Companies Act, 1956
Sec 70 - Prohibition of allotment
in certain cases unless statement in lieu of prospectus delivered to Registrar
(1) A company having a share capital, which
does not issue a prospectus on or with reference to its formation, or which has
issued such a prospectus but has not proceeded to allot any of the shares
offered to the public for subscription, shall not allot any of its shares or
debentures unless at least three days before the first allotment of either
shares or debentures, there has been delivered to the Registrar for
registration a statement in lieu of prospectus signed by every person who is
named therein as a director or proposed director of the company or by his agent
authorized in writing, in the form and containing the particulars set out in
Part I of Schedule III and, in the cases mentioned in Part II of that Schedule,
setting out the reports specified therein, and the said Parts I and II shall
have effect subject to the provisions contained in Part III of that Schedule.
(2) Every statement in lieu of prospectus
delivered under sub-section (1), shall, where the persons making any such
report as aforesaid have made therein, or have without giving the reasons indicated
therein, any such adjustments as are mentioned in clause 5 of Schedule III,
have endorsed thereon or attached thereto a written statement signed by those
persons, setting out the adjustments and giving the reasons thereof.
(3) This section shall not apply to a private
company.
(4) If a company acts in contravention of
sub-section (1) or (2), the company, and every director of the company who
willfully authorizes or permits the contravention, shall be punishable with
fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees.
(5) Where a statement in lieu of prospectus
delivered to the Registrar under sub-section (1) includes any untrue statement,
any person who authorized the delivery of the statement in lieu of prospectus
for registration shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may
extend to two years or with fine which may extend to fifty thousand rupees or
with both, unless he proves either that the statement was immaterial or that he
had reasonable ground to believe, and did up to the time of the delivery for
registration of the statement in lieu of prospectus believe, that the statement
was true.
(6) For the purposes of this section
(a) a statement included in a statement in
lieu of prospectus shall be deemed to be untrue if it is misleading in the form
and context in which it is included ; and
(b) where the omission from a statement in
lieu of prospectus of any matter is calculated to mislead, the statement in
lieu of prospectus shall be deemed, in respect of such omission, to be a
statement in lieu of prospectus in which an untrue statement is included.
(7) For the purposes of sub-section (5) and
clause (a) of sub-section (6), the expression " included ", when used
with reference to a statement in lieu of prospectus, means included in the
statement in lieu of prospectus itself or contained in any report or memorandum
appearing on the face thereof, or by reference incorporated therein, or issued
therewith.