SEBI AND CORPORATE LAWS

Vol. 81, Part 1, for the week of January 7 – January 13, 2007

CONTENTS

 

STATUTES 

circular/press note

sebi

-   Introduction of Mini-derivative (Futures and Options) Contract on Index (Sensex and Nifty) - circular no.  dnpd/cir-33/2007, dated 27-12-2007  

-   Amendments to Equity Listing Agreement - circular no. cfd/dil/la/4/2007/27/12, dated 27-12-2007  

-   Change in Affiliation of Sub-brokers - circular no. mirsd-dr 1/mk/cir-15/111600/07, dated 20-12-2007  

-   Establishment of Connectivity with both Depositories NSDL and CDSL - Companies eligible for shifting from Trade for Trade Segment (TFTS) to Rolling Segment - circular no. mrd/dop/se/cir-16/2007, dated 24-12-2007  

rules/regulations

prevention of money laundering act

-   Prevention of Money Laundering (Appointment and Conditions of Service of Chair-person and Members of Appellate Tribunal) Rules, 2007 - notification no. g.s.r. 519(e), dated 1-8-2007  

-   Prevention of Money Laundering (Appointment and Conditions of Service of Chair-person and Members of Adjudicating Authorities) Rules, 2007 - notification no. g.s.r. 520(e), dated 1-8-2007  

SEBI

-   Securities and Exchange Board of India (Foreign Institutional Investors) (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2007 - Amendment in regulation 15 - NOTIFICATION F. No. 11/LC/GM/2007/31/12/2007, DATED 31-12-2007  

reports 

table of cases

Dolphin Investment (P.) Ltd. v. C. Pinto Trade Commerce (P.) Ltd. (Bom.)  

Kiran (K.R.) v. Vidya Pracharanam (P.) Ltd. (CLB - Chennai)  

Muniswamappa Sonnegowda (P.) v. Mysore Lighting Works (P.) Ltd. (CLB - Chennai)  

Narendra Kumar Jain v. Ahimsa Mines and Minerals Ltd. (CLB - New Delhi)  

Peerless General Finance & Investment Co. Ltd. v. Poddar Projects Ltd. (Cal.)  

Polymermann (Asia) (P.) Ltd. v. Union of India (Bom.)  

Thimme Gowda (M.) v. SPR Sugars (P.) Ltd. (CLB - Chennai)  

subject index

Companies Act, 1956

Company Law Board

Enforcement of orders of

-   Original authorized capital of company consisted of 200 equity shares, which got subsequently enhanced to 1,200 equity shares - Paid-up capital before enhancement of capital accounted for 162 shares and remaining 38 shares were not admittedly issued - CLB, by an order, had directed company to issue shares in favour of petitioner Nos. 1 to 4 from and out of its unissued enhanced share capital in proportion to their existing shareholding in accordance with principles approved by board of directors - In compliance with said order, company allotted 110 shares to petitioner Nos. 1 and 2 but no share was allotted to petitioner Nos. 3 and 4 (applicants herein) - On application filed by applicants under section 634A, company contended that share capital was enhanced by 1,000 shares, out of which, 110 shares alone remained unissued and in view of issuance of entire 110 unissued shares in favour of petitioner Nos. 1 and 2, company could not allot any further shares to applicants - Whether when paid-up capital of company, after issuance of 1,000 shares, accounted for 1,162 shares as against authorized capital at 1,200 shares, thus, leaving 38 shares as unissued, plea of company that there were no unissued shares for issuance in favour of applicants, could be sustained - Held, no - Whether company was to be directed to issue shares to applicants out of unissued 38 shares in ratio and at price approved by board of directors - Held, yes - K.R. Kiran v. Vidya Pracharanam (P.) Ltd. (CLB - Chennai)  

Meetings and proceedings

Length of notice for calling meeting

-   Whether requirement of giving not less than twenty one days notice under section 171 is inapplicable to private limited companies - Held, yes - P. Muniswamappa Sonnegowda v. Mysore Lighting Works (P.) Ltd. (CLB - Chennai)  

Oppression and mismanagement

-   Petitioners filed petition under section 397/398, alleging that company and its promo-ters did not comply with MOU, in terms of which, petitioners were to get fifty per cent shares and equal participation in financial management, and had mismanaged affairs of company to detriment of petitioners and other shareholders - Petitioners contended that loan advanced by them was siphoned off by respondents in complete disregard to purpose for which it was advanced; that share certificates were not endorsed despite handing over shares to company secretary of company for endorsement; that company had closed bank account and changed its registered office without any intimation or notice to them and without following proper procedure - However, petitioners had failed to prove their case and facts and circumstances of case revealed that respondents had acquiesced to terms of MOU, and petitioners themselves had not endeavoured to get it implemented in de facto; that they had not brought in required funds, and by their conduct had acted contrary to interest of company - Whether, on facts, equity was in favour of respondents as it were they who had been nurturing company even while facing brunt of various cases against them and it was conduct of petitioners which had been prejudicial to interest of functioning of company - Held, yes - Whether since no act of oppression or mismanagement in affairs of company could be established by petitioners, petition filed by them was to be dismissed - Held, yes - Narendra Kumar Jain v. Ahimsa Mines and Minerals Ltd. (CLB - New Delhi)  

