Important elements of Mergers and Acquisitions in India
Important elements of Mergers and Acquisitions in India
- Mergers and acquisitions are manifestations of an inorganic growth process. While mergers can be defined to mean unification of two players into a single entity, acquisitions are situations where one player buys out the other to combine the bought entity with itself. It may be in form of a purchase, where one business buys another or a management buy out, where the management buys the business from its owners. Further, demergers, i.c., division of a single entity into two or more entities also require being recognized and treated on par with mergers and acquisitions regime as recommended below, and accordingly references below to mergers and acquisitions also is intended to cover de-mergers (with the law & Rules as framed duly catering to the same).
- The process of mergers and acquisitions in India is court driven, long drawn and hence problematic. The process may be initiated through common agreements between the two parties, but that is not sufficient to provide a legal cover to it. The sanction of the High Court is required for bringing it into effect. The Companies Act, 2013 consolidates provisions relating to mergers and acquisitions and other related issues of compromises, arrangements and reconstructions, however other provisions of the Companies Act get attracted at different times and in each case of merger and acquisition and the procedure remains far from simple. The Central Government has a role to play in this process and it acts through an Official Liquidator (OL) or the Regional Director of the Ministry of Company Affairs. The entire process has to be to the satisfaction of the Court. This sometimes results in delays.
- The Committee was of the view that contractual mergers may be given statutory recognition the Company Law, India and practice in many other countries. Such mergers and acquisitions through contract form (i.e. without court intervention), could be made subject to subsequent approval of shareholders by ordinary majority. This would eliminate obstructions to mergers and acquisitions, ex-post facto protection and ability to rectify would be available.
- At present, in case of a proposed scheme for amalgamation of company which is being dissolved without winding up, the law requires a report from the Official Liquidator (OL) or Registrar of Companies (ROC) that the affairs of company have not been conducted in a manner prejudicial to the interest of its members or to public interest. The Act also requires that no order for dissolution of any transfer or company shall be made by the Court unless the OL makes a report to the Court that the affairs of the company have not been conducted in a manner prejudicial to the interest of its members or to public interest. The Committee felt that the above two requirements under the present law can be covered by issuing notices to ROC and OL respectively; who may file before the Court, information that may have a bearing on the proposed merger. There is no requirement of a separate information in response to the notice to be filed for the purpose. Filing of such report may be time-bound, beyond which it may be presumed that ROC/OL concerned have no comments to offer.
- The Committee while discussing this aspect in detail, also took into account the Shroff Committee Report on “Valuation of Corporate Assets and Shares” during the course of its deliberation on the subject and took the view that valuation of the shares of companies involved in schemes of mergers should be made mandatory in respect of such companies. It was also recommended that such valuation should be carried out by independent registered valuers rather than by Court appointed valuers. The law should lay out the exception, if any, to the mandatory valuation requirements. The law should also recognize valuation of incorporeal property. Valuation standards may also be developed on the lines of International Valuation Standards’ issued by the International Valuation Standards Committee. The valuation should be transparent so that the aggrieved person may get an opportunity to challenge the same before Court/Tribunal. Benchmarking of valuation techniques and Peer Review Mechanism for Valuers should also be provided for.
- The Committee discussed with concern, the differential stamp duty regime prevalent in different States, which inhibits merger and acquisition activity. It has been an order of a court sanctioning a compromise/ arrangement under the Companies Act, 2013 that be stampable as a “conveyance” at the rates applicable to such entry in the various state Stamp Acts.
- The Concept Paper on Company Law (2004) contemplates that an order of the scheme of merger will be effective only if a certified copy of the order of the Court is filed with the Registrar and duly registered. The Committee felt that it should be enough if the company complies with the filing requirement with the Registrar of Companies as is presently provided, to make the scheme effective.
- The Committee also felt that a separate electronic registry should be constituted for filing schemes under the Companies Act. Instead of filing the schemes with the Registration Offices wherever the properties of the company are located, filing the scheme with the electronic registry should be considered sufficient compliance. This however, could raise jurisdictional issues vis-à-vis Stamp Duties applicable which may be resolved by an appropriate Constitutional amendment to enable a uniform, reasonably priced Stamp Duty regime across the country. Further, there must also be a provision in the Company Law for compulsory registration with the electronic registry of all property of a company above a certain value. This will simplify the mutation procedure subsequent to scheme of arrangement between two or more companies. The Committee took the view that enabling uniformity and overall reduction of Stamp Duties applicable in pursuance of mergers, demergers, amalgamations or schemes of reconstruction, takeover would be desirable as competition requires cost reduction and Indian firms need to be competitive in restructuring exercise in the global context.
