Section 56 of Companies Act, 2013 – Transfer and Transmission of Securities

SECTION 56. TRANSFER AND TRANSMISSION OF SECURITIES

[Effective from 1st April, 2014]

(1) A company shall not register a transfer of securities of the company, or the interest of a member in the company in the case of a company having no share capital, other than the transfer between persons both of whose names are entered as holders of beneficial interest in the records of a depository, unless a proper instrument of transfer, in such form as may be prescribed, duly stamped, dated and executed by or on behalf of the transferor and the transferee and specifying the name, address and occupation, if any, of the transferee has been delivered to the company by the transferor or the transferee within a period of sixty days from the date of execution, along with the certificate relating to the securities, or if no such certificate is in existence, along with the letter of allotment of securities:

Provided that where the instrument of transfer has been lost or the instrument of transfer has not been delivered within the prescribed period, the company may register the transfer on such terms as to indemnity as the Board may think fit.

EXEMPTIONS

In case of a Government Company, the below proviso has been inserted vide Notification No. G.S.R.463(E) dated 5th June, 2015

The above mentioned exception shall be applicable to a government company which has not committed a default in filing its financial statements under section 137 of the said Act or annual return under section 92 of the said Act with the Registrar, vide amendment notification F. No. 1/2/2014- CL-V dated 13th June 2017. 

Provided further that the provisions of this sub-section, in so far as it requires a Proper instrument of transfer, to be duly stamped and executed by or on behalf of the transferor and by or on behalf of the transferee, shall not apply with respect to the bonds issued by a Government Company, provided that an intimation by the transferee specifying his name, address and occupation, if any, has been delivered to the company along with the certificate relating to the bond; and if no such certificate is in existence, along with the letter of allotment of the bond.

Provided also that the provisions of this sub-section shall not apply to a Government Company in respect of securities held by nominees of the Government.

(2) Nothing in sub-section (1) shall prejudice the power of the company to register, on receipt of an intimation of transmission of any right to securities by operation of law from any person to whom such right has been transmitted.

(3) Where an application is made by the transferor alone and relates to partly paid shares, the transfer shall not be registered, unless the company gives the notice of the application, in such manner as may be prescribed, to the transferee and the transferee gives no objection to the transfer within two weeks from the receipt of notice.

(4) Every company shall, unless prohibited by any provision of law or any order of Court, Tribunal or other authority, deliver the certificates of all securities allotted, transferred or transmitted—

(a) within a period of two months from the date of incorporation, in the case of subscribers to the memorandum;

(b) within a period of two months from the date of allotment, in the case of any allotment of any of its shares;

(c) within a period of one month from the date of receipt by the company of the instrument of transfer under sub-section (1) or, as the case may be, of the intimation of transmission under sub-section (2), in the case of a transfer or transmission of securities;

(d) within a period of six months from the date of allotment in the case of any allotment of debenture:

Provided that where the securities are dealt with in a depository, the company shall intimate the details of allotment of securities to depository immediately on allotment of such securities.

[1] [Provided further that a Specified IFSC private company shall deliver the certificates of all securities to subscribers after incorporation, allotment, transfer or transmission within a period of sixty days.]

[2] [Provided further that a Specified IFSC public company shall deliver the certificates of all securities to subscribers after incorporation, allotment, transfer or transmission within a period of sixty days.]

(5) The transfer of any security or other interest of a deceased person in a company made by his legal representative shall, even if the legal representative is not a holder thereof, be valid as if he had been the holder at the time of the execution of the instrument of transfer.

(6) Where any default is made in complying with the provisions of sub-sections (1) to (5), the company shall be punishable with fine which shall not be less than twenty-five thousand rupees but which may extend to five lakh rupees and every officer of the company who is in default shall be punishable with fine which shall not be less than ten thousand rupees but which may extend to one lakh rupees.

(7) Without prejudice to any liability under the Depositories Act, 1996 (22 of 1996), where any depository or depository participant, with an intention to defraud a person, has transferred shares, it shall be liable under section 447.

Applicable Rules

Companies (Share Capital and Debentures) Rules, 2014

[Effective from 1st April, 2014]

Rule 11. Instrument of transfer.—(1) An instrument of transfer of securities held in physical form shall be in Form No. SH.4 and every instrument of transfer with the date of its execution specified thereon shall be delivered to the company within sixty days from the date of such execution.

(2) In the case of a company not having share capital, provisions of sub-rule (1) shall apply as if the references therein to securities were references instead to the interest of the member in the company.

(3) A company shall not register a transfer of partly paid shares, unless the company has given a notice in Form No. SH.5 to the transferee and the transferee has given no objection to the transfer within two weeks from the date of receipt of notice.

Applicable Circulars

Clarifications on Rules prescribed under the Companies Act, 2013 –

Matters relating to share capital and debentures

Circular No. 19/2014 dated 12-06-2014 

Government has received representations from Industry Chambers, Professional Institutes and other stakeholders seeking clarifications on matters relating to ‘share capital and debentures’ under the relevant provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 (Act) read with relevant rules, which have come into force with effect from 1st April, 2014. The representations have been examined and clarifications on the following points are hereby given:-

(i) Share Transfer Forms executed before 1st April, 2014:- In view of prescription of new Securities Transfer Form as per Form SH-4 with effect from 1st April, 2014, the companies and other stakeholders have sought clarity with regard to Share Transfer Forms executed before 1st April, 2014 as per earlier Form 7B but which are yet to be accepted/ registered by companies.

The matter has been examined and it is clarified that since transaction relating to transfer of shares is a contract between two or more persons/shareholders, any share transfer form executed before 1st April, 2014 and submitted to the company concerned within the period prescribed under relevant section of the Companies Act, 1956 needs to be accepted by the companies for registration of transfers. In case any such share transfer form, executed prior to 1st April, 2014, is not submitted within the prescribed period under the Companies Act, 1956, the concerned company may get itself satisfied suitably with regard to justification of delay in submission etc. In case a company decides not to accept the share transfer form, it shall convey the reasons for such non-acceptance within time provided under section 56(4)(c) of the Act.

Clarification regarding transmission of Securities by Operation of Law

General Circular No. 07/2017 dated 5^th June, 2017

Clarity has been sought by stakeholders w.r.t. issue of duplicate shares under Rule 6 (3)(d) of the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (Accounting, Audit, Transfer and Refund) Rules, 2016. It has been stated that since transfer of shares to JEFF under section 124 (6) of the Companies Act, 2013 read with rules referred to above takes place on account of operation of law hence the procedure followed during transmission of shares may be followed in such cases and duplicate shares need not be issued in such cases. The suggestion made by the stakeholders has been examined in the Ministry and it is clarified that the procedure similar to what is followed in case of transmission of shares may be followed by companies while transferring shares to IEPF Authority pursuant to section 124 (6) read with applicable rules.

 

[1] Inserted vide Notification no. G.S.R. 9(E).dated 04th January, 2017.

[2] Inserted vide Notification no. G.S.R. 08(E).dated 04th January, 2017.