Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) on Wednesday moved the NCLAT seeking more time to file reply over the requisition of minority shareholders Invesco and OFI Global China Fund to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM).

The petition filed by ZEEL has been listed for hearing on Thursday before a two-member bench of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) comprising Justice Jarat K Jain and Alok Srivastava.

According to the industry insiders, ZEEL has sought more time to file a reply over the petition filed by its minority shareholders Invesco Developing Markets Fund and OFI Global China Fund and sought a stay over the proceedings going before the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

On Tuesday, the NCLT had directed ZEEL to filed reply over the petition filed by its minority shareholders by October 7 (Thursday), the next date of hearing. Invesco Developing Markets Fund (formerly Invesco Oppenheimer Developing Markets Fund) along with OFI Global China Fund LLC hold 17.88 per cent stake in ZEEL.

The minority shareholders have moved a petition before the NCLT seeking convening of the EGM, removing the company’s Chief Executive and Managing Director Punit Goenka as well as two other directors, and reconstituting the board with the appointment of six new directors.

Earlier, in the day, while confirming the development, a ZEEL Spokesperson said: ”The company has moved NCLAT in accordance with the due process available under the law.” Last week, ZEEL had informed it had also moved the Bombay High Court against the requisition of minority shareholders.

”The company has also filed a suit in the Bombay High Court to declare that the requisition notice sent by Invesco Developing Markets Fund and OFI Global China Fund LLC is invalid,” he added.

The company continues to have full faith in the Indian judicial system and will take all the necessary steps that are in the best interests of all its shareholders, the spokesperson added.

Last week, the board of the company had rejected the minority shareholders’ demand and termed the requisition as ”invalid and illegal”.

”In its meeting held on October 1, 2021, the board has arrived at a conclusion that the requisition is invalid and illegal; and has accordingly conveyed its inability to convene the Extraordinary General Meeting to Invesco Developing Markets Funds and OFI Global China Fund, LLC,” ZEEL had said.

The meeting was convened after the NCLT had directed ZEEL to hold a board meeting to consider Invesco and OFI Global China Fund’s request for convening an EGM for discussing various issues.

On Tuesday, the NCLT had said the matter of the dispute is simple – whether the extraordinary general meeting (EGM) requisition is valid or not and it cannot give Zee Entertainment Enterprises ‘weeks and weeks’ of time for filing its reply to the same.

”Orders cannot be passed with an opportunity of filing a counter… and we are of the view that minimum opportunity time should be given,” the NCLT had said while posting the matter on Thursday for the next hearing.

Earlier this month, the two investment firms had called for the EGM seeking to remove Punit Goenka along with two other independent directors – Manish Chokhani and Ashok Kurien. Chokhani and Kurien have already resigned.

Invesco has also sought the appointment of six of its own nominees on the board of the company – Surendra Singh Sirohi, Naina Krishna Murthy, Rohan Dhamija, Aruna Sharma, Srinivasa Rao Addepalli and Gaurav Mehta.

Goenka is the son of Zee Founder and Chairman of Essel Group Subhash Chandra.

On September 22, ZEEL and Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) had announced their mergers, which will create the country’s largest media company.

The merged entity, in which SPNI’s parent company Sony Pictures Entertainment would infuse USD 1.575 billion, will be a public listed company in India.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)