Companies Act, 2013
300.
Power
to order examination of promoters, directors, etc.
1. Where an order has
been made for the winding up of a company by the Tribunal, and the Company
Liquidator has made a report to the Tribunal under this Act, stating that in
his opinion a fraud has been committed by any person in the promotion, formation,
business or conduct of affairs of the company since its formation, the Tribunal
may, after considering the report, direct that such person or officer shall
attend before the Tribunal on a day appointed by it for that purpose, and be
examined as to the promotion or formation or the conduct of the business of the
company or as to his conduct and dealings as an officer thereof.
2. The Company
Liquidator shall take part in the examination, and for that purpose he or it
may, if specially authorised by the Tribunal in that behalf, employ such legal
assistance as may be sanctioned by the Tribunal.
3. The person shall be
examined on oath and shall answer all such questions as the Tribunal may put,
or allow to be put, to him.
4. A person ordered to
be examined under this section—
a.
shall,
before his examination, be furnished at his own cost with a copy of the report
of the Company Liquidator; and
b.
may
at his own cost employ chartered accountants or company secretaries or cost
accountants or legal practitioners entitled to appear before the Tribunal under
section 432, who shall be at liberty to put to him such questions as the
Tribunal may consider just for the purpose of enabling him to explain or
qualify any answers given by him.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. If any such person
applies to the Tribunal to be exculpated from any charges made or suggested
against him, it shall be the duty of the Company Liquidator to appear on the
hearing of such application and call the attention of the Tribunal to any
matters which appear to the Company Liquidator to be relevant.
6. If the Tribunal,
after considering any evidence given or hearing witnesses called by the Company
Liquidator, allows the application made under sub-section (5 ), the
Tribunal may order payment to the applicant of such costs as it may think fit.
7. Notes of the
examination shall be taken down in writing, and shall be read over to or by,
and signed by, the person examined, a copy be supplied to him and may
thereafter be used in evidence against him, and shall be open to inspection by
any creditor or contributory at all reasonable times.
8. The Tribunal may, if
it thinks fit, adjourn the examination from time to time.
9. An examination under
this section may, if the Tribunal so directs, be held before any person or
authority authorised by the Tribunal.
10. The powers of the
Tribunal under this section as to the conduct of the examination, but not as to
costs, may be exercised by the person or authority before whom the examination
is held in pursuance of sub-section (9 ).