SpiceJet gets payment reprieve from Supreme Court

SpiceJet and its chairman Ajay Singh are in a legal dispute with the carrier’s former owner, billionaire Kalanithi Maran, who claimed damages over a share transfer in 2014.

The Supreme Court stayed an order directing SpiceJet Ltd. to deposit Rs 2.4 billion ($32.5 million) with a lower court, a relief for the cash-strapped low-cost carrier.

The company was ordered to pay Maran the Rs 2.4 billion as part of a ruling in July 2018. SpiceJet disputes that figure, which is based on interest Maran claimed he was owed (REUTERS)

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Sharad A. Bobde agreed to SpiceJet’s request to put on hold a Delhi High Court order to deposit the money, saying there was no precedent for such a directive to be given. The bench will hear the case again after another four weeks.

SpiceJet and its chairman Ajay Singh are in a legal dispute with the carrier’s former owner, billionaire Kalanithi Maran, who claimed damages over a share transfer in 2014. The company was ordered to pay Maran the Rs 2.4 billion as part of a ruling in July 2018. SpiceJet disputes that figure, which is based on interest Maran claimed he was owed.

Like other airlines around the world, SpiceJet has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The carrier had cash and cash equivalents of Rs 281.6 million as of March 31, compared with current liabilities of Rs 66.5 billion and long-term liabilities of Rs 79 billion, latest available data show.