In terms of regulation 2(g), ‘small investor’ means any investor buying or selling securities on a cash transaction for a market value not exceeding rupees fifty thousand in aggregate on any day as shown in a contract note issued by the stock-broker. Registration of Stock Broker A stock broker applies in the prescribed format for grant of a certificate through the stock exchange or stock exchanges, as the case may be, of which he is admitted as a member (Regulation 3). The stock exchange forwards the application form to SEBI as early as possible as but not later than thirty days from the date of its receipt. SEBI takes into account for considering the grant of a certificate all matters relating to buying, selling, or dealing in securities and in particular the following, namely, whether the stock broker: (a) is eligible to be admitted as a member of a stock Continue reading
Business Law
Cheque: Definition, Features and its Types
Cheque is a very common form of negotiable instrument. If you have a savings bank account or current account in a bank, you can issue a cheque in your own name or in favor of others, thereby directing the bank to pay the specified amount to the person named in the cheque. Therefore, a cheque may be regarded as a bill of exchange; the only difference is that the bank is always the drawee in case of a cheque. The Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 defines a cheque as a bill of exchange drawn on a specified banker and not expressed to be payable otherwise than on demand. From the above dentition it appears that a cheque is an instrument in writing, containing an unconditional order, signed by the maker, directing a specified banker to pay, on demand, a certain sum of money only to, to the order of, a certain Continue reading
Doctrine of Ultra Vires
‘Ultra’ means beyond and ‘vires’ means powers. The term ultra vires a company means that the doing of the act is beyond the legal power and authority of the company. The doctrine of ultra vires is important in defining the limits of the powers conferred on the company by its Memorandum of Association. According to this doctrine, the vires (power) of a company to enter into a contract or transaction is limited by the ambit of the Objects Clause of the Memorandum and the provisions of the Companies Act. Whatever is not permitted by the Objects Clause and the Act, is prohibited by the doctrine of ultra vires. If a company engages in any activity or enters into any contract which is ultra vires (outside the power conferred by) the Memorandum or Act, it will be null and void so far as the company is concerned and it cannot be Continue reading
Directors of a Company
A company, though a legal entity in the eyes of the law, is an artificial person, existing only in contemplation of law. It has no physical existence. It has neither soul nor a body of its own. As such, it cannot act in its own person. It can do so only through some human agency. The persons who are in charge of the management of the affairs of a company are termed as directors. They are collectively known as Board of Directors. The Companies Act defines a ‘director’ as “any person occupying the position of a director by whatever name called” [Sec.2(13)]. This is however, an inadequate definition. In the absence of a precise definition, we can only determine whether a person is a director or not a director by referring to the nature of his office and functions. According to the functions performed by him, a director may be Continue reading
Strategies Adopted in Proxy Battles
To win over proxy wars (in the case of takeover bids), where the corporate board or equity holders meetings are exposed to proxy wars, the directors have to adopt strategies based on the steps given below: Collection of material information Construction of proxy fight team Mass contact with shareholders Board of Directors of a company while facing a takeover bid have to work hard to defeat such a bid. Therefore they should collect all possible information about the affairs of their own company, competitors, the takeover — bidder and the opponents. Particularly the management of a company with small holdings on their board face stiff problem. In that case the only remedy is to allow board members to increase shareholdings. To face the opponents, the board must use all the material information available for their defense. The proxy fight team includes experts and persons of experience to help the management Continue reading
Laws governing merger in India
Various Laws governing merger in India are as follows: 1. Indian Companies Act, 1956 This has provisions specifically dealing with the amalgamation of a company or certain other entities with similar status. The most common form of merger involves as elaborate but time-bound procedure under sections 391 to 396 of the Act. Powers in respect of these matters were with High Court (usually called Company Court). These powers are being transferred to National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) by companies (second Amendment) Act, 2002. The Compromise, arrangement and Amalgamation/reconstruction require approval of NCLT while the sale of shares to Transferee Company does not require approval of NCLT. Sec 390 This section provides that “The expression ‘arrangement’ includes a reorganization of the share capital of the company by the consolidation of shares of different classes, or by the division of shares into shares of different classes, or by both these methods” Sec Continue reading