Companies Act, 1956
Sec 153B - Declaration
as to shares and debentures held in trust.
(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in
section 153, where any shares in, or debentures of, a company are held in trust
by any person (hereinafter referred to as the trustee), the trustee shall, within
such time and in such form as may be prescribed, make a declaration to the
public trustee.
(2) A copy of the declaration made under
sub-section (1) shall be sent by the trustee to the company concerned, within
twenty-one days, after the declaration has been sent to the public trustee.
(3)
(a) If a trustee fails to make a declaration
as required by this section, he shall be punishable with fine which may extend
to five thousand rupees and in the case of a continuing failure, with a further
fine which may extend to one hundred rupees for every day during which the
failure continues.
(b) If a trustee makes in a declaration
aforesaid any statement which is false and which he knows or believes to be
false or does not believe to be true, he shall be punishable with imprisonment
for a term which may extend to two years and also with fine.
(4) The provisions of this section and section
187B shall not apply in relation to a trust
(a) where the trust is not created by
instrument in writing ; or
(b) even if the trust is created by instrument
in writing, where the value of the shares in, or debentures of, a company, held
in trust
(i) does not exceed one lakh of rupees, or
(ii) exceeds one lakh of rupees but does not
exceed either five lakhs of rupees or twenty-five per cent of the paid-up share
capital of the company, whichever is less, or
(c) where the trust is created, to set up a
Mutual Fund or Venture Capital Fund or such other fund as may be approved by
the Securities and Exchange Board of India established under sub-section (1) of
section 3 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (15 of 1992).
Explanation: The expression "
the value of the shares in, or debentures of, a company " in clause (b)
means,
(i) in the case of shares or debentures
acquired by way of allotment or transfer for consideration, the cost of
acquisition thereof, and
(ii) in any other case, the paid-up value of
the shares or debentures.
The provisions of this section shall not apply
on and after the commencement of the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2000.