A recent informal guidance issued by the Securities and Exchange Board of India deals with the questions pertaining to the intersection of the SEBI Takeover Regulations of 2011 and the process of complying with the minimum public shareholding in listed companies. In the case involving R Systems International Limited, the acquirer made an open offer and acquired certain shares of the target...
SAT on Disclosures Regarding “Promoters”
The Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) has issued its decision overturning an order of SEBI’s adjudicating officer that had found Enam Securities to have violated securities laws in connection with the IPO of Yes Bank. One of the key issues in contention was whether Rabobank ought to have been disclosed as a “promoter” of Yes Bank. On facts, while the application to the Reserve Bank of India...
Buybacks and open offer – recent decision of SAT
Recently, on 21st November 2011, the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) held that the increase in percentage holding of a person consequent to buyback of shares does not amount to acquisition and thus cannot result in an open offer. This is, in my view, a correct legal interpretation of the law (as also argued by me in an earlier post here). But SEBI had, in practice, taken a view that such...
The Concept of an “Interested” Shareholder
Yesterday’s board meeting at SEBI was not expected to generate any substantial decision owing to the impending change of guard at the regulatory institution. True to expectations, key matters such as amendment to the Takeover Regulations and implementation of the Jalan committee report on stock exchanges and other market infrastructure institutions were deferred. However, SEBI expressed its...
Buyback and Takeover Regulations – Yet another development
See my earlier post on a recent decision of SEBI on whether increase in percentage holding consequent to buyback of shares would amount to “acquisition” under the Takeover Regulations. If that and earlier posts are reviewed, one would note that SEBI has taken a fairly consistent stand that such increase does amount to acquisition. Now, in a recent order granting exemption under the...
Buyback, increase in shareholding and open offer requirement
Yesterday’s decision of SEBI revives the discussion on whether an increase in shareholding on account of a buyback could result in an open offer. The issue can be explained mathematically as follows. A company, has, say, Rs. 100 of share capital. It carries out a buyback of Rs. 20 shares in which some shareholders do not participate fully. Since the share capital reduces to Rs. 80, the...
Shareholders and Their Duties under Indian Law
Under the Companies Act, 1956, shareholding in an Indian company is almost entirely associated with concepts like rights, entitlements and ownership. This emanates from Section 82, which reads as follows: The shares or debentures or other interest of any member in a company shall be movable property, transferable in the manner provided by the articles of the company. Shareholding is generally not...
Directors are persons in control; failure to disclose their shareholding violates Takeover Regulations
In a far-reaching decision, the Securities and Exchange Board of India has ruled in an adjudication order that members of the board of directors of a listed company (“Target Company”) would be persons having control of the Target Company. Consequently, directors of the Target Company ought to make disclosures of their holdings under the disclosure requirements set out in the SEBI (Substantial...
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