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Coincept Accounting Solutions Private Limited

Reserve Bank Of India10 May 2019

Ratio decidendi

The rule this decision rests on

The compounding authority holds that a contravention of Regulation 10A(b)(i) read with paragraph 10 of Schedule I to Notification No. FEMA 20/2000-RB, arising from failure to file Form FC-TRS within 60 days of receipt or payment of the consideration on a transfer of shares from a resident to a non-resident, is established where the form was filed after that period, and the onus of timely filing rests on the resident transferor or transferee. Where the applicant admits the contravention, the authority may compound it under the Foreign Exchange (Compounding Proceedings) Rules, 2000, fixing the compounding amount in its discretion by taking a lenient view having regard to the relevant facts and circumstances, including the absence of mala fide intention and the inadvertent nature of the default, notwithstanding that the maximum penalty under Section 13 of FEMA is up to three times the sum involved. Compounding under these rules is conditional on the veracity of the applicant's declarations that no enquiry, investigation or adjudication is pending and that no appeal has been filed under Section 17 or Section 19 of FEMA, and the order is without prejudice to other action if those declarations prove false.

Written by Miss Lucy from the judgment below, not taken from a headnote.

Judgment

As delivered

In the Reserve Bank of India Foreign Exchange Department Mumbai Regional Office Main Building, 3rd floor Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg, Fort Mumbai 400 001 Present Shri S. V. Potphode Assistant General Manager Date: May 10, 2019 C.A. No. MUM 847/2019 In the matter of Coincept Accounting Solutions Private Limited 1st floor, Amar Avinash Corporate City, Bund Garden Road, above HSBC Bank, Pune - 411001 (Applicant) In exercise of the powers conferred under section 15 (1) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 and the Regulations/Rules/Notifications/Orders made thereunder, I pass the following Order

1. The applicant has filed a compounding application dated February 13, 2019, (received at the Reserve Bank of India on March 05, 2019) for compounding of contraventions of the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (the FEMA) and the regulations issued thereunder. The contravention sought to be compounded is for delay in submission of form FC-TRS on transfer of shares from Resident to Non-Resident, in contravention of Regulation 10 A (b) (i) read with paragraph 10 of Schedule I to Foreign Exchange Management Regulations, 2000

FED, MRO, CEFA M/s Coincept Accounting Solutions Private Limited CA No. MUM 847/2019 notified vide Notification No. FEMA 20/RB-2000 dated May 3, 2000 as amended from time to time (hereinafter referred to as Notification No. FEMA 20/2000-RB).

2. The relevant facts of the case are as follows: Mrs. Kuntal Sahni, Indian Resident transferred 22500 equity shares of M/s Coincept Accounting Solutions Private Limited, held by her to M/s Bokoredo AB, Sweden (Non-resident), as indicated below:

S No Date of amount received Date of Date of Delay above 60 inward (in INR) transfer filing days* remittance (DD-MM-YY) Form (DD-MM-YY) (2) FCTRS (1) (DD-MM-YY) 1 01-03-18 1,500.00 28-09-17 27-06-18 0Y 1M 26D 2 22-02-18 2,24,017.54 28-09-17 27-06-18 0Y 2M 5D TOTAL 2,25,518.00

The form FCTRS was filed on June 27, 2018 with a delay ranging from 1M 26D to 2M 5D, thereby contravening the provision of Regulation 10 A (b) (i) read with paragraph 10 of Schedule I to Notification No. FEMA 20/2000-RB, in terms of which in case of transfer of shares or convertible debentures of an Indian company by way of sale from a person resident in India to a person resident outside India or vice versa, the transferor/transferee, resident in India, shall submit to the AD bank a report in the form FC-TRS specified by Reserve Bank from time to time, within 60 days from the date of receipt or payment of the amount of consideration. The onus of submission of the form FC-TRS within the specified time shall be on the transferor / transferee, resident in India. The applicant company has filed a compounding application on behalf of Mrs. Kuntal Sahni, Resident.

