Companies Act, 1956
Sec 610 - Inspection, production and evidence of documents
kept by Registrar.
(1) Save as otherwise provided elsewhere in
this Act, any person may
(a) inspect any documents kept by the
Registrar, in accordance with the rules made under the Destruction of Records
Act, 1917 (5 of 1917) being documents filed or registered by him in pursuance
of this Act, or making a record of any fact required or authorized to be
recorded or registered in pursuance of this Act, on payment for each
inspection, of such fees * as may be prescribed ;
(b) require a certificate of the incorporation
of any company, or a copy or extract of any other document or any part of any
other document to be certified by the Registrar, on payment in advance of **
such fees as may be prescribed :
Provided that the rights conferred by this
sub-section shall be exercisable
(i) in relation to documents delivered to the
Registrar with a prospectus in pursuance of sub-clause (i) of clause (b) of
sub-section (1) of section 60, only during the fourteen days beginning with the
date of publication of the prospectus ; and at other times, only with the
permission of the Central Government ; and
(ii) in relation to documents so delivered in
pursuance of clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 605, only during the
fourteen days beginning with the date of the prospectus ; and at other times,
only with the permission of the Central Government.
(2) No process for compelling the production
of any document kept by the Registrar shall issue from any Court or the Company
Law Board except with the leave of that Court or the Company Law Board; and any
such process, if issued, shall bear thereon a statement that it is issued with
the leave of the Court or the Company Law Board.
(3) A copy of, or extract from, any document
kept and registered at any of the offices for the registration of companies
under this Act, certified to be a true copy under the hand of the Registrar
(whose official position it shall not be necessary to prove), shall, in all
legal proceedings, be admissible in evidence as of equal validity with the
original document.
* Fees prescribed is Rs. 50 as per rule 21A of the
Companies (Central Government's) Rules and Forms, 1956 w.e.f. 01.05.2000.
** Fees prescribed is Rs. 50 for copy of
certificate of incorporation and Rs.5 per page for copy of extracts of
documents as per rule 21A of the Companies (Central Government's) Rules and
Forms, 1956 w.e.f. 01.05.2000