Deposits have been defined under the Companies Act, 2013 to include any receipt of money by way of deposit or loan or in any other form by a company. However deposits do not include such categories of amounts as may be prescribed in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Chapter V of the 2013 Act and the Companies (Acceptance of Deposits) Rules, 2014 as amended from time to time (“Deposits Rules”) primarily cover regulations relating to deposits. The Deposits Rules provide an exhaustive definition of deposits which is exclusionary in nature and exclude certain amounts received by a company, from the ambit of deposits. It may also be noted that the Companies Act, 1956 (“1956 Act”) and the Companies (Acceptance of Deposits) Rules, 1975 also defined deposits in a similar manner and excluded certain amounts which were not to be considered deposits.
The dilemma is that some of the exclusions introduced under the Deposits Rules lack clarity. At times these exclusions are contradictory to related provisions under the Deposits Rules. In this article, we have attempted to analyse some of these contradictions and examine the broad practical difficulties attached with the definition of deposits along with the framework devised for their repayment under the 2013 Act.
Prohibition on Acceptance of Deposits from Public
(1) On and after the commencement of this Act, no company shall invite, accept or renew deposits under this Act from the public except in a manner provided under this Chapter:
Provided that nothing in this sub-section shall apply to a banking company and non-banking financial company as defined in the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (2 of 1934) and to such other company as the Central Government may, after consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, specify in this behalf.
(2) A company may, subject to the passing of a resolution in general meeting and subject to such rules in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, accept deposits from its members on such terms and conditions, including the provision of security, if any, or for the repayment of such deposits with interest, as may be agreed upon between the company and its members, subject to the fulfilment of the following conditions, namely:—
Comment:
Terms and Conditions of Acceptance of Deposits by Companies
(1) On and from the commencement of these rules,—
(a) no company referred to in sub-section (2) of section 73 and no eligible company shall accept or renew any deposit, whether secured or unsecured, which is repayable on demand or upon receiving a notice within a period of less than six months or more than thirty-six months from the date of acceptance or renewal of such deposit:
Provided that a company may, for the purpose of meeting any of its short-term requirements of funds, accept or renew such deposits for repayment earlier than six months from the date of deposit or renewal, as the case may be, subject to the condition that-
(a) such deposits shall not exceed ten per cent. of the aggregate of the Paid-up share capital, free Reserves and securities premium account] of the company, and
(b) such deposits are repayable not earlier than three months from the date of such deposits or renewal thereof.
(2) Where depositors so desire, deposits may be accepted in joint names not exceeding three, with or without any of the clauses, namely, “Jointly”, “Either or Survivor”, “First named or Survivor”, “Anyone or Survivor”.
(3) No company referred to in sub-section (2) of section 73 shall accept or renew any deposit from its members, if the amount of such deposits together with the amount of other deposits outstanding as on the date of acceptance or renewal of such deposits exceeds thirty five per cent of the aggregate of the Paid-up share capital, free Reserves and securities premium account] of the company.
“Provided that a Specified IFSC Public company and a private company may accept from its members monies not exceeding one hundred per cent. of aggregate of the paid up share capital, free reserves and securities premium account and such company shall file the details of monies so accepted to the Registrar in Form DPT-3.
Explanation.- For the purpose of this rule, a Specified IFSC Public company means an unlisted public company which is licensed to operate by the Reserve Bank of India or the Securities and Exchange Board of India or the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India from the International Financial Services Centre located in an approved multi services Special Economic Zone set-up under the Special Economic Zones Act 2005 (28 of 2005) read with the Special Economic Zones Rules, 2006:
Provided further that the maximum limit in respect of deposits to be accepted from members shall not apply to following classes of private companies, namely:-
(i) a private company which is a start-up, for five years from the date of its incorporation;
(ii) a private company which fulfils all of the following conditions, namely:-
(a) which is not an associate or a subsidiary company of any other company;
(b) the borrowings of such a company from banks or financial institutions or any body corporate is less than twice of its paid up share capital or fiffy crore rupees, whichever is less ; and
(c) such a company has not defaulted in the repayment of such borrowings subsisting at the time of accepting deposits under section 73:
Provided also that all the companies accepting deposits shall file the details of monies so accepted to the Registrar in Form DpT-3.
