Companies Act, 1956
Sec 497 - Final meeting and dissolution.
(1) Subject to the provisions of section 498,
as soon as the affairs of the company are fully wound up, the liquidator shall
(a) make up an account of the winding up,
showing how the winding up has been conducted and the property of the company
has been disposed of ; and
(b) call a general meeting of the company for
the purpose of laying the account before it, and giving any explanation
thereof.
(2) The meeting shall be called by
advertisement
(a) specifying the time, place and object of
the meeting ; and
(b) published not less than one month before
the meeting in the Official Gazette, and also in some newspapers circulating in
the district where the registered office of the company is situated.
(3) Within one week after the meeting, the
liquidator shall send to the Registrar and the Official Liquidator a copy each
of the account and shall make a return to each of them of the holding of the
meeting and of the date thereof. If the copy is not so sent or the return is
not so made, the liquidator shall be punishable with fine which may extend to
five hundred rupees for every day during which the default continues.
(4) If a quorum is not present at the meeting
aforesaid, the liquidator shall, in lieu of the return referred to in
sub-section (3), make a return that the meeting was duly called and that no
quorum was present thereat. Upon such a return being made within one week after
the date fixed for the meeting, the provisions of sub-section (3) as to the
making of the return shall be deemed to have been complied with.
(5) The Registrar, on receiving the account
and either the return mentioned in sub-section (3) or the return mentioned in
sub-section (4), shall forthwith register them.
(6) The Official Liquidator, on receiving the
account and either the return mentioned in sub-section (3) or the return in
sub-section (4), shall, as soon as may be, make, and the liquidator and all
officers, past or present, of the company shall give the Official Liquidator
all reasonable facilities to make, a scrutiny of the books and papers of the
company and if on such scrutiny the Official Liquidator makes a report to the
Court that the affairs of the company have not been conducted in a manner
prejudicial to the interests of its members or to public interest, then, from
the date of the submission of the report to the Court the company shall be
deemed to be dissolved.
(6A) If on such scrutiny the Official
Liquidator makes a report to the Court that the affairs of the company have
been conducted in a manner prejudicial as aforesaid, the Court shall by order
direct the Official Liquidator to make a further investigation of the affairs
of the company and for that purpose shall invest him with all such powers as
the Court may deem fit.
(6B) On the receipt of the report of the
Official Liquidator on such further investigation the Court may either make an
order that the company shall stand dissolved with effect from the date to be
specified by the Court therein or make such other order as the circumstances of
the case brought out in the report permit.
(7) If the liquidator fails to call a general
meeting of the company as required by this section, he shall be punishable with
fine which may extend to five thousand rupees.