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M/s Biotehnos Pvt Ltd

Reserve Bank Of India24 June 2019

Ratio decidendi

The rule this decision rests on

This is a compounding order by the Compounding Authority under FEMA rather than a judicial judgment resting on contested reasoning, but it does contain reasoning on which the disposal rests: the contravention of Para 2(2) of FEMA 20R (failure to issue shares or refund the inward remittance within 60/75 days) is established on the applicant's admission and the recorded delay, and the penalty is fixed by exercising discretion under Section 13 of FEMA to take a lenient view in view of the facts, including the inadvertent and unintentional nature of the delay. The compounding is made conditional on the veracity of the applicant's declarations, and the order is confined to Para 2(2) without prejudice to action on any other contravention.

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 Sunil Vinayak Potphode Assistant General Manager June 24, 2019 CA No. MUM 843/2019 In the matter of M/s Biotehnos Pvt Ltd Sanjay Park, Plot No. 31/32, S 235, Air Port Road, Lohagaon Pune - 411006 (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 February 15, 2019, received at the Reserve Bank on February 22, 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 sought to be compounded is in respect of the following Regulation/ para under Schedule 1 to Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or Issue of Security by a Person Resident outside India) Regulations 2017, notified vide Notification No FEMA 20R/2017 RB dated November 07, 2017, as amended from time to time (hereinafter refered to as FEMA 20R): Para 2(2) of FEMA 20R: Neither the equity instruments were issued, nor the money refunded to the foreign investor within 60 days/ 75 days (as applicable) from the receipt of the inward remittance

FED, MRO, CEFA, M/s Biotehnos Pvt Ltd, CA No: MUM 843/2019

2 Brief details of the applicant company are as follows: Date of Incorporation June 07, 2018 Its main activities are: Manufacture of allopathic pharmaceutical preparations

3 The applicant received foreign inward remittances from non-resident investors 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 S No/ Date of Amount Date of Regulation 13.1 Date of Para 2(2) LSF inward received reporting to (1) delay allotment delay remittance (in INR) RBI / refund (DD-MM-YY) (DD-MM-YY) (DD-MM-YY) 1 30/07/18 33,897.50 21/08/18 0 29/09/18 0Y 0M 1D LSF 472,150.00 05/09/18 LSF Paid 29/09/18 0 Paid 01/08/18 3 05/11/18 432,228.00 NA 0 04/01/19 0 TOTAL 938,276.00 4 In respect of remittance amounting to Rs.33,898 (Rupees Thirty Three Thousand Eight Hundred Ninety Eight and Zero Paise Only), indicated in the table above the company allotted shares/ refunded the amount after 60 days / 75 days (as applicable) from the date of receipt of investment, with a delay of 0Y 0M 1D.

Whereas in terms of 2(2) of Schedule 1 to FEMA 20R, an Indian company is required to issue shares or refund the amount within 60 days/75 days (as applicable) from the date of receipt of inward remittance. P 5 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 June 13, 2019. The applicant appeared for personal hearing on June 18, 2019, during which Shri Ramakrishnan Ramamurthi, Consultant and Shri Kamal Singh, Consultant represented the applicant in the cabin of Shri Sunil Vinayak Potphode, Assistant General Manager, Mumbai Regional Office. The representatives of the applicant admitted the contravention for which compounding has been sought. During the hearing it was submitted that delay was inadvertent and unintentional. 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.

FED, MRO, CEFA, M/s Biotehnos Pvt Ltd, CA No: MUM 843/2019

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 2(2) of FEMA 20R, since the shares were neither issued nor the amount was refunded to the person resident outside India within the prescribed time from the date of receipt of the inward remittance. The contravention relates to total amount of Rs.33,898 (Rupees Thirty Three Thousand Eight Hundred Ninety Eight and Zero Paise Only) with a delay of 0Y 0M 1D approximately. 7 It has been declared in the compounding application dated February 15, 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. 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.9 (Rupees Nine and Zero Paise Only) will meet the ends of justice.

9 Accordingly, I compound the admitted contravention/s namely, the contravention/s of Para 2(2) of FEMA 20R, 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. 9 (Rupees Nine 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.

FED, MRO, CEFA, M/s Biotehnos Pvt Ltd, CA No: MUM 843/2019

10 The above order is passed only in respect of contraventions of Para 2(2) of FEMA 20R 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.

11 The application is disposed of accordingly. dated: June 24, 2019 Compounding Authority (Sunil Vinayak Potphode) Assistant General Manager

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