3. The applicant was given an opportunity for personal hearing vide email dated April 03, 2019 and April 22, 2019 for further submission in person and/or producing documents, if any, in support of application. The personal hearings took place on April 08, 2019 and April 25, 2019, during which Shri Rohan Vhora, Practising Company Secrertary and Shri Ashutosh Sakhalkar, Chartered Accountant represented the applicant in the cabin of Shri S. V. Potphode, Assistant General Manager, Foreign Exchange Department, Mumbai Regional Office. The FED, MRO, CEFA M/s Coincept Accounting Solutions Private Limited CA No. MUM 847/2019 representatives of the applicant admitted the contravention committed by the applicant for which compounding has been sought. During the personal hearing, it was submitted that there was no mala fide intention by the applicant and the contravention was inadvertent. The representatives of the applicant requested that in view of the foregoing, a lenient view may be taken in disposal of the application. The application for compounding is, therefore, being considered on the basis of the averments made in the application as well as other documents and submissions made in this context by the applicant during personal hearing and thereafter.

4. I have given my careful consideration to the documents on record and submission made by the applicant during the personal hearing. Accordingly, I hold that the applicant has contravened the FEMA provisions issued in terms of Regulation 10 A (b) (i) read with paragraph 10 of Schedule I to Notification No. FEMA 20/2000-RB. The amount of contravention is Rs.2,25,518/- (Rupees Two Lakh Twenty Five Thousand Five Hundred Eighteen Only) for a period ranging from 1 Month 26 Days to 2 Months 5 Days, approximately.

5. It has been declared in the compounding application dated February 13, 2019, that the particulars given by the applicant in the application are true and correct to the best of his knowledge and belief. It has been declared in the declaration that the applicant was not under any enquiry/ investigation/ adjudication by any agency as on the date of the application and has, in this regard, not informed of initiation of any such enquiry/investigation/ adjudication proceedings against it/him/her thereafter. It has further been declared that the applicant has not filed any appeal under section 17 or section 19 of FEMA, 1999. Accordingly, the above contraventions which are being compounded in this Order are subject to the veracity of the above declarations made by the applicant and this order is without prejudice to any other action which may be taken by any authority under the extant laws if the said declarations are subsequently discovered to be false and/or incorrect.

6. In terms of Section 13 of the FEMA, any person contravening any provision of the Act shall be liable to penalty up to thrice the sum involved in such contravention upon adjudication. However, taking into account the relevant facts and circumstances

FED, MRO, CEFA M/s Coincept Accounting Solutions Private Limited CA No. MUM 847/2019 of the case as stated in the foregoing paragraphs, I am persuaded to take a lenient view on the amount for which the contravention is to be compounded and I consider that an amount of Rs. 10,417/- (Rupees Ten Thousand Four Hundred and Seventeen Only) will meet the ends of justice.

7. Accordingly, I compound the admitted contravention namely, the contravention of Regulation 10 A (b) (i) read with paragraph 10 of Schedule I to Notification No. FEMA 20/2000-RB by the applicant on the facts discussed above in terms of the Foreign Exchange (Compounding Proceedings) Rules, 2000 on payment of an amount of Rs. 10,417/- (Rupees Ten Thousand Four Hundred and Seventeen Only) which shall be deposited by the applicant with the Reserve Bank of India, Foreign Exchange Department, 3rd Floor, Main Building, Fort, Mumbai – 400001 by a demand draft drawn in favour of the “Reserve Bank of India” and payable at “Mumbai” within a period of 15 days from the date of this order. In case of failure to deposit the compounded amount within the above mentioned period, Rule 10 of the Foreign Exchange (Compounding Proceeding) Rules, 2000 dated May 3, 2000 shall apply.

8. The above order is passed only in respect of contravention of Regulation 10 A (b) (i) read with paragraph 10 of Schedule I to Notification No. FEMA 20/2000-RB and does not restrict the right of any other authority to proceed against the Company for any other violations/contraventions noticed at any point of time. The application is disposed of accordingly. Dated: May 10, 2019 (S. V. Potphode) Assistant General Manager

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