Banking Regulation Act, 1949
19. Restriction on nature of subsidiary
companies
(1) A banking company shall not form any
subsidiary company except a subsidiary company formed for one or more of the
following purposes, namely.-
(a) the undertaking of
any business which, under clause (a) to (o) of sub-section (1) of section 6, is
permissible for a banking company to undertake, or
(b) with the previous
permission in writing of the Reserve Bank, the carrying on of the business of
banking exclusively outside India , or
(c) the undertaking of
such other business, which the Reserve Bank may, with the prior approval of the
Central Government, consider to be conducive to the spread of banking in India
or to be otherwise useful or necessary in the public interest.
Explanation : For the purpose of section 8, a
banking company shall not be deemed, by reason of its forming or having a
subsidiary company, to be engaged indirectly, in the business carried on by
such subsidiary company.]
(2) Save as provided in sub-section (1), no
banking company shall hold shares in any company, whether as pledgee, mortgagee
or absolute owner, of an amount exceeding thirty per cent of the paid-up share
capital of that company or thirty per cent of its own paid-up share capital
under reserves, whichever is less:
PROVIDED that any banking company which is on
the date of the commencement of this Act holding any shares in contravention of
the provisions of this sub-section shall not be liable to any penalty therefor
if it reports the matter without delay to the Reserve Bank and if it brings its
holding of shares into conformity with the said provisions within such period,
not exceeding two years, as the Reserve Bank may think fit to allow.
(3) Save as provided in sub-section (1) and
notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (2), a banking company shall
not, after the expiry of one year from the date of the commencement of this
Act, hold shares, whether as pledge, mortgagee or absolute owner, in any company
in the management of which any Managing Director or Manager of the banking
company is in any manner concerned or interested.