15.1.25- Companies (Compromises, Arrangements and Amalgamations) Rules, 2016

25. Merger or Amalgamation of certain companies.— (1) The notice of the proposed scheme, under clause (a) of subsection (1) of section 233 of the Act, to invite objections or suggestions from the Registrar and Official Liquidator or persons affected by the scheme shall be in

A scheme of merger or amalgamation under section 233 of the Act may be entered into between any of the following class of companies, namely:-

(i) two or more start-up companies; or

(ii) one or more start-up company with one or more small company.

For the purposes of this sub-rule, “start-up company” means a private company incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013 or Companies Act, 1956 and recognised as such in accordance with notification number G.S.R. 127 (E), dated the 19th February, 2019 issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.

(2) For the purposes of clause (c) of sub-section (1) of section 233 of the Act the declaration of solvency shall be filed by each of the companies involved in the scheme of merger or amalgamation in along with the fee as provided in the Companies (Registration Offices and Fees) Rules, 2014, before convening the meeting of members and creditors for approval of the scheme.

(3) For the purposes of clause (b) and (d) of sub-section (1) of section 233 of the Act, the notice of the meeting to the members and creditors shall be accompanied by –

(a) a statement, as far as applicable, referred to in sub-section (3) of section 230 of the Act read with sub-rule (3) of rule 6 hereof;

(b) the declaration of solvency made in pursuance of clause (c) of sub-section (1) of section 233 of the Act in

(c) a copy of the scheme.

(4)(a) For the purposes of sub-section (2) of section 233 of the Act, the transferee company shall, within seven days after the conclusion of the meeting of members or class of members or creditors or class of creditors, file a copy of the scheme as agreed to by the members and creditors, along with a report of the result of each of the meetings in Form No. CAA.11 with the Central Government, along with the fees as provided under the Companies (Registration Offices and Fees) Rules, 2014.

(b) Copy of the scheme shall also be filed, along with with –

(i) the Registrar of Companies in along with fees provided under the Companies (Registration Offices and Fees) Rules, 2014; and

(ii) the Official Liquidator through hand delivery or by registered post or speed post.

Where no objection or suggestion is received within a period of thirty days of receipt of copy of scheme under sub-section (2) of section 233,  from the  Registrar of Companies and Official Liquidator by the Central Government and the Central Government is of the opinion that the scheme is in the public interest or in the interest of creditors, it may,  within a period of fifteen days after the expiry of said thirty days, issue a confirmation order of such scheme of merger or amalgamation in :

Provided that if the Central Government does not issue the confirmation order within a period of sixty days of the receipt of the scheme under sub-section (2) of section 233, it shall be deemed that it has no objection to the scheme and a confirmation order shall be issued accordingly.

(5) Where no objection or suggestion is received to the scheme from the Registrar of Companies and Official Liquidator or where the objection or suggestion of Registrar and Official Liquidator is deemed to be not sustainable and the Central Government is of the opinion that the scheme is in the public interest or in the interest of creditors, the Central Government shall issue a confirmation order of such scheme of merger or amalgamation in .

 Where objections or suggestions are received within a period of thirty days of receipt of copy of scheme under sub-section (2) of section 233 from the Registrar of Companies or Official Liquidator or both by the Central Government and –

(a) such objections or suggestions of Registrar of Companies or Official Liquidator, are not sustainable and the Central Government is of the opinion that the scheme is in the public interest or in the interest of creditors, it may within a period of thirty days after expiry of thirty days referred to above, issue a confirmation order of such scheme of merger or amalgamation in .

(b) the Central Government is of the opinion, whether on the basis of such objections or otherwise, that the scheme is not in the public interest or in the interest of creditors, it may within sixty days of the receipt of the scheme file an application before the Tribunal in stating the objections or opinion and requesting that Tribunal may consider the scheme under section 232 of the Act:

Provided that if the Central Government does not issue a confirmation order under clause (a) or does not file any application under clause (b) within a period of sixty days of the receipt of the scheme under sub-section (2) of section 233 of the Act, it shall be deemed that it has no objection to the scheme and a confirmation order shall be issued accordingly.

