NCLT Hearings: What Actually Happens in the Room (For the First-Time CS)

Your first NCLT appearance is one of the more disorienting moments in a CS career. The textbook didn't prepare you. The senior who said “just come along” doesn't have time to explain anything. The board thinks you have it under control. This article is the unglamorous, second-hand-Hindi-mid-paragraph reality of how an NCLT bench actually runs a hearing in 2026 — and what a CS can do to be useful in the room.

The benches and their personalities

There are sixteen NCLT benches across India, sitting in Delhi (PB and CB), Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Kochi, Jaipur, Indore, Amaravati, Cuttack, and Allahabad. Each bench has two members — one judicial, one technical. The personality of the bench varies more than people admit. Mumbai is procedural-strict. Delhi PB tends to be docket-heavy and faster. Chennai is often more permissive on mentioning. Knowing this isn't optional intel — it shapes filing strategy.

The shape of a hearing day

The bench starts at 10:30 am. The cause list runs to 60-90 matters, sometimes more. Yours might be at item 47. You will sit through 46 matters first. The temptation to step out and grab chai will be intense; resist it because the order of matters drifts.

Typical disposal at each matter, when it is finally called: 90 seconds to 4 minutes. Half of that is the lawyer asking for an adjournment because somebody on the other side hasn't filed a counter. The bench will grant it, set a next date, and move on. This is normal. Do not interpret it as your matter being unimportant; it is the median fate of any matter.

What a CS actually does in the room

1. Hand the brief to counsel before the bench rises. The bundle of the petition, the latest order, the certified copy of the board resolution. Counsel won't have it; you should.
2. Track item numbers on the cause list. When item 30 is called, your matter is roughly 90 minutes away. Stand near counsel; do not wander.
3. Take notes on every direction the bench gives. Counsel will summarise after, but the original wording matters. “Counsel to ensure compliance with the previous order on the next date” is not the same as “next date final.”
4. Watch for surprise filings. Other parties sometimes file something new the morning of the hearing. The order won't reflect it but you need to know it exists.
5. Confirm the next date in writing the same day. The order copy will come 4-10 days later. Until then, your file is the only authoritative record.

The mentioning slot

Before the regular cause list starts, the bench takes “mentioning” — urgent matters where counsel asks for an early date or out-of-turn hearing. This is also where adjournment requests for the day's matters are sometimes made. If your matter genuinely needs urgent listing, the mentioning slot is your only window. Talk to counsel the day before about whether to use it.

Filing realities in 2026

• E-filing is now the default. The NCLT e-filing portal accepts petitions, applications, and replies. Physical filing has narrowed to limited bench-specific exceptions.
• Certified copies are still paper. You need certified copies for downstream filings (ROC, banks). Plan the trip to the registry.
• The Tribunal Fees Order is current. Fee scales vary by matter type and value. Always pre-check via the NCLT portal before depositing.
• Service of notice on the respondent. Acknowledged service before the first hearing is the difference between matter proceeding and matter being deferred. Build it into your timeline.

Common matter types a CS sees

• Section 230-232 schemes of arrangement. Mergers, demergers, capital reductions. Step-heavy procedural matters.
• Section 233 fast-track mergers via RD. Not NCLT, but the parallel route — covered in our separate article.
• Section 66 reduction of share capital. Now via NCLT only, post-2013 Act.
• Section 248 strike-off appeals. When the ROC has struck off and the company wants restoration.
• Section 252 restoration applications. Three-year window. Costs awarded against the company.
• Section 421 appeals. Against ROC orders.
• IBC matters. Section 7 (financial creditor) and Section 9 (operational creditor) admissions; CIRP applications. Separate ecosystem; the CS role here is supportive to the IRP/RP.

The five mistakes first-timers make

1. Underprepared affidavit. Stamp paper not the right denomination, notarised by the wrong person, mismatched names — all cause same-day rejection.
2. Missing the certified board resolution. Bench will ask for it. If it's not in the bundle, counsel asks for an adjournment.
3. Wrong respondents arrayed. Especially in matters under Section 230 — every regulator who has objected has to be a respondent.
4. Counsel doesn't know the latest order. A 30-minute pre-hearing briefing with counsel is non-negotiable.
5. Ignoring the bench's procedural preferences. Some benches insist on hard copies of every order being annexed. Some don't. Ask the local clerk before you file.

How Delta Filings supports NCLT-side work

Every NCLT order that mentions any company on your watchlist surfaces in the Delta Filings dashboard within hours of being uploaded to the NCLT portal. For a CS managing a portfolio with multiple ongoing matters, this means you stop discovering an adverse direction in counsel's morning email and start discovering it before the order copy circulates.

The closing note

NCLT work is less glamorous and more procedurally pedantic than the CS curriculum suggests. The early appearances feel hostile. They aren't — the bench is just trying to move 60 matters in five hours. The CS who walks in with the brief, the resolution, the latest order, and a paper notepad is the CS counsel quietly asks for next time.