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Jurisdiction of the court to entertain the petition for winding-up of a dissolved firm under the Companies Act, 1956. Analysis: The judgment involves a dispute regarding the jurisdiction of the court to proceed with the winding-up of a dissolved firm. The respondent's counsel argued that the court should not exercise its jurisdiction under section 433 of the Companies Act as there are no creditors to safeguard and no public interest served in winding up the firm. The counsel relied on Supreme Court decisions to support the proposition that a suit for completing the dissolution under the Partnership Act is not barred. The Supreme Court decisions cited by the respondent's counsel were analyzed by the court. It was noted that the decisions did not support the argument that the court cannot wind up the respondent company merely because there is another forum for dispute settlement. The court emphasized that winding-up proceedings under the Companies Act are generally in the public interest, especially for deemed companies like unregistered firms with a large number of partners. Such proceedings are summary in character and provide a speedier way to safeguard the interests of partners and third-party creditors. The court further examined the provisions of the Companies Act concerning the winding up of unregistered companies. It was established that if an unregistered company is dissolved, it is liable to be wound up under the Act. As the first respondent firm was undisputedly an unregistered company and had dissolved, the court found no impediment to proceeding with the winding-up process. The court directed the advertisement of the petition and set a date for the hearing, emphasizing the necessity to follow the statutory requirements for winding up the company. In conclusion, the court upheld its jurisdiction to proceed with the winding-up of the dissolved firm under the Companies Act, rejecting the argument that the matter should be pursued in a civil court. The judgment emphasized the importance of summary winding-up proceedings for deemed companies and the statutory provisions governing the dissolution of unregistered firms.
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