Unit 4
Unit 4
Unit 4
Structure
4.0 Objectives
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Stages in the Formation of a Company
4.3 Promotion
4.4 Documents to be Filed with the Registrar
4.4.1 E-Filing of Documents
4.5 Incorporation
4.5.1 Conclusiveness of Certificate of Incorporation
4.5.2 Effects of Registration
4.6 Commencement of Business
4.7 Let Us Sum Up
4.8 Key Words
4.9 Answers to Check Your Progress
4.10 Terminal Questions
4.0 OBJECTIVES
After studying this Unit, you should be able to:
describe the stages in the formation of a company;
enumerate the documents to the filed with the Registrar of Companies;
explain the effects of registration;
describe the procedure for obtaining the certificate of commencement of
business; and
discuss the commencement of business.
4.1 INTRODUCTION
In Unit 1 you learnt that a company is an artificial person created by law and
has a distinct separate legal entity of its own. You have also learnt in Unit 3
that before a company is actually formed, certain persons known as
‘promoters’, make a detailed investigation and, after satisfying themselves about
the viability of the business, take certain steps to form the company. In this
unit, you will learn about the various stages involved in the formation of a
company and the documents which are required to be filed with the Registrar
of Companies and E-filing of documents. You will also learn about the
commencement of business.
4.3 PROMOTION
You have already learnt in Unit 3 about the activities carried out by promoters
to bring a company into existence. After discovery of the business idea and
judging its soundness, the promoters organise the necessary resources for giving
shape to their business idea. They negotiate for, and obtain the required property,
the necessary plant and machinery and arrange for the capital necessary for
the company. The promoters will also talk to persons who are willing to take
the responsibility of becoming the first directors of the company.
It should be noted that a company can be formed only for a lawful purpose.
The purpose of the company may be unlawful if it is (a) against any provisions
of the company law, or (b) against the provisions of any other law, applicable
in India.
You would recall from Unit 2 that promoters may form the company with limited
liability or with unlimited liability. In case of a company with limited liability,
the liability of members may be limited either by shares or by guarantee.
The promoters then obtain the approval of the proposed name from the Registrar
of Companies. Application can now be made online also. Normally, the
promoters are supposed to have about 3 to 4 proposed names, so that there
is a possibility that at least one of these will be approved.
Section 4 (2) of the Companies Act, 2013 provides that no company shall
be registered by a name which is:
a) identical with or resemble too nearly to the name of an existing company
registered under this Act or any previous company law; or
b) be such that its use by the company—
i) will constitute an offence under any law for the time being in force;
or
ii) is undesirable in the opinion of the Central Government.
You will study in detail about this aspect in Unit 6 dealing with Memorandum
of Association.
Before an application for registration is filed with the Registrar of Companies,
the promoters shall take the necessary steps for preparing the important
documents such as ‘memorandum of association’ and ‘articles of association’.
For this, the promoters may seek the help of a legal expert, a solicitor, chartered
accountant, cost accountant, or a company secretary. These documents should
be duly printed. The memorandum and articles have to be stamped and the
value of the stamp differs from State to State as per the respective State stamp
laws.
Section 7(a) and the rules framed by the Central Government require that
Memorandum and articles of association of the company shall be signed by
64 each subscriber to the memorandum, who shall add his name, address,
description and occupation, if any, in the presence of at least one witness who Formation of a Company
shall attest the signature and shall likewise sign and add his name, address,
description and occupation, if any. The witness shall also verify his/their ID.
However, it is not necessary that the promoters themselves should sign the
memorandum and articles. The written consent of directors to act as such is
also to be filed. The directors are required to give a written undertaking to
take up and pay for their qualification shares, if any, prescribed in the Articles.
Besides, there shall be filed an declaration from each of the subscribers to the
memorandum and from persons named as the first directors, if any, in the articles
that he is not convicted of any offence in connection with the promotion,
formation or management of any company, or that he has not been found guilty
of any fraud or misfeasance or of any breach of duty to any company under
this Act or any previous company law during the preceding five years and that
all the documents filed with the Registrar for registration of the company contain
information that is correct and complete and true to the best of his knowledge
and belief.
