Transfer & Transmission of Shares - Share Capital, Company Law | Company Law - B Com PDF Download

Transfer and Transmission of Shares

A. Transfer of Shares​

The shares in a company are movable property and they can be transferred in the manner provided by the articles of the company. A private company with a share capital, by its very nature as provided by Section 3(1)(iii) of the Act restricts the right of transfer in shares by its articles. Transfer of shares is less strict in a public company

In a public company, every shareholder has right to transfer his shares to any person without the consent of other shareholders subject to such express restrictions as are found in the articles of the company. A restriction on transfer of shares which is not specified in the articles is not binding on the company or the shareholders. A transfer of share is valid if it is not forbidden under the articles of the company, even if it has been made with the object of escaping liability on the shares.

Procedure for Transfer of Shares

Ordinarily, shares can be transferred by a person whose name appears in the register of members and who is the holder thereof. As per Section 109, a legal representative of a deceased member, although not a member at the time of transfer, can also transfer shares.

Shares may be transferred by executing an instrument of transfer (called the 'transfer deed'). The instrument of transfer must be in the prescribed form. Before it is signed by or on behalf of the transferor and before any entry is made therein, it shall be presented to the prescribed authority which shall stamp or otherwise endorse on it the date of presentation.

The instrument of transfer shall then be executed by the transferor and the transferee and completed in all respects. Thereafter, it shall be presented to the company for registration within the following time limits :

(i) Where the shares of the company are listed/dealt in/quoted on a recognised stock exchange, the instrument of transfer must be presented for registration at any time before the register of members is closed for the first time after the date of presentation of the instrument to the prescribed authority or within 12 months thereof, whichever is later.

(ii) In any other case, the instrument of transfer shall be presented to the company within 2 months of the date of presentation to the prescribed authority. [Section 108 (1A)]

The Central Government may, however, on application extend the period by such further time as it may think fit to avoid any hardship [Section 108 (1-D)]

When a duly executed and stamped transfer deed is delivered to the company within the prescribed time, the transfer is complete irrespective of whether the company registers it or not. But the transferee becomes a member only when the transfer is registered. Pending registration, the transferor is a trustee of the shares for the transferee. The transferor continues to be the holder of the shares until his name is struck off the register and that of the transferee substituted in its place. The transferor must pay over to the transferee any dividends or other rights which he may receive from the company after the date of the transfer deed.

The application for transfer of shares may be made either by the transferor or the transferee. In case any application is made by the transferor and relates to partly paid shares, the transfer shall not be registered unless the company gives notice of application to the transferee and the later raises no objection to the transfer within two weeks from the receipt of such notice. No such notice needs to be given where fully paid shares are transferred or where the application for the registration of transfer is made by the transferee.

In case a company refuses to register the transfer of shares, it must give notice to the transferor and the transferee within 2 months from the date of which the instrument of transfer was delivered, giving reasons for such refusal.

The transferor or the transferee may prefer an appeal to the Central Government within 2 months of the receipt of such notice of refusal. In case the notice of refusal has not been given by the company, the appeal must be filed within 4 months from the date on which the instrument of transfer was delivered to the company. On its appeal, the Central Government must give an opportunity to the company, the transferor and the transferee to make their representation before issuing any order. If the refusal of the company seems to be unjustified, the Central Government may issue an order to the company to register the transfer.

Issue of new share certificate (Sec. 113)

On the approval of the transfer, the company shall cancel the old share certificate and issue a new one made out in the name of the transferee. Normally, it is done by making an endorsement on the back of the share certificate.

The transfer when registered has retrospective effect from the time when the transfer was first made. It should be noted that the seller of the shares is not bound to procure registration. He will simply hand over to the transferee a duly executed transfer form and the share certificate or the letter of allotment.

Power of Directors to refuse transfer

Where the articles do not contain any clause, allowing the directors to reject the transfer, the shareholder may freely transfer his share and can compel the directors for registering of shares. On the other hand, if the articles contain a clause empowering the directors to reject the transfer, the directors can reject such transfer but subject to the following conditions :

(a) Power must be exercised by the directors in the interest of the company as a whole and not in the interest of a section of shareholders.

(b) For rejection, the conditions given in the articles must be followed.

(c) Refusal must be exercised within a reasonable time.

(d) Refusal must be exercised by the board and not by one of the directors.

(e) The court cannot compel the directors to supply the reasons of rejection but if supplied can examine and if inadequate can reject the order of the directors.

The following are the grounds on which the board may refuse registration of transfer :

(a) If partly paid up shares are being transferred and transferee is known to be financially incapable of paying balance calls.

(b) Where partly paid up shares are being transferred to a minor incapable of entering into a contract.

(c) When the transferor is a debtor of the company and the company has lien on such shares.

(d) When the transferor has not paid the due call money.

(e) Where the instrument of transfer is incomplete, irregular and defective and not properly stamped.

(f) On any other reasons which are just and equitable and are in the general interest of the company.

