The court imposing any fine under this Act may direct that the whole or any part thereof shall be applied in or towards payment of the costs of the proceedings, or in or towards the payment of a reward to the person on whose information the proceedings were instituted.
The court or the Special Court, while deciding the amount of fine or imprisonment under this Act, shall have due regard to the following factors, namely:—
(a) size of the company;
(b) nature of business carried on by the company;
(c) injury to public interest;
(d) nature of the default; and
(e) repetition of the default.
Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, if penalty is payable for non-compliance of any of the provisions of this Act by a One Person Company, small company, start-up company or Producer Company, or by any of its officer in default, or any other person in respect of such company, then such company, its officer in default or any other person, as the case may be, shall be liable to a penalty which shall not be more than one-half of the penalty specified in such provisions subject to a maximum of two lakh rupees in case of a company and one lakh rupees in case of an officer who is in default or any other person, as the case may be.
Explanation.—For the purposes of this section,—
(a) “Producer Company” means a company as defined in clause (l) ofsection 378A;
(b) “start-up company” means a private company incorporated under this Act or under the Companies Act, 1956 and recognised as start-up in accordance with the notification issued by the Central Government in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.
Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, if a One Person Company or a fails to comply with the provisions of sub-section (5) of section 92, sub-section (2) of section 117, sub-section (3) of section 137, such company and officer in default of such company shall be punishable with fine or imprisonment or fine and imprisonment, as the case may be, which shall not be more than one-half of the fine or imprisonment or fine and imprisonment, as the case may be, of the minimum or maximum fine or imprisonment or fine and imprisonment, as the case may be, specified in such sections.
(i) paid-up share capital of which does not exceed fifty lakh rupees or such higher amount as may be prescribed which shall not be more than ten crore rupees and
(ii) turnover of which as per profit and loss account for the immediately preceding financial year does not exceed two crore rupees or such higher amount as may be prescribed which shall not be more than one hundred crore rupees:
Provided that nothing in this clause shall apply to—
(A) a holding company or a subsidiary company;
(B) a company registered under section 8; or
(C) a company or body corporate governed by any special Act;
Commencement Notification dated 09.02.2018
Commencement Notification S.O. 325(E) dated 22.01.2021 under Companies (Amendment) Act, 2020
Companies (Amendment) Act, 2020 dated 28.09.2020
Enforcement notification S.O.2754 (E) dated 12/09/2013
The Companies (Amendment) Act, 2017 (Effective from 03.01.2018)
The Companies (Amendment) Act, 2019 dated 31.07.2019
The Companies (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018 dated 02.11.2018 [repealed vide the Companies (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019]
The Companies (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 dated 12.01.2019 w.e.f., 02.11.2018