Companies Act, 1956
Sec 85 - Two
kinds of share capital
(1) " Preference share capital "
means, with reference to any company limited by shares, whether formed before
or after the commencement of this Act, that part of the share capital of the
company which fulfils both the following requirements, namely :
(a) that as respects dividends it carries or
will carry a preferential right to be paid a fixed amount or an amount
calculated at a fixed rate, which may be either free of or subject to
income-tax ; and
(b) that as respect capital, it carries or
will carry, on a winding up or repayment of capital, a preferential right to be
repaid the amount of the capital paid-up or deemed to have been paid up,
whether or not there is a preferential right to the payment of either or both
of the following amounts, namely :
(i) any money remaining unpaid, in respect of
the amounts specified in clause (a), up to the date of the winding up or
repayment of capital ; and
(ii) any fixed premium or premium on any fixed
scale, specified in the memorandum or articles of the company.
Explanation. : Capital shall be
deemed to be preference capital, notwithstanding that it is entitled to either
or both of the following rights, namely :
(i) that, as respects dividends, in addition
to the preferential right to the amount specified in clause (a), it has a right
to participate, whether fully or to a limited extent, with capital not entitled
to the preferential right aforesaid ;
(ii) that, as respects capital, in addition to
the preferential right to the repayment, on a winding up, of the amounts
specified in clause (b), it has a right to participate, whether fully or to a
limited extent, with capital not entitled to the preferential right in any
surplus which may remain after the entire capital has been repaid.
(2) " Equity share capital " means,
with reference to any such company, all share capital which is not preference
share capital.
(3) The expression " preference share
" and " equity share " shall be construed accordingly.