Section 1, 2, 10a, 12 of The Companies (Amendment) Act 2019

Section 1 Short title and commencement

1. (1) This Act may be called the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2019.

(2) The provisions of this Act, except sections 6, 7 and 8, clauses (i), (iii) and clause (iv) of section 14, sections 20 and 21, section 31, sections 33, 34 and 35, sections 37 and 38 shall be deemed to have come into force on the 2nd day of November, 2018.

(3) The provisions of sections 6, 7 and 8, clauses (i), (iii) and clause (iv) of section 14, sections 20 and 21, section 31, sections 33, 34 and 35, sections 37 and 38 shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint and different dates may be appointed for these provisions and any reference in any such provision to the commencement of this Act shall be construed as a reference to the coming into force of that provision.

Amendment of section 2 of Companies act 2013

2. In section 2 of the Companies Act, 2013 (hereinafter referred to as the principal Act), in clause (41),- (a) for the first proviso, the following provisos shall be substituted, namely:- "Provided that where a company or body corporate, which is a holding company or a subsidiary or associate company of a company incorporated outside India and is required to follow a different financial year for consolidation of its accounts outside India, the Central Government may, on an application made by that company or body corporate in such form and manner as may be prescribed, allow any period as its financial year, whether or not that period is a year: Provided further that any application pending before the Tribunal as on the date of commencement of the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2019, shall be disposed of by the Tribunal in accordance with the provisions applicable to it before such commencement."; (b) in the second proviso, for the words "Provided further that", the words "Provided also that" shall be substituted.

Insertion of new section 10A. Commencement of business, etc

3. After section 10 of the principal Act, the following section shall be inserted, namely:- "10A. (1) 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 powers unless- (a) a declaration is filed by a director within a period of one hundred and eighty days of the date of incorporation of the company in such form and verified in such manner as may be prescribed, with the Registrar that every subscriber to the memorandum has paid the value of the shares agreed to be taken by him on the date of making of such declaration; and (b) the company has filed with the Registrar a verification of its registered office as provided in sub-section (2) of section 12. (2) If any default is made in complying with the requirements of this section, the company shall be liable to a penalty of fifty thousand rupees and every officer who is in default shall be liable to a penalty of one thousand rupees for each day during which such default continues but not exceeding an amount of one lakh rupees. (3) Where no declaration has been filed with the Registrar under clause (a) of sub-section (1) within a period of one hundred and eighty days of the date of incorporation of the company and the Registrar has reasonable cause to believe that the company is not carrying on any business or operations, he may, without prejudice to the provisions of sub-section (2), initiate action for the removal of the name of the company from the register of companies under Chapter XVIII."

Amendment of section 12 of Companies Act 2013

4. In section 12 of the principal Act, after sub-section (8), the following sub-section shall be inserted, namely:- "(9) If the Registrar has reasonable cause to believe that the company is not carrying on any business or operations, he may cause a physical verification of the registered office of the company in such manner as may be prescribed and if any default is found to be made in complying with the requirements of sub-section (1), he may without prejudice to the provisions of sub-section (8), initiate action for the removal of the name of the company from the register of companies under Chapter XVIII.".