(4) No eligible company shall accept or renew-
(a) any deposit from its members, if the amount of such deposit together with the amount of deposits outstanding as on the date of acceptance or renewal of such deposits from members exceeds ten per cent. of the aggregate of the Paid-up share capital, free Reserves and securities premium account of the company;
(b) any other deposit, if the amount of such deposit together with the amount of such other deposits, other than the deposit referred to in clause (a), outstanding on the date of acceptance or renewal exceeds twenty-five per cent. of aggregate of the Paid-up share capital, free Reserves and securities premium account of the company.
(5) No Government company eligible to accept deposits under section 76 shall accept or renew any deposit, if the amount of such deposits together with the amount of other deposits outstanding as on the date of acceptance or renewal exceeds thirty five per cent. of the aggregate of its Paid-up share capital, free Reserves and securities premium account of the company.
(6) No company referred to in sub-section (2) of section 73 or any eligible company shall invite or accept or renew any deposit in any form, carrying a rate of interest or pay brokerage thereon at a rate exceeding the maximum rate of interest or brokerage prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India for acceptance of deposits by non-banking financial companies.
Explanation:- For the purposes of this sub-rule, it is hereby clarified that the person who is authorised, in writing, by a company to solicit deposits on its behalf and through whom deposits are actually procured shall only be entitled to the brokerage and payment of brokerage to any other person for procuring deposits shall be deemed to be in violation of these rules.
(7) The company shall not reserve to itself either directly or indirectly a right to alter, to the prejudice or disadvantage of the depositor, any of the terms and conditions of the deposit, deposit trust deed and deposit insurance contract after circular or circular in the form of advertisement is issued and deposits are accepted.
(8)-(a) Every eligible company shall obtain, at least once in a year, credit rating for deposits accepted by it and a copy of the rating shall be sent to the Registrar of Companies alongwith the return of deposits in Form DPT-3.
(b) The credit rating referred to in clause (a) shall not be below the minimum investment grade rating or other specified credit rating for fixed deposits, from any one of the approved credit rating agencies as specified for Non-Banking Financial Companies in the Non-Banking Financial Companies Acceptance of Public Deposits (Reserve Bank) Directions, 1998, issued by the Reserve Bank of India, as amended from time to time.”
(a) issuance of a circular to its members including therein a statement showing the financial position of the company, the credit rating obtained, the total number of depositors and the amount due towards deposits in respect of any previous deposits accepted by the company and such other particulars in such form and in such manner;
Comment:
Form and Particulars of Advertisements or Circulars.
(1) Every company referred to in sub-section (2) of section 73 intending to invite deposit from its members shall issue a circular to all its members by registered post with acknowledgement due or speed post or by electronic mode in Form DPT-1:
Provided that in addition to issue of such circular to all members in the manner specified above, the circular may be published in English language in an English newspaper and in vernacular language in a vernacular newspaper having wide circulation in the State in which the registered office of the company is situated.
Provided further that a certificate of the statutory auditor of the company shall be attached in Form DPT-1, stating that the company has not committed default in the repayment of deposits or in the payment of interest on such deposits accepted either before or after the commencement of the Act and in case a company had committed a default in the repayment of deposits accepted either before or after the commencement of the Act or in the payment of interest on such deposits, a certificate of the statutory auditor of the company shall be attached in Form DPT-1, stating that the company had made good the default and a period of five years has lapsed since the date of making good the default as the case may be.];
(2) Every eligible company intending to invite deposits shall issue a circular in the form of an advertisement in Form DPT-1 for the purpose in English language in an English newspaper having country wide circulation and in vernacular language in a vernacular newspaper having wide circulation in the State in which the registered office of the company is situated, and shall also place such circular on the website of the company, if any.”]
(3) Every company inviting deposits from the public shall upload a copy of the circular on its website, if any.
(4) No company shall issue or allow any other person to issue or cause to be issued on its behalf, any circular or a circular in the form of advertisement inviting deposits, unless such circular or circular in the form of advertisement is issued on the authority and in the name of the Board of directors of the company.
(5) No circular or a circular in the form of advertisement shall be issued by or on behalf of a company unless, not less than thirty days before the date of such issue, there has been delivered to the Registrar for registration a copy thereof signed by a majority of the directors of the company as constituted at the time the Board approved the circular or circular in the form of advertisement, or their agents, duly authorised by them in writing.