A statutory declaration to the effect that all the requirements of this Act and
the rules made thereunder in respect of registration and matters precedent or
incidental thereto have been complied with; is also to be filed. The aforesaid
declaration is to be signed by:
i) an advocate, a chartered accountant, cost accountant or company secretary
in practice, who is engaged in the formation of the company, and
ii) a person named in the articles as a director, manager or secretary of the
company.
Besides these steps, depending upon the peculiar nature of the company and
its objects, the promoters may be asked to comply with certain other
requirements. These may include (i) obtaining the licence under the Industries
(Development and Regulation) Act, 1951, (ii) obtaining clearance from the
Ministry of Environment, (iii) entering into preliminary contracts, and (iv)
preparing prospectus.
Check Your Progress A
1) What is meant by promotion of a Company?
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................
2) Fill in the blanks:
i) For formation of a company, the promoters have to pass through
................................ stages.
ii) The three stages for the formation of a company are promotion,
.................................................. and the commencement of the
business.
iii) Promotion of a company begins with the ................................
iv) A company may be formed only for a ................................ purpose.
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Company and Its Formation v) A company not having any limit on the liability of its members is
known as an ................................ company.
vi) In accordance with Section 5 of the Act, no company shall be
registered by a name which is ................................ in the opinion
of the .................................
vii) The rules framed for the internal management of the affairs of the
company are termed as ................................
viii) Before delivering the memorandum and articles to the Registrar for
registration of the company, these documents will be ................
................ by the ................................ of the proposed company.
ix) The subscribers to the memorandum of association shall sign in the
presence of at least one ................................
4.5 INCORPORATION
When the necessary documents have been delivered to the Registrar and the
requisite fees paid, the Registrar shall scrutinize these documents and if he is
satisfied that (a) all the documents are in order; (b) all the requirements of the
Companies Act in respect of registration have been complied with, and (c) the
object for which the company is to be formed are lawful; he shall enter the
name of the company in the Register of Companies maintained by his office.
He would then issue a Certificate in the prescribed form, under his signature,
certifying that the company is incorporated. The Certificate contains the name
of the company, the date of its issue, and the signature of the Registrar with
his seal. Certificate of Incorporation constitutes the company’s birth Certificate
and the company becomes a body corporate, with perpetual succession and
may have a common seal. The company comes into existence on the date given
in the Certificate of Incorporation.
If the Registrar is of the view that there are some minor defects in any document,
he may require that the defects be rectified. But, if there are some material
and substantial defects, the Registrar may refuse to register the company. 71
Company and Its Formation Allotment of Corporate Identity Number (CIN): As per Section 7(3), on
and from the date mentioned in the certificate of incorporation , the Registrar
shall allot to the company a corporate identity number (CIN), which shall be
a distinct identity for the company and which shall also be included in the
certificate.
4.5.1 Conclusiveness of Certificate of Incorporation
As per the Companies Act, 2013, Certificate of incorporation given by the
Registrar of Companies in respect of any association shall not be conclusive
where the Certificate was obtained by furnishing any false or incorrect particulars
of any information or suppression of any material information.
Consequences of incorporating a company by filing false information/
suppression of information.
You should note that sub-sections (5), (6) and (7) of Section 7 make furnishing
of any false or incorrect particulars of any information or suppression of any
material information punishable with a minimum six months imprisonment which
may extend up to ten years and also fine which shall not be less than the
amount involved in the fraud but which may extend to three times the amount
involved in the fraud.
Besides the aforesaid penalty, the Tribunal may, on an application made to it,
and on being satisfied that the situation so warrants,—
a) pass such orders, as it may think fit, for regulation of the management
of the company including changes, if any, in its memorandum and articles,
in public interest or in the interest of the company and its members and
creditors; or
b) direct that liability of the members shall be unlimited; or
c) direct removal of the name of the company from the register of companies;
or
d) pass an order for the winding up of the company; or
e) pass such other orders as it may deem fit.
However, before making any order, as aforesaid,—
i) the company shall be given a reasonable opportunity of being heard in
the matter; and
ii) the Tribunal shall take into consideration the transactions entered into by
the company, including the obligations, if any, contracted or payment of
any liability.
