valid as on 28/03/2024

Section 187. Investments of company to be held in its own name
Effective from 01-04-2014

(1) All investments made or held by a  in any property, or other asset shall be made and held by it in its own name:

Provided that the company may hold any in its in the name of any nominee or nominees of the company, if it is necessary to do so, to ensure that the number of of the subsidiary company is not reduced below the statutory limit.

(2) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prevent a company—

(a) from depositing with a bank, being the bankers of the company, any shares or securities for the collection of any dividend or interest payable thereon; or

(b) from depositing with, or transferring to, or holding in the name of, the State Bank of India or a , being the bankers of the company, shares or securities, in order to facilitate the transfer thereof:

Provided that if within a period of six months from the date on which the shares or securities are transferred by the company to, or are first held by the company in the name of, the State Bank of India or a scheduled bank as aforesaid, no transfer of such shares or securities takes place, the company shall, as soon as practicable after the expiry of that period, have the shares or securities re-transferred to it from the State Bank of India or the scheduled bank or, as the case may be, again hold the shares or securities in its own name; or

(c) from depositing with, or transferring to, any person any shares or securities, by way of security for the repayment of any loan advanced to the company or the performance of any obligation undertaken by it;

(d) from holding investments in the name of a depository when such investments are in the form of securities held by the company as a beneficial owner.

(3) Where in pursuance of clause (d) of sub-section (2), any shares or securities in which investments have been made by a company are not held by it in its own name, the company shall maintain a register which shall contain such particulars  and such register shall be open to inspection by any member or -holder of the company without any charge during business hours subject to such reasonable restrictions as the company may by its  or in general meeting impose.

 If a company is in default in complying with the provisions of this section, the company shall be liable to a penalty of five lakh rupees and every officer of the company who is in default shall be liable to a penalty of fifty thousand rupees.

(4) If a company contravenes the provisions of this section, the company shall be punishable with fine which shall not be less than twenty-five thousand rupees but which may extend to twenty-five lakh rupees and every of the company who is in default shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months or with fine which shall not be less than twenty-five thousand rupees but which may extend to one lakh rupees, or with both.

2(20) Company means a company incorporated under this Act or under any previous company law
2(81) Securities means the securities as defined in clause (h) of section 2 of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 (42 of 1956)
2(84) Share means a share in the share capital of a company and includes stock
2(87) Subsidiary Company or Subsidiary, in relation to any other company (that is to say the holding company), means a company in which the holding company—

(i) controls the composition of the Board of Directors; or

(ii) exercises or controls more than one-half of the total voting power either at its own or together with one or more of its subsidiary companies:

Provided that such class or classes of holding companies as may be prescribed shall not have layers of subsidiaries beyond such numbers  as may be prescribed.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this clause,—

(a) a company shall be deemed to be a subsidiary company of the holding company even if the control referred to in sub-clause (i) or sub-clause (ii) is of another subsidiary company of the holding company;

(b) the composition of a company’s Board of Directors shall be deemed to be controlled by another company if that other company by exercise of some power exercisable by it at its discretion can appoint or remove all or a majority of the directors;

(c) the expression “company” includes any body corporate;

(d) “layer” in relation to a holding company means its subsidiary or subsidiaries.

2(55) Member, in relation to a company, means—

(i) the subscriber to the memorandum of the company who shall be deemed to have agreed to become member of the company, and on its registration, shall be entered as member in its register of members;

(ii) every other person who agrees in writing to become a member of the company and whose name is entered in the register of members of the company;

(iii) every person holding shares of the company and whose name is entered as a beneficial owner in the records of a depository

2(80) Scheduled bank means the scheduled bank as defined in clause (e) of section 2 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (2 of 1934)
Refer rule 14 and Form No.MBP 3 of the Companies (Meetings of Board and its Powers) Rules,2014.To view the rule,Click Here
2(30) Debenture, includes debenture stock, bonds or any other instrument of a company evidencing a debt, whether constituting a charge on the assets of the company or not

Provided that— (a) the instruments referred to in Chapter III-D of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934; and

(b) such other instrument, as may be prescribed by the Central Government in consultation with Reserve Bank of India, issued by a company,

shall not be treated as debenture;

2(5) Articles means the articles of association of a company as originally framed or as altered from time to time or applied in pursuance of any previous company law or of this Act
Substituted vide Companies (Amendment) Act, 2020 dated 28.09.2020 with effect from 21.12.2020. To view the Act, Click Here. To view the commencement notification, Click Here.
2(59) Officer includes any director, manager or key managerial personnel or any person in accordance with whose directions or instructions the Board of Directors or any one or more of the directors is or are accustomed to act

12.1.14-Companies (Meetings of Board and its Powers) Rules,2014

14. Investments of company to be held in its own name.-

(1) Every company shall, from the date of its registration, maintain a register in and enter therein, chronologically, the particulars of investments in shares or other securities beneficially held by the company but which are not held in its own name and the company shall also record the reasons for not holding the investments in its own name and the relationship or contract under which the investment is held in the name of any other person.

(2) The company shall also record whether such investments are held in a third party’s name for the time being or otherwise.

(3) The register shall be maintained at the registered office of the company. The register shall be preserved permanently and shall be kept in the custody of the company secretary of the company or if there is no company secretary, any director or any other officer authorised by the Board for the purpose.

(4) The entries in the register shall be authenticated by the company secretary of the company or by any other person authorised by the Board for the purpose.

To view the register,Click Here

Commencement Notification under Companies (Amendment) Act, 2020 dated 21.12.2020


Companies (Amendment) Act, 2020 dated 28.09.2020


Enforcement Notification S.O. 902(E) dated 26/03/2014


Form MBP-3-Register of investments not held in its own name by the company


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