5Owner to be liable for certain prior liabilities

(1) Every liability, other than the liability specified in sub-section (2) of the owner of a sick textile undertaking, in respect of any period prior to the appointed day, shall be the liability of such owner and shall be enforceable against him and not against the Central Government or the National Textile Corporation.

(2) Any liability arising in respect of--

(a) loans advanced by the Central Government, or a State Government, or both, to a sick textile undertaking (together with interest due thereon) after the management of such undertaking had been taken over by the Central Government.

(b) amounts advanced to a sick textile undertaking (after the management of such undertaking had been taken over by the Central Government), by the National Textile Corporation or by a State Textile Corporation, or by both, together with interest due thereon.

(c) wages, salaries and other dues of employees of the sick textile undertaking, in respect of any period after the management of such undertaking had been taken over by the Central Government,

shall, on and from the appointed day, be the liability of the Central Government and shall be discharged, for and on behalf of that Government, by the National Textile Corporation as and when repayment of such loans or amounts becomes due or as and when such wages, salaries or other dues become due and payable.

(3) For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that,--

(a) save as otherwise expressly provided in this section or in any other section of this Act, no liability, other than the liability specified in sub-section (2), in relation to a sick textile undertaking in respect of any period prior to the appointed day, shall be enforceable against the Central Government or the National Textile Corporation;

(b) no award, decree or order of any court, tribunal or other authority in relation to any sick textile undertaking passed after the appointed day in respect of any matter, claim or dispute, in relation to any matter not referred to in sub-section (2), which arose before that day, shall be enforceable against the Central Government or the National Textile Corporation;

(c) no liability of any sick textile undertaking or any owner thereof for the contravention, before the appointed day, of any provision of law for the time being in force, shall be enforceable against the Central Government or the National Textile Corporation.

Explanation.-- In this section, "State Textile Corporation" means a corporation, formed and registered under the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956), in a State, which is in charge of the management of a sick textile undertaking either as a person authorised under the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951 (65 of 1951), or as the Custodian under the Sick Textile Undertakings (Taking Over of Management) Act, 1972 (72 of 1972) and includes the West Bengal State Textile Corporation Limited which has advanced amounts to sick textile undertakings in the State.