(6) Where objections or suggestions are received from the Registrar of Companies or Official Liquidator and the Central Government is of the opinion, whether on the basis of such objections or otherwise, that the scheme is not in the public interest or in the interest of creditors, it may file an application before the Tribunal in within sixty days of the receipt of the scheme stating its objections or opinion and requesting that Tribunal may consider the scheme under section 232 of the Act.

(7) The confirmation order of the scheme issued by the Central Government or Tribunal under sub-section (7) of section 233 of the Act, shall be filed, within thirty days of the receipt of the order of confirmation, in along with the fees as provided under Companies (Registration Offices and Fees) Rules, 2014 with the Registrar of Companies having jurisdiction over the transferee and transferor companies respectively.

(8) For the purpose of this rule, it is clarified that with respect to schemes of arrangement or compromise falling within the purview of section 233 of the Act, the concerned companies may, at their discretion, opt to undertake such schemes under sections 230 to 232 of the Act, including where the condition prescribed in clause (d) of sub-section (1) of section 233 of the Act has not been met.

(1) A foreign company incorporated outside India may merge with an Indian company after obtaining prior approval of Reserve Bank of India and after complying with the provisions of sections 230 to 232 of the Act and these rules.

(2) (a) A company may merge with a foreign company incorporated in any of the jurisdictions specified in Annexure B after obtaining prior approval of the Reserve Bank of India and after complying with provisions of sections 230 to 232 of the Act and these rules.

(b) The transferee company shall ensure that valuation is conducted by valuers who are members of a recognised professional body in the jurisdiction of the transferee company and further that such valuation is in accordance with internationally accepted principles on accounting and valuation. A declaration to this effect shall be attached with the application made to Reserve Bank of India for obtaining its approval under clause (a) of this sub-rule.

(3) The concerned company shall file an application before the Tribunal as per provisions of section 230 to section 232 of the Act and these rules after obtaining approvals specified in sub-rule (1) and sub-rule (2), as the case may be.

 Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (3), in case of a compromise or an arrangement or merger or demerger between an Indian company and a company or body corporate which has been incorporated in a country which shares land border with India, a declaration in shall be required at the stage of submission of application under section 230 of the Act.

Explanation 1._ For the purposes of this rule the term “company” means a company as defined in clause (20) of section 2 of the Act and the term “foreign company” means a company or body corporate incorporated outside India whether having a place of business in India or not:

Explanation 2. For the purposes of this rule, it is clarified that no amendment shall be made in this rule without consultation of the Reserve Bank of India.

 Where the transferor foreign company incorporated outside India being a holding company and the transferee Indian company being a wholly owned subsidiary company incorporated in India, enter into merger or amalgamation, –

(i) both the companies shall obtain the prior approval of the Reserve Bank of India;

(ii) the transferee Indian company shall comply with the provisions of section 233;

(iii) the application shall be made by the transferee Indian company to the Central Government under section 233 of the Act and provisions of rule 25 shall apply to such application; and

(iv) the declaration referred to in sub-rule (4) shall be made at the stage of making application under section 233 of the Act.

Jurisdictions referred to in clause (a) of sub-rule (2) of rule 25A 

Jurisdictions –

(i) whose securities market regulator is a signatory to International Organization of Securities Commission’s Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (Appendix A Signatories) or a signatory to bilateral Memorandum of Understanding with SEBI, or

(ii) whose central bank is a member of Bank for International Settlements (BIS), and

(iii) a jurisdiction, which is not identified in the public statement of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as:

(a) a jurisdiction having a strategic Anti-Money Laundering or Combating the Financing of Terrorism deficiencies to which counter measures apply; or

(b) a jurisdiction that has not made sufficient progress in addressing the deficiencies or has not committed to an action plan developed with the Financial Action Task Force to address the deficiencies