We will continue to discuss general provisions relating to winding up in this post also.
OFFENCE BY OFFICERS OF COMPANIES IN LIQUIDATION (SECTION 336):
If any person, who is or has been an officer of a company which, at the time of the commission of the alleged offence, is being wound up, whether by the Tribunal or voluntarily, or which is subsequently ordered to be wound up by the Tribunal or which subsequently passes a resolution for voluntary winding up,—
(a) does not, to the best of his knowledge and belief, fully and truly disclose to the Company Liquidator all the property, movable and immovable, of the company, and how and to whom and for what consideration and when the company disposed of any part thereof, except such part as has been disposed of in the ordinary course of the business of the company;
(b) does not deliver up to the Company Liquidator, or as he directs, all such part of the movable and immovable property of the company as is in his custody or under his control and which he is required by law to deliver up;
(c) does not deliver up to the Company Liquidator, or as he directs, all such books and papers of the company as are in his custody or under his control and which he is required by law to deliver up;
(d) within the twelve months immediately before the commencement of the winding up or at any time thereafter,—
(i) conceals any part of the property of the company to the value of one thousand rupees or more, or conceals any debt due to or from the company;
(ii) fraudulently removes any part of the property of the company to the value of one thousand rupees or more;
(iii) conceals, destroys, mutilates or falsifies, or is privy to the concealment, destruction, mutilation or falsification of, any book or paper affecting or relating to, the property or affairs of the company;
(iv) makes, or is privy to the making of, any false entry in any book or paper affecting or relating to, the property or affairs of the company;
(v) fraudulently parts with, alters or makes any omission in, or is privy to the fraudulent parting with, altering or making of any omission in, any book or paper affecting or relating to the property or affairs of the company;
(vi) by any false representation or other fraud, obtains on credit, for or on behalf of the company, any property which the company does not subsequently pay for;
(vii) under the false pretence that the company is carrying on its business, obtains on credit, for or on behalf of the company, any property which the company does not subsequently pay for; or
(viii) pawns, pledges or disposes of any property of the company which has been obtained on credit and has not been paid for, unless such pawning, pledging or disposing of the property is in the ordinary course of business of the company;
(e) makes any material omission in any statement relating to the affairs of the company;
(f) knowing or believing that a false debt has been proved by any person under the winding up, fails for a period of one month to inform the Company Liquidator thereof;
(g) after the commencement of the winding up, prevents the production of any book or paper affecting or relating to the property or affairs of the company;
(h) after the commencement of the winding up or at any meeting of the creditors of the company within the twelve months next before the commencement of the winding up, attempts to account for any part of the property of the company by fictitious losses or expenses; or
(i) is guilty of any false representation or fraud for the purpose of obtaining the consent of the creditors of the company or any of them, to an agreement with reference to the affairs of the company or to the winding up,
he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three years but which may extend to five years and with fine which shall not be less than one lakh rupees but which may extend to three lakh rupees.
It shall be a good defence if the accused proves that he had no intent to defraud or to conceal the true state of affairs of the company or to defeat the law.
Where any person pawns, pledges or disposes of any property in circumstances which amount to an offence under sub-clause (viii) of clause (d) of sub-section (1), every person who takes in pawn or pledge or otherwise receives the property, knowing it to be pawned, pledged, or disposed of in such circumstances as aforesaid, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three years but which may extend to five years and with fine which shall not be less than three lakh rupees but which may extend to five lakh rupees.
PENALTY FOR FRAUDS BY OFFICERS (SECTION 337)
If any person, being at the time of the commission of the alleged offence an officer of a company which is subsequently ordered to be wound up by the Tribunal or which subsequently passes a resolution for voluntary winding up,—
(a) has, by false pretences or by means of any other fraud, induced any person to give credit to the company;
(b) with intent to defraud creditors of the company or any other person, has made or caused to be made any gift or transfer of, or charge on, or has caused or connived at the levying of any execution against, the property of the company; or
(c) with intent to defraud creditors of the company, has concealed or removed any part of the property of the company since the date of any unsatisfied judgment or order for payment of money obtained against the company or within two months before that date,
he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than one year but which may extend to three years and with fine which shall not be less than one lakh rupees but which may extend to three lakh rupees.
LIABILITY WHERE PROPER ACCOUNTS NOT KEPT (SECTION 338)
Where a company is being wound up, if it is shown that proper books of account were not kept by the company throughout the period of two years immediately preceding the commencement of the winding up, or the period between the incorporation of the company and the commencement of the winding up, whichever is shorter, every officer of the company who is in default shall, unless he shows that he acted honestly and that in the circumstances in which the business of the company was carried on, the default was excusable, be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than one year but which may extend to three years and with fine which shall not be less than one lakh rupees but which may extend to three lakh rupees.
It shall be deemed that proper books of account have not been kept in the case of any company,—
(a) if such books of account as are necessary to exhibit and explain the transactions and financial position of the business of the company, including books containing entries made from day-to-day in sufficient detail of all cash received and all cash paid, have not been kept; and
(b) where the business of the company has involved dealings in goods, statements of the annual stock takings and, except in the case of goods sold by way of ordinary retail trade, of all goods sold and purchased, showing the goods and the buyers and the sellers thereof in sufficient detail to enable those goods and those buyers and sellers to be identified, have not been kept.
