Companies Act, 2013
187.
Investments
of company to be held in its own name.
1. All investments made
or held by a company in any property, security or other asset shall be made and
held by it in its own name:
Provided
that the company may hold any shares in its subsidiary company in the name of
any nominee or nominees of the company, if it is necessary to do so, to ensure
that the number of members of the subsidiary company is not reduced below the
statutory limit.
2. Nothing in this
section shall be deemed to prevent a company—
a.
from
depositing with a bank, being the bankers of the company, any shares or
securities for the collection of any dividend or interest payable thereon; or
of, the State Bank of India or a scheduled bank, being the bankers of the
company, shares or securities, in order to facilitate the transfer thereof:
Provided
that if within a period of six months from the date on which the shares or
securities are transferred by the company to, or are first held by the company
in the name of, the State Bank of India or a scheduled bank as aforesaid, no
transfer of such shares or securities takes place, the company shall, as soon
as practicable after the expiry of that period, have the shares or securities
re-transferred to it from the State Bank of India or the scheduled bank or, as
the case may be, again hold the shares or securities in its own name; or
a.
b.
c.
from
depositing with, or transferring to, any person any shares or securities, by
way of security for the repayment of any loan advanced to the company or the
performance of any obligation undertaken by it;
d.
from
holding investments in the name of a depository when such investments are in
the form of securities held by the company as a beneficial owner.
1.
2.
3. Where in pursuance of
clause (d ) of sub-section (2 ), any shares or securities in which
investments have been made by a company are not held by it in its own name, the
company shall maintain a register which shall contain such particulars as may
be prescribed and such register shall be open to inspection by any member or
debenture-holder of the company without any charge during business hours
subject to such reasonable restrictions as the company may by its articles or
in general meeting impose.
4. If a company
contravenes the provisions of this section, the company shall be punishable
with fine which shall not be less than twenty-five thousand rupees but which
may extend to twenty-five lakh rupees and every officer of the company who is
in default shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to
six months or with fine which shall not be less than twenty-five thousand
rupees but which may extend to one lakh rupees, or with both.