Companies Act 1985

651 Power of court to declare dissolution of company void. E+W+S

(1) Where a company has been dissolved, the court may . . . F1 , on an application made for the purpose by the liquidator of the company or by any other person appearing to the court to be interested, make an order, on such terms as the court thinks fit, declaring the dissolution to have been void.

(2) Thereupon such proceedings may be taken as might have been taken if the company had not been dissolved.

(3) It is the duty of the person on whose application the order was made, within 7 days after its making (or such further time as the court may allow), to deliver to the registrar of companies for registration an office copy of the order.

If the person fails to do so, he is liable to a fine and, for continued contravention, to a daily default fine.

[F2 (4) Subject to the following provisions, an application under this section may not be made after the end of the period of two years from the date of the dissolution of the company.

(5) An application for the purpose of bringing proceedings against the company—

(a) for damages in respect of personal injuries (including any sum claimed by virtue of section 1(2)(c) of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1934 (funeral expenses)), or

(b) for damages under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 or the Damages (Scotland) Act 1976,

may be made at any time; but no order shall be made on such an application if it appears to the court that the proceedings would fail by virtue of any enactment as to the time within which proceedings must be brought.

(6) Nothing in subsection (5) affects the power of the court on making an order under this section to direct that the period between the dissolution of the company and the making of the order shall not count for the purposes of any such enactment.

(7) In subsection (5)(a) “personal injuries” includes any disease and any impairment of a person’s physical or mental condition.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Words repealed by Companies Act 1989 (c. 40, SIF 27), ss. 141(2)(5), 212, 213(2), Sch. 24

F2 S. 651(4)–(7) inserted by Companies Act 1989 (c. 40, SIF 27), ss. 141(3)–(5), 213(1)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 651 excluded by Companies Act 1989 (c. 40, SIF 27), ss. 141(4)(5), 213(2)

S. 651 applied (with modifications) (E.W.) (1.11.1992) by Charities Act 1960 (c. 58), s. 30(3) (as inserted (1.11.1992) by Charities Act 1992 (c. 41), s. 10(1); S.I. 1992/1900, art. 3, Sch.2).

S. 651 modified (E.W.) (1.8.1993) by 1993 c. 10, ss. 63(3), 99(1)

S. 651 applied (with modifications) (6.4.2001) by S.I. 2001/1090, reg. 4, Sch. 2 Pt. I

C2 S. 651(1) extended (31.10.1994) by 1994 c. 21, s. 36(5) (with s. 40(7)); S.I. 1994/2553, art. 2

S. 651 extended (1.7.2005) by Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004 (c. 27), ss. 51(1), 65; S.I. 2004/3322, art. 2(3), Sch. 3 (subject to arts. 3-13)