LIABILITY OF FRAUDULENT CONDUCT (SECTION 339)
If in the course of the winding up of a company, it appears that any business of the company has been carried on with intent to defraud creditors of the company or any other persons or for any fraudulent purpose, the Tribunal, on the application of the Official Liquidator, or the Company Liquidator or any creditor or contributory of the company, may, if it thinks it proper so to do, declare that any person, who is or has been a director, manager, or officer of the company or any persons who were knowingly parties to the carrying on of the business in the manner aforesaid shall be personally responsible, without any limitation of liability, for all or any of the debts or other liabilities of the company as the Tribunal may direct.
On the hearing of an application under this sub-section, the Official Liquidator or the Company Liquidator, as the case may be, may himself give evidence or call witnesses.
Where the Tribunal makes any such declaration, it may give such further directions as it thinks proper for the purpose of giving effect to that declaration and, in particular,—
(a) make provision for making the liability of any such person under the declaration a charge on any debt or obligation due from the company to him, or on any mortgage or charge or any interest in any mortgage or charge on any assets of the company held by or vested in him, or any person on his behalf, or any person claiming as assignee from or through the person liable or any person acting on his behalf;
(b) make such further order as may be necessary for the purpose of enforcing any charge imposed under this sub-section.
Where any business of a company is carried on with such intent or for such purpose, every person who was knowingly a party to the carrying on of the business in the manner aforesaid, shall be liable for action under section 447.
This section shall apply, notwithstanding that the person concerned may be punishable under any other law for the time being in force in respect of the matters on the ground of which the declaration is to be made.
POWER OF TRIBUNAL TO ACCESS DAMAGE (SECTION 340)
If in the course of winding up of a company, it appears that any person who has taken part in the promotion or formation of the company, or any person, who is or has been a director, manager, Company Liquidator or officer of the company—
(a) has misapplied, or retained, or become liable or accountable for, any money or property of the company; or
(b) has been guilty of any misfeasance or breach of trust in relation to the company,
the Tribunal may, on the application of the Official Liquidator, or the Company Liquidator, or of any creditor or contributory, made within the period, inquire into the conduct of the person, director, manager, Company Liquidator or officer aforesaid, and order him to repay or restore the money or property or any part thereof respectively, with interest at such rate as the Tribunal considers just and proper, or to contribute such sum to the assets of the company by way of compensation in respect of the misapplication, retainer, misfeasance or breach of trust, as the Tribunal considers just and proper.
An application shall be made within five years from the date of the winding up order, or of the first appointment of the Company Liquidator in the winding up, or of the misapplication, retainer, misfeasance or breach of trust, as the case may be, whichever is longer.
This section shall apply, notwithstanding that the matter is one for which the person concerned may be criminally liable.
LIABILITY UNDER SECTION 339 AND 340 (SECTION 341)
Where a declaration under section 339 or an order under section 340 is made in respect of a firm or body corporate, the Tribunal shall also have power to make a declaration under section 339, or pass an order under section 340, as the case may be, in respect of any person who was at the relevant time a partner in that firm or a director of that body corporate.
PROSECUTION OF DELINQUENT OFFICER (SECTION 342)
If it appears to the Tribunal in the course of a winding up by the Tribunal, that any person, who is or has been an officer, or any member, of the company has been guilty of any offence in relation to the company, the Tribunal may, either on the application of any person interested in the winding up or suo motu, direct the liquidator to prosecute the offender or to refer the matter to the Registrar.
If it appears to the Company Liquidator in the course of a voluntary winding up that any person,who is or has been an officer, or any member, of the company has been guilty of any offence in relation to the company under this Act, he shall forthwith report the matter to the Registrar and shall furnish to him such information and give to him such access to and facilities for inspecting and taking copies of any books and papers, being information or books and papers in the possession or under the control of the Company Liquidator and relating to the matter in question, as the Registrar may require.
Where any report is made to the Registrar,—
(a) if he thinks fit, he may apply to the Central Government for an order to make further inquiry into the affairs of the company by any person designated by him and for conferring on such person all the powers of investigation as are provided under this Act;
(b) if he considers that the case is one in which a prosecution ought to be instituted, he shall report the matter to the Central Government, and that Government may, after taking such legal advice as it thinks fit, direct the Registrar to institute prosecution. No report shall be made by the Registrar under this clause without first giving the accused person a reasonable opportunity of making a statement in writing to the Registrar and of being heard thereon.
If it appears to the Tribunal in the course of a voluntary winding up that any person, who is or has been an officer, or any member, of the company has been guilty as aforesaid, and that no report with respect to the matter has been made by the Company Liquidator to the Registrar, the Tribunal may, on the application of any person interested in the winding up or suo motu, direct the Company Liquidator to make such a report, and on a report being made, the provisions of this section shall have effect as though the report had been made.
When any prosecution is instituted under this section, it shall be the duty of the liquidator and of every person, who is or has been an officer and agent of the company to give all assistance in connection with the prosecution which he is reasonably able to give. The expression “agent”, in relation to a company, shall include any banker or legal adviser of the company and any person employed by the company as auditor.
If a person fails or neglects to give assistance, he shall be liable to pay fine which shall not be less than twenty-five thousand rupees but which may extend to one lakh rupees.
Please note: I welcome your comments and feedback. This blog post is not a professional advice. Readers may share this post on social media by using buttons given here.
AishMGhrana 