(6) A circular or circular in the form of advertisement issued shall be valid until the expiry of six months from the date of closure of the financial year in which it is issued or until the date on which the financial statement is laid before the company in annual general meeting or, where the annual general meeting for any year has not been held, the latest day on which that meeting should have been held in accordance with the provisions of the Act, whichever is earlier, and a fresh circular or circular in the form of advertisement shall be issued, in each succeeding financial year, for inviting deposits during that financial year.
Explanation: For the purpose of this rule, the date of the issue of the newspaper in which the advertisement appears shall be taken as the date of issue of the advertisement and the effective date of issue of circular shall be the date of dispatch of the circular.
(b) filing a copy of the circular along with such statement with the Registrar within thirty days before the date of issue of the circular;
(c) depositing, on or before the thirtieth day of April each year, such sum which shall not be less than twenty per cent. of the amount of its deposits maturing during the following financial year and kept in a scheduled bank in a separate bank account to be called deposit repayment reserve account;
(d) Omitted
(e) certifying that the company has not committed any default in the repayment of deposits accepted either before or after the commencement of this Act or payment of interest on such deposits and where a default had occurred, the company made good the default and a period of five years had lapsed since the date of making good the default and
(f) providing security, if any for the due repayment of the amount of deposit or the interest thereon including the creation of such charge on the property or assets of the company:
Provided that in case where a company does not secure the deposits or secures such deposits partially, then, the deposits shall be termed as “unsecured deposits” and shall be so quoted in every circular, form, advertisement or in any document related to invitation or acceptance of deposits.
(3) Every deposit accepted by a company under sub-section (2) shall be repaid with interest in accordance with the terms and conditions of the agreement referred to in that sub-section.
(4) Where a company fails to repay the deposit or part thereof or any interest thereon under sub-section (3), the depositor concerned may apply to the Tribunal for an order directing the company to pay the sum due or for any loss or damage incurred by him as a result of such non-payment and for such other orders as the Tribunal may deem fit.
(5) The deposit repayment reserve account referred to in clause (c) of sub-section (2) shall not be used by the company for any purpose other than repayment of deposits.
Comment: Exceptions
1. In case of private company – Clause (a) to (e) of Sub-section 2 of Section 73 shall not apply to private Companies which accepts from its members monies not exceeding one hundred per cent, of aggregate of the paid up share capital and free reserves, and such company shall file the details of monies so accepted to the Registrar in such manner as may be specified. – Notification dated 5th June, 2015.
2. In case of Specified IFSC Public Company– Clauses (a) to (e) of subsection (2) of section 73 Shall not apply to a Specified IFSC public company which accepts from its members, monies not exceeding one hundred per cent. of aggregate of the paid up share capital and free reserves, and such company shall file the details of monies so accepted to the Registrar in such manner as may be specified. – Notification Date 4th January, 2017.
3. In case of private company – Clause (a) to (e) of Sub-section 2 of Section 73 shall not apply to private Companies – Notification Dated 13th June, 2017
For Entry no. 6 of Exceptions/ Modifications/ Adaptations Dated 5th June, 2015 (Clause (a) to (e) of Sub-section 2 of Section 73 shall not apply to private Companies which accepts from its members monies not exceeding one hundred per cent, of aggregate of the paid up share capital and free reserves, and such company shall file the details of monies so accepted to the Registrar in such manner as may be specified) the following entry shall be substituted –
(A) which accepts from its members monies not exceeding one hundred per cent. of aggregate of the paid up share capital, free reserves and securities premium account; or
(B) which is a start-up, for five years from the date of its incorporation; or
(C) which fulfills all of the following conditions, namely:-
(a) which is not an associate or a subsidiary company of any other company;
(b) if the borrowings of such a company from banks or financial institutions or any body corporate is less than twice of its paid up share capital or fifty crore rupees, whichever is lower; and
(c) such a company has not defaulted in the repayment of such borrowings subsisting at the time of accepting deposits under this section:
Provided that the company referred to in clauses (A), (B) or (C) shall file the details of monies accepted to the Registrar in such manner as may be specified.” – Notification Dated 13th June, 2017
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THE AUTHOR – CS DEEPAK SETH CAN BE REACHED AT [email protected] or 9953025911
Author Bio
Sir, after reading article, you have made only bare act language which is otherwise available on MCA site.
Can you suggest me whether private company can accept amount from directors friends or partnership firm in pursuance to exception under 73(2) under clause C , notification issued on 13-6-2017