Justice Sharad Kumar Sharma who is Judicial Member of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), Chennai Bench has recused himself from hearing an insolvency matter after disclosing that he had been approached by a senior member of the higher judiciary seeking a favourable outcome for one of the parties.
The disclosure was made during the hearing of an appeal challenging a 2023 order admitting a Hyderabad-based company into the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP). Justice Sharma informed the parties that he had received a message on his mobile phone from “one of the most revered members of the higher judiciary,” requesting him to consider the matter in a particular light.
Following the revelation, the bench — which also included Technical Member Jatindranath Swain directed that the matter be placed before the NCLAT Chairperson for reconstitution of the bench. The contents of the message were not made public.
This is not the first instance where Justice Sharma has withdrawn from proceedings due to perceived attempts at influence.
In June 2025, he recused himself from a batch of appeals involving Shri Ramalinga Mills, stating that a respondent had approached him for a favourable order. Similarly, in November 2024, during a case related to Jeppiar Cements, he stepped aside after disclosing that his brother had sent him a message requesting that the matter be held for orders.
Justice Sharma had also recused himself earlier from cases linked to BYJU’S CIRP because of his previous association with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which was connected to the proceedings.
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