Companies Act, 2013
CHAPTER
XXI
PART
I.— Companies Authorised to Register under this Act
366.
Companies
capable of being registered.
1. For the purposes of
this Part, the word “company” includes any partnership firm, limited liability
partnership, cooperative society, society or any other business entity formed
under any other law for the time being in force which applies for registration
under this Part.
2. With the exceptions
and subject to the provisions contained in this section, any company formed,
whether before or after the commencement of this Act, in pursuance of any Act
of Parliament other than this Act or of any other law for the time being in
force or being otherwise duly constituted according to law, and consisting of
seven or more members, may at any time register under this Act as an unlimited
company, or as a company limited by shares, or as a company limited by
guarantee, in such manner as may be prescribed and the registration shall not
be invalid by reason only that it has taken place with a view to the company’s being
wound up:
Provided
that—
i.
a
company registered under the Indian Companies Act, 1882 or under the Indian
Companies Act, 1913 or the Companies Act, 1956, shall not register in pursuance
of this section;
ii.
a
company having the liability of its members limited by any Act of Parliament
other than this Act or by any other law for the time being in force, shall not
register in pursuance of this section as an unlimited company or as a company
limited by guarantee;
iii.
a
company shall be registered in pursuance of this section as a company limited
by shares only if it has a permanent paid-up or nominal share capital of fixed
amount divided into shares, also of fixed amount, or held and transferable as
stock, or divided and held partly in the one way and partly in the other, and
formed on the principle of having for its members the holders of those shares
or that stock, and no other persons;
iv.
a
company shall not register in pursuance of this section without the assent of a
majority of such of its members as are present in person, or where proxies are
allowed, by proxy, at a general meeting summoned for the purpose;
v.
where
a company not having the liability of its members limited by any Act of
Parliament or any other law for the time being in force is about to register as
a limited company, the majority required to assent as aforesaid shall consist
of not less than three-fourths of the members present in person, or where
proxies are allowed, by proxy, at the meeting;
vi.
where
a company is about to register as a company limited by guarantee, the assent to
its being so registered shall be accompanied by a resolution declaring that
each member undertakes to contribute to the assets of the company, in the event
of its being wound up while he is a member, or within one year after he ceases
to be a member, for payment of the debts and liabilities of the company or of
such debts and liabilities as may have been contracted before he ceases to be a
member, and of the costs, charges and expenses of winding up, and for the
adjustment of the rights of the contributories among themselves, such amount as
may be required, not exceeding a specified amount.
1.
2.
3. In computing any
majority required for the purposes of sub-section (1 ), when a poll is
demanded, regard shall be had to the number of votes to which each member is
entitled according to the regulations of the company.