Companies Act, 1956
Sec 321- Provisions supplementary to sections 318, 319 and
320.
(1) Where in proceedings for the recovery of
any payments as having, by virtue of sub-section, (2) of section 319 or
sub-section (4) of section 320, been received by any person in trust, it is
shown that
(a) the payment was made in pursuance of any
arrangement entered into as part of the agreement for the transfer in question,
or within one year before, or within two years after, that agreement or the
offer leading thereto; and
(b) the company or any person to whom the
transfer was made was privy to that arrangement;
the payment shall be deemed, except in so far
as the contrary is shown, to be one to which that sub-section applies.
(2) If in connection with any such transfer as
is mentioned in section 319 or in section 320,
(a) the price to be paid, to a director of the
company whose office is to be abolished or who is to retire from office, for
any shares in the company held by him is in excess of the price which could at
the time have been obtained by other holders of the like shares; or
(b) any valuable consideration is given to any
such director;
the excess or the money value of the
consideration, as the case may be, shall for the purposes of that section, be
deemed to have been a payment made to him by way of compensation for loss of
office, or as consideration for retirement from office, or in connection with
such loss or retirement.
(3) References in sections 318, 319 and 320 to
payments made to any director of a company by way of compensation for loss of
office, or as consideration for retirement from office, or in connection with
such loss or retirement, do not include any bona fide payment by way of damages
for breach of contract or by way of pension in respect of past services; and
for the purposes of this sub-section the expression "pension"
includes any superannuation allowance, superannuation gratuity or similar
payment.
(4) Nothing in sections 319 and 320 shall be
taken to prejudice the operation of any rule of law requiring disclosure to be
made with respect to any such payments as are therein mentioned or with respect
to any other like payments made or to be made to the directors of a company.