd was taken up by EPFO," Karad added.

Citing action taken by the RBI, the minister informed the house that the apex bank superseded the board of directors of the company on November 29, 2011. It (RBI) has filed an application on December 2, 2021 for initiation of corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP) against Reliance Capital at the Mumbai branch of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

"As per section 12 (3) of IBC, CIRP needs to be mandatorily completed within a period of three hundred and thirty days from the insolvency commencement date," the minister said further. Earlier this month, the company asked its creditors to submit their claims with proof by December 20 following the initiation of corporate insolvency process against it. Last month, the Reserve Bank had superseded Reliance Capital's board, citing defaults and governance issues.

The company's promoters have supported the RBI application of referring it to the NCLT under section 227 for fast-track resolution. Reliance Capital owes its creditors over Rs 19,805 crore, majority of the amount through bonds under the trustee Vistra ITCL India. The company is the third NBFC to go for resolution under the IBC after Dewan Housing Finance.