-   Whether where entire grievances and reliefs claimed by petitioners were found flowing from share purchase agreement entered into between petitioners and respondents, no application would lie before CLB under section 397/398 for any remedial measure - Held, yes - Whether isolated grievance of petitioner that respondent No. 2 was convening extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of company for amendment of  articles was enough for claiming any relief under section 397 - Held, no - M. Thimme Gowda v. SPR Sugars (P.) Ltd. (CLB - Chennai)  

-   Whether if directors of a company exercise their power to issue further shares not for benefit of company, but simply and solely for their personal aggrandizement and to detriment of company, CLB will interfere and prevent them from doing so - Held, yes - Whether if a member is deprived of his privilege and right, it will be undoubtedly harsh, burdensome and wrongful and will necessarily be an act of oppression to member concerned - Held, yes - Whether further issuance of shares, which resulted in conversion of petitioners into minority, was nothing but an act of oppression and, therefore, was liable to be set aside - Held, yes - P. Muniswamappa Sonnegowda v. Mysore Lighting Works (P.) Ltd. (CLB - Chennai)  

-   Whether petitioner having participated in annual general meeting could challenge  minutes of meeting as invalid and unenforceable - Held, no - Whether grievances arising out of contractual obligations between respective contesting parties can be agitated in a section 397/398 proceeding - Held, no - Whether mere non-filing of statutory returns would attract provisions of section 397 - Held, no - P. Muniswamappa Sonnegowda v. Mysore Lighting Works (P.) Ltd. (CLB - Chennai)  

Share certificate

Limitation of time for issue of

-   Whether right to get share certificates within three months of allotment is an irrevocable right vested in every allottee of shares and is enforceable through an order of CLB under section 113(3) - Held, yes - P. Muniswamappa Sonnegowda v. Mysore Lighting Works (P.) Ltd. (CLB - Chennai)  

Transfer of shares

Power to refuse registration and appeal against refusal

-   Whether shares of public companies are freely transferable between transferor and transferee and company has nothing to do with same in case by virtue of sanction of scheme by Court, certain shares are transferred from transferor-company to transferee-company; in such a case, company is only obliged to record such rectification once shares are lodged with it by person who is lawful person to do so - Held, yes - Whether, in such a case, documentation contemplated in section 108 is required to be done - Held, no - Whether once order of sanction is passed by Court and same is indicated to company by way of application, company should not refuse registration on plea of limitation - Held, yes - Peerless General Finance & Investment Co. Ltd. v. Poddar Projects Ltd. (Cal.)  

Rectification of register on

-   Whether in terms of section 111A, in case of refusal of company to register transfer without sufficient cause, transferee has to wait for two months to approach CLB; however, such two months period is not an outer limit contemplated in said section - Held, yes - Peerless General Finance & Investment Co. Ltd. v. Poddar Projects Ltd. (Cal.)  

Winding up

Circumstances in which a company may be wound up

-   In terms of an agreement, petitioner advanced certain amount to respondent-company ‘S’ -  ‘P’ respondent-company and one ‘R’ stood as first and second guarantors - ‘S’ defaulted in repayment and petitioner issued notices to all respondents - Since no repayment was made, petitioner filed petitions under section 433(e) against  ‘S’ and ‘P’ - During pendency of petitions, parties went for arbitration and in terms of an award, ‘P’ and ‘R’ agreed jointly to pay certain amount to petitioner - However, thereafter no payment was made, rather respondents challenged maintainability of petitions on grounds that petitioner’s debt was contingent and disputed, and that respondents were required to be given fresh notice in terms of section 434, since under arbitral award, cause of action had changed as well as liabilities inter se amongst respondents had also changed - Whether since petitioner had called upon ‘S’ and ‘P’ and both had failed to make payment due to petitioner under agreement, it could be said that petitioner was a contingent creditor and there was any contingency to be met - Held, no - Whether, on facts, parties went for arbitration due to differences between respondents inter se and there was no dispute at all as regards liability of respondents towards petitioner in terms of agreement in question - Held, yes - Whether since notice was given to both respondents, it was certainly not expected from petitioner to have given a fresh notice, after award was filed and winding up petitions could not be dismissed on that ground - Held, yes - Whether therefore, winding up petitions were to be admitted - Held, yes - Dolphin Investment (P.) Ltd. v. C. Pinto Trade Commerce (P.) Ltd. (Bom.)  

Companies Act, 1956

-   Section 111  

-   Section 111A  

-   Section 113  

-   Section 171  

-   Section 397  

-   Section 433  

-   Section 634A  

Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Act, 1985

Suspension of legal proceedings, contracts, etc.

-   Whether amount of dues of central excise duty, collected by a company from its customers subsequent to date of registration of its reference with BIFR, cannot be intended to be within sweep of section 22, as that amount of duty in hands of company belongs to revenue - Held, yes - Polymermann (Asia) (P.) Ltd. v. Union of India (Bom.)  

Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Act, 1985

-   Section 22  

MAGAZINE 

features

companies act

l.v.v. iyer

-   Your queries  

corporate laws

Ankur sood and vardaan ahluwalia

-   Corporate Criminal Liability : A post Standard Chartered Bank’s case analysis  

m. srinivas

-   Industrial sickness in India