SECTION 23. PUBLIC OFFER AND PRIVATE PLACEMENT
[Effective from 12th September, 2013 except clause (b) of sub-section (1) and sub-section (2)]
[Clause (b) of sub-section (1) and sub-section (2) is effective from 1st April, 2014]
(1) A public company may issue securities—
(a) to public through prospectus (herein referred to as “public offer”) by complying with the provisions of this Part; or
(b) through private placement by complying with the provisions of Part II of this Chapter; or
(c) through a rights issue or a bonus issue in accordance with the provisions of this Act and in case of a listed company or a company which intends to get its securities listed, also with the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (15 of 1992) and the rules and regulations made thereunder.
(2) A private company may issue securities—
(a) by way of rights issue or bonus issue in accordance with the provisions of this Act; or
(b) through private placement by complying with the provisions of Part II of this Chapter.
Explanation.—For the purposes of this Chapter, “public offer” includes initial public offer or further public offer of securities to the public by a company, or an offer for sale of securities to the public by an existing shareholder, through issue of a prospectus.
Applicable Circulars
Issue of Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCBs) and Foreign Currency Bonds (FCBs)—Clarification regarding applicability of provisions of Chapter III of the Companies Act, 2013.
General Circular No. 43/2014 dated 13-11-14
The Ministry has been receiving references from stakeholders seeking clarity on applicability of provisions of Chapter III of the Companies Act, 2013 (Act) to the issue of Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCBs) and Foreign Currency Bonds (FCBs) by Indian companies exclusively to persons resident outside India in accordance with applicable sectoral regulatory provisions.
The matter has been examined in the Ministry in consultation with Ministry of Finance and SEBI. The issue of FCCBs and FCBs by companies is regulated by the Ministry of Finance’s regulations contained in Issue of Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds and Ordinary Shares (Through Depository Receipts Mechanism) Scheme, 1993 (Scheme) and Reserve Bank of India through its various directions/regulations. It is, accordingly, clarified that unless otherwise provided in the said Scheme or the directions/regulations issued by Reserve Bank of India, provisions of Chapter III of the Act shall not apply to an issue of a FCCB or FCB made exclusively to persons resident outside India in accordance with the above mentioned regulations.
