How-To Guide · Insolvency · Creditors
How to Check if Your Debtor is in CIRP (2026)
If a company owes you money and you hear it may be in trouble, the question that decides your next move is simple: has the National Company Law Tribunal admitted a corporate insolvency resolution process, or CIRP, against it. Once a CIRP is admitted, a moratorium freezes your recovery and the clock starts on a deadline to file your claim. The good news is that this is public information. This guide shows a creditor how to check whether a debtor is in CIRP, where to look, what admission means for your money, and what you must do the moment you confirm it. Last verified October 2026.
- Where to check: IBBI public announcements, the NCLT records and cause lists, and MCA master data, under the debtor exact name.
- What admission means: the Section 14 moratorium freezes your recovery, and you must file a claim with the resolution professional.
- Deadline: the last date for claims is stated in the Form A public announcement.
- Honesty: "nothing on record" is not a clean chit, a result is not a credit score, and a pending petition is not yet an admitted CIRP.
01The short answer
To check whether your debtor is in CIRP, search three public sources under the company exact name: the IBBI public announcements, which name companies that have entered insolvency; the NCLT records and cause lists, which show admitted and pending petitions; and MCA master data, which shows the company status. If a CIRP is admitted, the Section 14 moratorium freezes your recovery, and you must file your claim with the resolution professional by the last date stated in the public announcement.
02What CIRP means for your recovery
Admission of a CIRP changes your position as a creditor in three ways, so this is not an academic check.
- Your recovery freezes. From the insolvency commencement date, the Section 14 moratorium stays suits, recovery actions and enforcement of security against the company. You cannot continue a recovery suit or sell a secured asset while it runs. To understand the freeze, see the Section 14 moratorium.
- You must file a claim. Your debt is not recovered automatically. You have to submit a claim to the resolution professional, with proof, by the last date in the public announcement.
- Your outcome is collective. You are paid, if at all, through a resolution plan or the liquidation waterfall, not on your own terms. The committee of creditors drives the outcome; see what the committee of creditors does.
This is why confirming a CIRP early matters. A missed public announcement can mean a missed claim date.
03Where to check
Three official sources, each answering a different part of the question.
| Source | What it tells you | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| IBBI public announcements | That a company is in CIRP, and the claim deadline | Search the announcements list for the company name |
| NCLT records and cause lists | Admitted and pending petitions against the company | Search by company name or case number at the right bench |
| MCA master data | The company status, such as under CIRP or liquidation | Look up the CIN and read the status field |
The IBBI public announcement is the key document. It is made in Form A under Regulation 6, within three days of the resolution professional being appointed, and it names the company, the resolution professional and the last date for claims.
04Pending petition versus admitted CIRP
There is an important difference between a petition that is filed and one that is admitted. A creditor can file a Section 7, 9 or 10 petition, but a CIRP only begins when the NCLT admits it.
- Pending petition. A petition is on file but not yet admitted. There is no moratorium and no public announcement yet, but it is an early warning that insolvency may be coming.
- Admitted CIRP. The NCLT has admitted the case, the moratorium is on, a resolution professional is appointed and the public announcement is made. This is when your claim window opens.
So a company can be absent from the IBBI announcements yet already have a petition pending at the NCLT. For a wider risk view that covers both, see how to check a company insolvency exposure at the NCLT.
05What to do once you confirm it
Once you confirm an admitted CIRP, act quickly and in order:
- Read the public announcement for the resolution professional details and the last date for claims.
- File your claim in the correct form (for example, the form for operational or financial creditors), with invoices, ledgers, contracts and any default record as proof.
- Do not start or continue recovery against the company; the moratorium bars it.
- Follow the process, because it moves from claims to the committee of creditors to a resolution plan or, if none is approved, liquidation.
Whether you join the committee of creditors depends on the type and size of your debt. A financial creditor usually sits on it; an operational creditor usually does not vote unless its share is large.
06What a clean result means
If your search finds nothing, read it carefully. "Nothing on record" means no CIRP or petition was found in the sources searched, on the date searched, under the names searched. A matter under a group company name, a very recent filing not yet published, or a petition at an uncovered forum can still exist. A company that looks clean today can be admitted to CIRP next week, which is why creditors with real exposure keep watching rather than checking once.
A search result is a risk input, not a verdict and not a credit score. It shows court and tribunal records; it does not rate the debtor creditworthiness, and it is not legal advice on your claim.
07Where Claw fits
Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.
For a creditor, the hard part is not reading one announcement; it is watching a debtor over time and joining its insolvency to the rest of its litigation. Claw finds and then tracks a debtor insolvency across the NCLT and NCLAT, alongside its wider litigation across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, with constant monitoring that reports New filings, Changed movement and Closed disposals and sends alerts, so an admission or a liquidation order reaches you in time to file or protect a claim. Judgment and order search spans 30 crore+ judgments and orders, with Supreme Court decisions from 1950 and High Court decisions from 1990, returning results in under 5 seconds, and Claw does not use your searched names or documents to train its AI models. "Nothing on record" means nothing was found in these registries on the date searched under the names searched, and a result is a risk input, not a verdict and not a credit score.
To find and track a debtor insolvency and its wider litigation, run a case search across Indian courts by company name across every forum at once.
08Sources and further reading
- Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (public announcements): ibbi.gov.in
- National Company Law Tribunal: nclt.gov.in
- Ministry of Corporate Affairs (company master data): mca.gov.in
- Claw: clawlaw.in
This guide is general information for Indian creditors, not legal advice. Forms and timelines change, so check the current position and take advice before you file a claim.
09Frequently asked questions
How do I check if my debtor is in CIRP?
Search three public sources under the company exact name: the IBBI public announcements, which name companies in insolvency; the NCLT records and cause lists, which show admitted and pending petitions; and MCA master data, which shows the company status. If a CIRP is admitted, the public announcement names the resolution professional and the last date to file your claim.
What happens to my recovery if my debtor enters CIRP?
It freezes. From the insolvency commencement date, the Section 14 moratorium stays suits, recovery actions and enforcement of security against the company. You cannot continue a recovery suit or sell a secured asset while it runs. Instead you file a claim with the resolution professional and are paid, if at all, through a resolution plan or the liquidation waterfall.
What is the difference between a pending petition and an admitted CIRP?
A petition under Section 7, 9 or 10 is on file but has no effect until the NCLT admits it. A CIRP only begins on admission, when the moratorium starts, a resolution professional is appointed and the public announcement is made. So a company can have a petition pending at the NCLT without yet being in CIRP.
What must I do once I confirm my debtor is in CIRP?
Read the public announcement for the resolution professional details and the claim deadline, then file your claim in the correct form with proof of the debt before that date. Do not start or continue recovery, because the moratorium bars it, and follow the process as it moves to the committee of creditors and a resolution plan or liquidation.
Does a clean search mean my debtor is financially sound?
No. "Nothing on record" means no CIRP or petition was found in the sources searched, on the date searched, under the names searched. A matter under a group company, a very recent filing, or an uncovered forum can still exist, and a company can be admitted next week. A search result is a risk input, not a credit score.