Course5 Intelligence Privated Limited
- CitationRBI Compounding Order CA No. MUM971/2019
Ratio decidendi
The rule this decision rests on
The Compounding Authority held that an Indian company's delay in reporting receipt of foreign inward remittance for equity shares beyond the thirty-day period prescribed by para 9(1)(A) of FEMA 20 constitutes a contravention of that provision, and that its delay in filing Form FC-GPR beyond the thirty-day period prescribed by para 9(1)(B) constitutes a contravention of that provision, where the contraventions are admitted and the application for compounding is made. The Compounding Authority held that where contraventions are admitted and compounding is sought, the contravention may be compounded on payment of a sum fixed in the exercise of discretion, having regard to the relevant facts and circumstances, in lieu of the penalty that could be imposed on adjudication under section 13 of FEMA, which provides for a penalty of up to thrice the sum involved, and that such a sum is to be assessed so as to meet the ends of justice.
Written by Miss Lucy from the judgment below, not taken from a headnote.
Judgment
As delivered
Reserve Bank of India Foreign Exchange Department Mumbai Regional Office Main Building, 3rd floor Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg, Fort Mumbai 400 001 CA No. MUM971/2019 In the matter of M/s Course5 Intelligence Pvt Ltd Unit No. 201, 1st Floor, Ceejay House, Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai 400 018 (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 the compounding application dated September 30, 2019, received at the Reserve Bank on October 03, 2019, for compounding of contravention/s of the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (the FEMA) and the regulations issued thereunder. The contravention/s sought to be compounded are in respect of the following (Regulations/ paras under Schedule 1 to Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or Issue of Security by a Person Resident outside India) Regulations 2000, notified vide Notification No. FEMA 20/2000-RB dated May 3, 2000 and as amended from time to time (hereinafter referred to as FEMA 20): (i) Para 9 (1) (A) of FEMA 20: Delay in reporting receipt of foreign inward remittance towards subscription to equity (ii) Para 9 (1) (B) of FEMA 20: Delay in filing Form FC GPR to Reserve Bank after issue of shares to person resident outside India 2 Brief details of the applicant company are as follows: Date of Incorporation July 28, 2000 Its main activities are: Market research and public opinion polling.
FED, MRO, CEFA, M/s Course5 Intelligence Pvt Ltd, CA No: MUM 971/2019
3 The applicant received foreign inward remittance from non-resident investor towards equity shares / compulsorily convertible preference shares/ compulsorily convertible debentures and it reported the same to the Reserve Bank on dates as indicated below. Delay in reporting Foreign Direct Investment &/or delay in allotting the shares/ refunding the amount (whereas, "Y" represents delay in number of years, "M" represents delay in number of months and "D" represents delay in number of days, and LSF stands for : Late Submission Fees Sr. Date of Amount received Date of Delay in Date of Delay in No/ inward (in INR) reporting to reporting allotment allotment LSF remittanc RBI Foreign / refund or refund e Investment (DD-MM-YY) (DD-MM-YY) (DD-MM-YY) 1 11-04-07 111,29,316.00 22-06-07 0Y 1M 11D NA NA TOTAL 111,29,316.00 In terms of Para 9 (1) (A) of FEMA 20, an Indian company issuing equity shares/ compulsorily convertible debentures/compulsorily convertible preference shares in accordance with these Regulations should report to the Reserve Bank of India as per the prescribed procedure not later than 30 days from the date of receipt of the amount of consideration. However the applicant reported receipt of remittance to the Reserve Bank of India on date indicated above with a delay of 0Y 1M 11D.