You should also note that the Certificate of incorporation is not the conclusive
proof with respect to the legality of the objects of the company mentioned in
the objects clause of the memorandum of association. As such, if a company
has been registered whose objects are illegal, the incorporation does not validate
the illegal objects. In such a case the only remedy available is to wind up the
company.
4.5.2 Effects of Registration
You have just learnt that the Certificate issued by the Registrar of Companies
is called the ‘Certificate of incorporation’. This Certificate is a very important
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document for the company because the company begins its corporate life from Formation of a Company
the date of the Certificate.
On filing of documents like memorandum of association, articles of association,
the declarations, etc., the Registrar shall issue a Certificate of Incorporation to
the company. In this Certificate, he shall certify that the company has been
incorporated. If the company is a limited company, the Registrar shall further
certify that the company is a limited company.
From the date of incorporation i.e., the date mentioned in the Certificate of
incorporation the company becomes a legal person distinct from its members.
Section 9 describes the effects of registration in the following words:
“From the date of incorporation mentioned in the certificate of incorporation,
such subscribers to the memorandum and all other persons, as may, from time
to time, become members of the company, shall be a body corporate by the
name contained in the memorandum, capable of exercising all the functions of
an incorporated company under this Act and having perpetual succession and
a common seal with power to acquire, hold and dispose of property, both
movable and immovable, tangible and intangible, to contract and to sue and
be sued, by the said name”.
Thus, on incorporation, the following effects follow:
i) From the date of incorporation, the original subscribers to the memorandum
as well as the other persons who may, from time to time, become members
of the company, shall constitute a body corporate by the name contained
in the memorandum of association. You would recall from Unit 1 that a
company after incorporation becomes a body corporate distinct from its
members. It becomes a legal person. The company’s life starts from the
date of its incorporation.
ii) The company acquires a perpetual succession. The consequences of it may
be understood better by an example. If a company had ten shareholders
and all of them die at the same time in a train accident, the company’s
existence will not be affected. In other words, we may say that the members
may come and members may go, but the company goes on till it is wound
up.
iii) The company can sue and be sued in its own name.
iv) Liability and debts of the company are not the liability of the shareholders/
members. They are, however, liable to contribute to the assets of the
company, in the event of its being wound-up, to the extent of the amount
remaining unpaid on the shares held by them or amount guaranteed, as
the case may be.
v) The company will hold its property in its own name. The property of the
company cannot be said to be the joint property of the shareholders.
vi) The memorandum and articles of association become binding on the
members and the company. Articles are deemed to be a contract between
the company and its members and would, after incorporation, govern the
rights (a) of members against the company; (b) of company against the
members, and (c) between members inter se, i.e., amongst themselves.
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Company and Its Formation
4.6 COMMENCEMENT OF BUSINESS
As per Section 10(A) Company incorporated after the commencement of the
companies (Amendment) Act 2019 and having a share capital shall not
commence any business or exercise any borrowing power unless (a) a declaration
is filed by the director of the company within 180 days of the date of
incorporation of the company that every subscribes to the memorandum has
paid the value of the shares, and b) the registered office of the company so
incorporated has been verified by filing return as provided in subsection (2)
of section 12.
Penalty
In case of default in complying with this section the company shall be liable
to a penalty of fifty thousand rupees and every officer in default shall be liable
to a penalty of one thousand rupees each day during which the default continues
but not exceeding an amount of one lakh rupees. This also shall qualify as a
ground for striking off the name of the company from the register of the
companies by the Registrar.
Further section 12(a) as amended empowers the Registrar to physically verify
whether or not the company is carrying on business from its registered office.
If the company is found to be not carrying any business, the Registrar may
initiate action for removal of the name of the company from the register of
company. This is to check the increase and functioning of shell companies.
Check Your Progress C
1) What is meant by Certificate of incorporation?
................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................
2) What are the effects of incorporation?
................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................
3) State, whether the following statements are true or false:
i) A company comes into existence from the date of incorporation,
mentioned on the Certificate of incorporation.
ii) The Registrar issues the Certificate of Incorporation under his signature.
iii) Only a public company acquires perpetual succession after incorporation.
iv) A company incorporated after companies Amendment Act 2019 can
commence its business immediately after registration.
Note: These questions will help you to understand the unit better.
Try to write answers for them but do not submit your answers
to the University. These are for your practice only.
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