In Brief
Bengal Chemists & Druggists Association appealed to the Supreme Court against the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal's dismissal of its appeal as time-barred. The appeal had been filed 9 days after the 45-day statutory deadline, and both the initial 45-day period and the extended 45-day grace period had expired. The Supreme Court held that Section 421(3) of the Companies Act, 2013 establishes a peremptory outer limit of 90 days for filing appeals, and Section 5 of the Limitation Act cannot extend this deadline. The two-stage limitation period with a built-in grace period functions as a complete, self-contained scheme, making further condonation impossible once both periods expire. The appeal was dismissed.
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