4 The company allotted equity shares/compulsorily convertible preference shares/compulsorily convertible debentures and filed FC-GPRs as indicated below:
Delay in filing Form FCGPR (whereas, "Y" represents delay in number of years, "M" represents delay in number of months and "D" represents delay in number of days, LSF stands for : Late Submission Fees, IP stands for Issue Price and FV stands for Face Value Sr. Date of Number of IP (FV+ Amount (IP*no Date of Delay in no/ allotment shares premium) of shares) reporting filing LSF (in INR) (in INR) FCGPR (DD-MM-YY) (DD-MM-YY)
1 30-03-07 291667 37.00 107,91,679.00 29-06-07 0Y 1M 29D 2 27-03-12 1458335 10.00 145,83,350.00 13-09-16 4Y 4M 17D TOTAL 253,75,029.00 The applicant filed form FC-GPRs as indicated above with a delay ranging from 0Y 1M 29D to 4Y 4M 17D. Whereas, in terms of Para 9(1) (B) of FEMA 20, an Indian company issuing shares in accordance with these Regulations has to submit to RBI a report in Form FC-GPR along with documents prescribed therein within 30 days from the date of issue of shares to Non Resident.
FED, MRO, CEFA, M/s Course5 Intelligence Pvt Ltd, CA No: MUM 971/2019
5 The applicant was given an opportunity for personal hearing, for further submission in person and/or for producing documents, if any, in support of the application vide e-mail dated December 12, 2019. The applicant appeared for personal hearing on December 18, 2019, during which Mr Srirang Mahabhagwat, Mr Deepesh Joishar, Authorised Representatives of the Company and Ms Khushbu Shah, Consultant represented the applicant in the office of the Compounding Authority. The representatives of the applicant admitted the contraventions for which compounding has been sought. During the hearing by the Compounding Authority the representative of the applicant submitted that the delay was inadvertant and unintentional. They 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. 6 I have given my careful consideration to the documents on record and submissions made by the applicant during the personal hearing and thereafter. Accordingly, I hold that the applicant has contravened the following FEMA provisions issued in terms of: (i) Para 9 (1) (A) of FEMA 20, due to the delay in reporting of receipt of foreign inward remittance towards subscription towards shares as detailed above. The contravention relates to total amount of Rs.111,29,316/- (Rupees One Crore Eleven Lakh Twenty Nine Thousand Three Hundred Sixteen and Zero Paise Only) with a delay of 0Y 1M 11D approximately. (ii) Para 9 (1) (B) of FEMA 20, due to the delay in submission of Form FC-GPR to the Reserve Bank after issue of shares to persons resident outside India and the contravention relates to total amount of Rs.253,75,029/- (Rupees Two Crore Fifty Three Lakh Seventy Five Thousand Twenty Nine and Zero Paise Only) and with a delay ranging from minimum 0Y 1M 29D to maximum 4Y 4M 17D approximately.
7 It has been declared in the compounding application dated September 30, 2019 that the particulars given by the applicant in the application are true and correct to the best of their/his/her knowledge and belief. It has also been declared in a declaration attached to the compounding application 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.
FED, MRO, CEFA, M/s Course5 Intelligence Pvt Ltd, CA No: MUM 971/2019
8 In terms of Section 13 of the FEMA, any person contravening any provision of the Act shall be liable to a penalty up to thrice the sum involved in such contravention upon adjudication. However, taking into account the relevant facts and circumstances of the case as stated in the foregoing paragraphs, I am persuaded to take a lenient view on the amount for which the contraventions are to be compounded and I consider that an amount of Rs.2,57,500/- (Rupees Two Lakh Fifty Seven Thousand Five Hundred and Zero Paise Only) will meet the ends of justice. 9 Accordingly, I compound the admitted contravention/s namely, the contravention/s of Para 9 (1) (A) of FEMA 20 and Para 9 (1) (B) of FEMA 20, 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. 2,57,500/- (Rupees Two Lakh Fifty Seven Thousand Five Hundred and Zero Paise Only) which shall be deposited by the applicant with the Reserve Bank of India, Foreign Exchange Department, Mumbai Regional Office, Main Building, 3rd floor, Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg, 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 Proceedings) Rules, 2000 dated May 3, 2000 shall apply. 10 The above order is passed only in respect of contraventions of Para 9 (1) (A) of FEMA 20 and Para 9 (1) (B) of FEMA 20 and does not restrict the rights of any other authority to proceed against the Company for any other violations/contraventions noticed at any point of time.
11 The application is disposed of accordingly.
(Aviral Jain) Chief General Manager and Compounding Authority Dated: December 20, 2019
FED, MRO, CEFA, M/s Course5 Intelligence Pvt Ltd, CA No: MUM 971/2019
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