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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PERSONAL INFORMATION +

EDUCATION +

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND AFFILIATIONS +

WORK EXPERIENCE AND RECOGNITION +

OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCE AND POSITIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY +

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
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.

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.
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 judgment debtors in application to set aside a statutory demand and an application to set aside a judgment.
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 for a company in an application 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.
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 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.
Provided advice in relation to restoration of a company to the register.

KEY INDIAN EXPERIENCE +

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
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.