Companies Act 2013: Adv. Padmaja Sukhatme
Companies Act 2013: Adv. Padmaja Sukhatme
Companies Act 2013: Adv. Padmaja Sukhatme
• To encourage transparency
• Incorporated Association
• Artificial Person
• Perpetual Succession
• Limited Liability
• Common Seal
INCORPORATED ASSOCIATION
• Different and distinct from its members who created it. Its assets and
liabilities are separate and distinct from those of its members.
• Identified by its own name. Can enter into contracts and can sue and
be sued.
• Natural persons run its business, and they represent the company.
• Their actions bind the company within the scope of the authority
conferred upon them and in the name and on behalf of the company.
PERPETUAL SUCCESSION
• CASE- A private company was conducting a meeting . Its members were killed
by a bomb that was dropped on it .
• The company survived as not even a bomb could destroy it.
• The King is dead ,long live the King , aptly describes the company form of
organization.
• The legal heirs of the deceased shareholders will become members.
LIMITED LIABILITY
• To find out the persons who are actually in control of the company
and make them liable
REASONS FOR LIFTING THE
CORPORATE VEIL
• To determine the character of a company
• Reduction of membership
• Misrepresentation in prospectus
• Private Companies
• Public Companies
• Section 455 Companies Act 2013. Indian law provides changing status from
active to dormant.
• Dormant means inactive or inoperative.
• Company not carrying on any significant accounting transaction for a period
of 2 years can apply to ROC for getting declared itself a Dormant Company.
• Outstanding tax liabilities have to be paid before company becomes
dormant.
• Formed for the purpose of holding assets, real or IPR or for a future project.
• Such company keeps on complying with laws , even if no actual business is
being transacted or done.
• Dormant company accounts have to be filed as required by ROC.
• ROC to maintain a register of dormant companies.
• 5years is maximum period for dormant status.
HOLDING & SUBSIDIARY
COMPANIES
• A company shall be deemed to be a subsidiary of another if the other
company controls the composition of its BOD.
• The other company holds more than half in nominal value of its
equity share capital .
• It is a subsidiary of a third company which itself is a subsidiary of the
controlling company.
• TATA Sons Ltd is the holding company of the TATA Group, and holds the bulk
of the shareholding in these companies.
• TATA Sons Ltd is the owner of the TATA name and the TATA trademarks,
which are registered in India and several other countries.
• About 86% of the equity capital of Tata Sons is held by philanthropic trusts
endowed by members of the Tata family .
TATA GROUP Continued-
• The biggest two of these trusts are the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir
Ratan Tata Trust.
• Section 69 Act of 2013 - one who has been named in the prospectus or
identified by company in AGM referred to in Section 92, who has control
over the affairs of the company, directly or indirectly whether as a
shareholder director or otherwise or in accordance with whose advice ,
directions or instructions the BOD of the company is accustomed to act.
PROMOTERS
• Who is a promoter ?
• Prepare prospectus in the event it is a public company, and whose name appears on the face of the
prospectus.
• Cannot derive or make profit at company expense and not disclose it.
PROMOTERS--SHAREHOLDERS
• Name Clause
• Address Clause
• Objects Clause
• Liability Clause
• Capital Clause
• The Articles shall contain rules, regulations, laws, bye laws for the
internal or day to day management of a company
• Articles are secondary or subsidiary to the Memorandum
• Contents of Articles-
• Share capital-rights of shareholders
• Allotment of shares
• Calls on shares
• Transfer and Transmission of shares
• Forfeiture of shares
• Share Certificates
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION-
continued-
• Alteration of capital
• Meetings- procedure
• Directors
• Manager, Secretary
• Common Seal
• Dividend- Reserves
• Accounts- Audit
• Borrowing Powers
• Winding Up
DIRECTORS
• Every public listed company to have at least one third of its total number of directors
as Independent.
• Unlisted public companies must appoint at least 2 independent directors if the paid
up share capital exceeds 10 crores or if turnover exceeds 100 crores, or if the
aggregate of all the outstanding loans debentures and deposits exceeds 50 crores.
• They are chosen from a DATA BANK of Independent directors created and maintained
by IICA, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs.
• The information in this data bank is available to companies required to appoint
independent directors after paying a reasonable fee to the institute.
• An independent director is one who does not have a material pecuniary relationship
or transactions with the company, its promoters, management or its subsidiaries
• An independent director in relationship to a company, means a director other than a
managing director or a whole time director or a nominee director, and none of his
relatives has or has had a pecuniary relationship with the company
• Must be a person of integrity and possess relevant expertise and experience and
holds office for a term of 5 years on the board.
SECTION 166- DUTIES OF DIRECTORS
New provision
• BOD entitled to exercise all powers, and to do all acts and things, as
the company is authorized to exercise and do.
• Moveable property
• VOTING RIGHTS-
• Preference Shares carry voting rights on resolutions which directly
affect the rights attached to them.
• VOTING RIGHTS-
• Equity shareholder has a right to vote on every resolution, voting
right on a poll shall be in proportion to his share in the paid up equity
share capital of the company.
• The clause provides that depreciation shall be provided in accordance with Schedule
2 of the Act.
DIVIDENDS Continued-
• When a company comes out with a fresh issue of equity and offers an
opportunity to the existing shareholders to buy additional shares
directly from the company at a discounted price , rather than from the
secondary market , it is called a rights issue.
• A Rights Issue is a way by which a listed company can raise additional
capital.
• Existing shareholders are given the right to subscribe to newly issued
shares in proportion to their existing holdings.
• For example , 1: 4 rights issue means an existing investor can buy one
extra share for every 4 shares already held by him.
• Usually price of such shares is less than the prevailing market price of
the stock.
• Idea is to raise fresh capital for corporate expansion or a large takeover.
BOD MEETINGS
• BOD meetings are called for the following business- To issue shares and
debentures, to make calls, to fix rate of dividend, to transfer shares, to
determine policies of the company etc.
SECTION 96 - ANNUAL GENERAL
MEETING
• Every company other than OPC to hold one and a gap of 15 months
between 2 AGMs.
• Meeting may also be called to discuss alteration of MOA, changes in AOA ,scheme of
reduction of share capital.