- The Committee examined issues relating to the merger of listed company with an unlisted company and vice-versa. It was felt that the Act needs to provide specifically that de-listing through a scheme of merger under section 391-394 of the Companies Act is possible by merging a listed company with an unlisted company. However, such a process should enable a safety net or a clear exit option for the public shareholders of the listed company. Similarly, if substantial assets are moved out of a listed company in the case of de-merger, a safety net/exit option needs to be provided to the public shareholders and the residual company needs to be de-listed (in case more than 90% of the public shareholders exercise such option).
- The existing Law requires that a scheme for merger and/ or any arrangement should be approved by a majority in number representing also 3/4th in value of shareholders/creditors present and voting. The requirement of majority in number does not serve any useful purpose considering that value is simultaneously being considered as a criterion. Besides, international practice recognizes value as the determining factor and does not appear to impose such additional conditions. The Committee is, therefore, of the view that this requirement, in Indian law, may also be modified to provide only for approval by 3/4th in value of shareholders and creditors, present and voting.
- Under the present scheme of Act, the manner of holding of the meetings of the creditors and shareholders as also dispensing with the same is left to the discretion of the courts. However, different courts follow different procedures. The Committee feels that there is a need for uniformity in this regard and recommends that rules may be formulated under the Act to cover this aspect, including dispensing of the requirement to hold such meetings.
- The Committee examined the view that quite frequently shareholders/creditors with insignificant stake raise objections to schemes of merger/acquisition and the process of dealing with such objection becomes vexatious. After a detailed discussion, the Committee recommended that while protection of minority interest should be recognized under the law, only shareholders/creditors having significant stake at a level to be prescribed under law should have the right to object to any scheme of mergers. The philosophy behind such a move would be to streamline the procedure of articulation of the minority interest while restricting obstructionist attitude on the part of any section of minority.
- The Reserve Bank of India has specific tools for fast track debt restructuring known as the CDR Mechanism (Corporate Debt Restructuring Mechanism). It is often seen that sometimes even though 75% of the secured creditors consent to the debt restructuring and make significant sacrifices, minority secured creditors or unsecured creditors put a spoke through the wheel. As a result, such schemes that would otherwise enable the return of the corporate to viable operation, get delayed or scuttled.
- Appropriate remedies for misstatement and the ability to revoke such an order with punishment for any misstatement would be an adequate safeguard for false misstatement. The unsecured creditors are subsequent in the queue and without the consent of the secured creditors and their debt restructuring, they would have no hope to receive their dues. However, to safeguard their interests and to ensure the continuity of the company’s functioning, the scheme must satisfy a minimum liquidity test and should have provisions for a security pool either made available by the secured creditor as cash availability or by the promoter to progress the scheme of restructuring.
- The Committee recommended that the need to file a separate scheme for reduction of capital simultaneously the scheme for merger and acquisition should be avoided. The provisions relating to obtaining consent from unsecured creditors should be done away with. To ensure continuity of the existence of transferee company/resulting company, the Committee felt the need to mandate requirement of a satisfactory liquidity test and prescribed debt equity norms. The creditors consent may be necessary only in case of companies not meeting the liquidity test.
Amalgamation in public interest
- In order to facilitate and encourage merger and acquisition activities, it is recommended that the fees paid by the transferor company on the authorized share capital should be available as a set off to the transferee company upon the sanction of the scheme of amalgamation by the High Court. This principle should apply both in respect of merger and demerger cases.
- The Companies Act, 2013 provides for vesting of assets and liabilities of the transfer or company in the transferee company upon the sanction of the scheme of amalgamation by the High Court. Since the section does not contain a non-obstante clause, it creates immense practical difficulties in actual transfer of the various properties/assets of the transfer or company into the transferee company.
- It is therefore recommended that a non-obstante provision be introduced in the relevant provisions of the law to ensure that the assets and liabilities of the transferor company absolutely vest in the transferee company notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any other law for the time being in force. This would ensure that the transferee company is not subjected to cumbersome formalities for the transfer of assets and liabilities in its own name.
Important links
- Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)- Meaning, Documentation & Process
- Motivation leading to Mergers & Acquisition
- Business Valuation in Mergers and Acquisitions and its Financing
- Professional Management- Functions, Objectives, Responsibility
- Role of Professional Management in Corporate Sector
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