The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to ensure uniformity in Registry practices, registration and listing of cases, and preparation of Daily Cause Lists across its Benches has issued administrative instructions.
On 12 August 2026, the NCLT issued the Circular prescribing detailed procedures for scrutiny of filings, registration and marking of matters, first listing, preparation of Cause Lists, and use of standard procedural slips. The instructions are to be read with the Companies Act, 2013, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 and NCLT Rules, 2016.
Key Points:
Filing and Presentation of Petitions/Applications
-
Registry to scrutinise every petition, application or appeal in accordance with the NCLT Rules, 2016, applicable statutory requirements, Annexure-I Scrutiny Checklist, SOP dated 02-04-2025 issued by the Principal Bench and other Tribunal instructions, with all defects, as far as practicable, being identified and communicated in a single scrutiny to avoid repeated refiling, fresh objections shall not be raised subsequently except where necessitated by subsequent documents/pleadings, material change in circumstances, or objections not reasonably identifiable during initial scrutiny.
-
Registry to distinguish between (a) curable office defects, requiring compliance before registration, and (b) objections requiring judicial determination.
-
Curable defects relating to filing requirements, court fees, affidavits, authorisations, vakalatnama, pagination, bookmarking, OCR, prescribed forms and requisite documents to be cured before registration, however, where despite due diligence a defect cannot reasonably be cured before registration and does not prevent placement before the Bench, registration may be permitted, for recorded reasons and with approval of the Deputy Registrar/Joint Registrar, upon an appropriate undertaking.
-
Where objections involve jurisdiction, maintainability, limitation, interpretation of statutory provisions, applicability/necessity of prescribed forms or documents, or other matters requiring judicial determination, Registry shall not assume an adjudicatory role or indefinitely withhold the matter if the party seeks placement before the Bench. After assigning a case number, recording outstanding objections and obtaining undertaking, wherever required, the Registry shall prepare an Office Report under Annexure-III and list the matter before the appropriate Bench with the endorsement “With Defects” for appropriate judicial orders. The Bench may direct removal of defects, decide objections, grant time for compliance or pass other appropriate orders, with Registry ensuring compliance. Scrutiny of subsequent pleadings, affidavits, documents or applications should not cause avoidable delay in placing them before the Bench, keeping in view applicable statutory timelines.
Registration and First Listing
Every registered petition or application is required to be assigned a case number and marked to the appropriate Court. The matter is required to be reflected in the Court Information System (CIS) after marking.
The Circular further provides that newly marked matters should be listed at the earliest available opportunity and not later than three working days from the date of marking. Any delay is to be brought to the notice of the concerned Bench and the designated Registry authorities. The Registry shall endeavour to ensure that no matter remains pending at any administrative stage, including scrutiny, registration, marking or first listing, for reasons attributable to the Registry, with the Joint Registrar/Deputy Registrar periodically reviewing matters awaiting first listing and taking appropriate measures to avoid delay.
Daily Cause Lists
Daily Cause Lists are to be prepared in accordance with Rule 89 of the NCLT Rules, 2016 and are required to indicate the case number, cause title, purpose of listing, relevant statutory provisions and names of counsel/authorised representatives, as available on record.
Connected matters are to be listed together before the same Bench.
Supplementary Cause Lists to be issued only where necessary and shall be in manner as the regular cause list. Once a Regular Cause List has been published, no Revised Cause List is to be issued. Additions are to be made through a Supplementary Cause List, deletions through a Deletion Note, and corrections through a Corrigendum.
Priority in Listing of IBC and Companies Act Matters
For IBC matters, the Circular prescribes a sequence covering admission matters under Sections 7, 9 and 10, withdrawal under Section 12A, resolution-plan approval under Section 31, liquidation under Section 33, voluntary liquidation under Section 59, proceedings concerning personal guarantors, bankruptcy proceedings, discharge applications and dissolution.
For Companies Act matters, the prescribed sequence covers, inter alia, compromises, arrangements and amalgamations, restoration of companies, oppression and mismanagement, investigation into company affairs, rectification of register, reduction of share capital, winding-up, repayment of deposits, class action and other company matters.
Within each statutory category, matters are to be arranged chronologically according to the date of institution/registration, with the oldest pending matter listed first. The concerned Bench may, however, direct listing as a “Specially Directed Matter” having regard to urgency, statutory timelines, judicial directions or the interest of justice.
Standardised Procedural Slips
The Circular prescribes standard formats for Mentioning Slips, Adjournment Slips and Appearance Slips for uniform practice across NCLT Benches.
Requests for adjournment made before the hearing date are ordinarily required to reach the Registry by 2:00 p.m. on the working day preceding the date of hearing, with a copy to the Respondent(s) or their counsel/authorised representative(s) and the concerned Court Master.
In Essence
The Circular seeks to standardise Registry scrutiny and listing practices (A4, double‑sided, margins, OCR, indexing), reduce repeated scrutiny and administrative delays, and ensure that matters requiring judicial consideration are placed before the appropriate Bench rather than remaining pending at the Registry stage. The instructions come into force with immediate effect and apply across NCLT Benches.
[NCLT Circular, issued on 12-8-2026]
