Dhananjay Kumar - Commercial Barrister

South Square is a leading set of commercial law barristers. Our members have acted in many of the most important restructuring, insolvency, banking, commercial, company and fraud-related disputes of recent times. We are regulated by the Bar Standards Board.

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EDUCATION +

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND AFFILIATIONS +

POSITIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY +

CAREER AND RECOGNITION +

WORK EXPERIENCE +

KEY ENGLISH EXPERIENCE

Restructuring and Insolvency

Advising joint administrators on several issues relating to conduct of administration including priority of creditors and a group restructuring exercise.
Advised the Board of a company on issues relating to the proposed members’ voluntary liquidation of the company (led by Felicity Toube KC)
Advising Joint Trustees in Bankruptcy in sale and possession proceedings.
Appeared for administrators in multiple matters involving extension of the period of administration.
Appeared for debtors / creditors in application to set aside statutory demands and applications to set aside judgments.
Represented a creditor on an application for annulment of a bankruptcy order.
Advised a creditor in relation to their rights in a creditors’ voluntary liquidation of a company.
Appeared unled on several applications seeking validation orders.
Provided advice to and represented creditors in relation to recission of winding up orders.
Drafted the defence in a claim against an insolvency practitioner for their actions as a monitor (led by Matthew Abraham).
Appeared for creditors / debtors in several winding up petitions.
Appeared for creditors / debtors in several bankruptcy petitions.
During pupillage, Dhananjay has been involved in several matters relating to administration, liquidation, schemes of arrangement, and restructuring plans.

Commercial

Drafted the defence and other pleadings in response to a claim for damages for breach of contract and misrepresentation under a business transfer contract.
Provided pre-action advice in relation to a claim for unpaid rentals under a hire-purchase agreement.
Pro bono representation in matters relating to injunctions and worldwide freezing injunctions.
Drafted the claim and other documents for a claim by a creditor in an invoice discounting facility. Also advised on the merits of the defence.

Company and Financial Regulatory

Advised a client on queries relating to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
Assisted an office-holder on matters relating to Investment Bank Special Administration Rules 2011 (led by Glen Davis KC).
Provided advice in relation to restoration of a company to the register.

KEY INDIAN EXPERIENCE (INSOLVENCY AND BANKING)

Essar Steel Insolvency: Appeared for Mr Satish Gupta, the resolution professional, before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT)[1], the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT)[2], and the Supreme Court of India (SC) in multiple proceedings relating to the insolvency.
Ruchi Soya Insolvency: Appeared for Mr Shailendra Ajmera, the resolution professional, before the NCLT, the NCLAT, and the SC in multiple proceedings relating to insolvency.
Innoventive Industries: Appeared for ICICI Bank before the NCLT, the NCLAT, and the This was the first case under the 2016 Indian insolvency law. Issues involved were commencement of insolvency proceedings, and challenge to decisions of the creditors.
Jet Airways Insolvency: Appeared for State Bank of India and then for the committee of creditors before the NCLT and the NCLAT in multiple proceedings throughout the ongoing insolvency proceedings. Work involved representation before courts in applications relating to various issues such as recognition of foreign insolvency proceeding in India, commencement of insolvency proceedings, scope of the moratorium, and approval of a resolution India’s first cross-border insolvency protocol under the new insolvency law was approved in this case.
Videocon Group Insolvency: Appeared for State Bank of India and then for the committee of creditors before the NCLT and the NCLAT in multiple proceedings throughout the ongoing insolvency proceedings of 14 companies in the Videocon group. This was the first case in which substantive consolidation of group insolvency proceedings was ordered in India.
Aircel Group Insolvency: Appeared for the committee of creditors before the NCLT and the NCLAT in multiple proceedings throughout the ongoing insolvency proceedings of 3companies in the Aircel group.
YES Bank Limited v The State of Uttar Pradesh and others – appeared for YES Bank Limited before the Allahabad High Court, and the SC in appeal against the Allahabad High Court Order.
YES Bank Limited v Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited and another (Delhi High Court) – appeared for YES Bank Limited in the first instance as well as appellate proceedings.
Asian Hotels Private Limited v YES Bank Limited (Delhi High Court)- appeared for YES Bank Limited in a matter relating to security enforcement.
Kamal Singh v Union of India (Bombay High Court)- appeared for the respondent foreign noteholders in respect of challenge to insolvency proceedings.
YES Bank Limited v Dish TV India Limited (NCLT) – appeared for YES Bank Limited in a dispute relating to shareholder rights as well as a case of oppression and mismanagement of the minority shareholders.

[1],The tribunal of first instance for company and insolvency matters in India.

[2],The tribunal with jurisdiction of first appeal against any order of the NCLT.

PUBLICATIONS +

Contributor to Ryde on Rating (Lexis Nexis)
Co-authored “From Proof to Recovery: Avoidance Provisions in India”, [2025] I.C.C.L.R. Issue 11, 596.
Co-authored “Evolving Jurisprudence and Regulatory Reforms: A Review of India’s Insolvency Landscape (2024-2025)”, Asia-Pacific Restructuring Review, August 2025.
“Immovable Properties in International Insolvencies – UK Supreme Court Clarifies”, (2025) 22 International Corporate Rescue, Issue 3.
“Walking a fine line: Cross-Border co-operation and Beograd Innovations v Somovidis, August 2025, Corporate Rescue and Insolvency.
Co-authored “Enforcement against Indian Obligors – Key Considerations”, Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law, January 2025.
Co-authored “The English Restructuring Plan: A tool to Resolve Financial Distress in India?”, South Square Digest, December 2024.
Co-authored “Zombie Apocalypse: The lifting of COVID-19 measures and dealing with defunct companies”, (2021) 30 Norton Journal of Bankruptcy Law and Practice, Issue 5, 488.
Co-authored the India chapter in “Comparative Review of Approaches to “Rescue” Or “Debtor- in-Possession” (DIP) Finance in Restructuring and Insolvency Regimes”, a book published by INSOL International, March 2022.
Co-authored “The Absolute Priority Rule in Indian Insolvency Law”, (2020) 33 Insolvency Intelligence, Issue 3.
Co-authored “Guarantees under the Indian Insolvency Regime – Some Unique Outcomes”, Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law, November 2020.
Co-authored “Cross-Border Insolvency Protocols: A New Beginning in India”, (2020) 17 International Corporate Rescue, Issue 2.
Co-authored “Essar Steel India Limited: Supreme Court Reinforces Primacy of Creditors Committee in Insolvency Resolution”, (2020) 17 International Corporate Rescue, Issue 1.
Co-authored “Using Foreign Capital to Deal with Stressed Assets in India”, a Technical Paper published by INSOL International, July 2021.
Authored, “The New Corporate Insolvency Regime in India – A Paradigm Shift”, American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, April 2019.
Co-authored “India’s Revised Insolvency Framework: too fast from too slow?”, South Square Digest, March 2019.