Grounds on which the company may refuse to register transfer in the case of the listed companies

The Companies Act does not specify the grounds on which the board of directors may refuse to register a transfer of shares. But after the insertion of Section 22-A in the Securities Contract (Regulation) Act, 1956, the Board of Directors of a company, the shares of which are listed on a stock exchange, can refuse to register a transfer on only one or more of the four grounds provided for in Section 22-A (3).

Thus in the case of listed securities, the absolute powers with the directors to refuse registration of transfer are no longer available. There are now only four grounds (and no other) on which transfer can be refused in the case of listed shares. The four grounds under Sec. 22-A (3) are :

(a) Where there are defects or deficiencies in the transfer deed, i.e., instrument of transfer is not proper or the certificate relating to the securities has not been delivered to the company or that any other requirement under the law relating to registration of such transfer has not been complied with. This is a technical ground on which transfer of shares can be refused.

(b) The transfer of shares is likely to result in such a change in the composition of the Board of Directors as would be prejudicial to the interests of the company or to the public interest.

(c) The transfer of shares is in contravention of any law.

(d) The transfer of shares is prohibited by any court, tribunal or other authority under any law for the time being in force.

Certification of transfer

Where a person purchases a number of shares, only one certificate of shares is issued in respect of the whole lot of shares so that when he desires to transfer a part of his shares, he is required to produce before the company his certificate of shares along with the instrument of transfer for the purpose of certification. The company then endorses on the instrument of the transfer the fact of the certificate having been lodged with the company. The company will cancel the old certificate and prepare two new share certificates to be delivered to the transferor and the transferee. This is known as the certification of transfer and is provided for in Section 112 of the Companies Act.

The certification of shares amounts to a representation by the company that the document which evidences the title to the transferor has been produced to the company. It gives neither warranty of the transferor's title nor any guarantee on the part of the company.

Forged Transfer

A forged document never has any legal effect. If a forged transfer is lodged with the company for registration, the position of the parties affected is as follows : 

(i) If the true owner has been removed from the register, he can compel the company to replace him.

(ii) If the company has issued a new certificate to the so called transferee, it can not deny his title to the shares, the certificate stops it (the company) from doing so.

(iii) The person lodging the transfer must indemnify the company against loss by forgery.

Companies normally notify the transferor of the transfer so that he can object if he wishes. The transferor is, however, under no legal obligation to reply and therefore no estoppel can be raised against the owner on his failure to reply.

Blank Transfer

A blank transfer is an instrument of transfer signed by the transferor in which the name of the transferee is not filled.

Since the name of the transferee is not filled, the shares in such cases may further be transferred merely by delivering the blank instrument of transfer. Thus, stamp duty and registration fee is saved. Only the last transferee has to bear these expenses. The results are :

(i) this helps in avoiding or reducing liability of tax thereon; and

(ii) these may act as clear security for creditors.

But blank transfer does not confer the ownership of shares on the transferee. If he wants to retain the shares, he can fill in his name and date in the transfer deed and get himself registered as shareholder. Until such registration, the original transferor continues to be the owner and remains liable for any amount remaining unpaid on the shares. Morally, he is a trustee for the dividends declared and received. But it does not confer any right on the transferee to prefer any claim against the company in the event of the transferor's failure to pay him the dividends etc.

A blank transfer, however, can remain in circulation only for 12 months after its signing by the prescribed authority or up to the time of closure of the register of members by the company, whichever is later. This provision has been made to curb the abuse of this system.

B. Transmission of shares

When a registered shareholder dies or becomes bankrupt his share are transmitted to his legal representative or the Official Assignee or Receiver, This is called transmission of shares. It takes place when a registered shareholder (a) dies or (b) becomes bankrupt.

Transmission of death : When a registered shareholder dies, his shares vest in his legal representative. If they wish, they may ask the company to register them as the holder of these shares and for this purpose no instrument of transfer is required and the company is bound to accept the probate of will or letters of administration as sufficient evidence of the title to those shares. When they are registered as the holder of these shares and their names are put on the company's register of members, they become personally liable on the shares. Thus if the shares are not fully paid, they will be liable to pay the unpaid value of the shares.

However, if the legal representatives do not wish to be registered as the holder of the shares, they may transfer them without being so registered. Section 109 enables the legal representative to transfer the shares even if he is not himself a member of the company. Thus the transfer of shares of a deceased member made by his legal representative, although the legal representative does not get himself registered as the holder of these shares, (i.e., the member of the company) is perfectly valid and the transferee acquires a good title to the shares.

Transmission on bankruptcy : If a registered shareholder is adjudged an insolvent, his shares vest in the Official Assignee or Receiver who may either get himself registered as the holder of the these shares or transfer them to another person. The Official Assignee or Receiver can also disclaim the shares if they contain liability. Usually the articles of the company contain provisions relating to the transmission of shares. Clauses 25 to 28 of Table A in Schedule I contain regulation governing the transmission of shares. If the transmission is not accepted by the company, the same remedies are available against the company as in the case of the refusal of a transfer of shares.

Distinction Between Transfer And Transmission of Shares

The following are the points of difference between transfer and transmission of shares :

(a) A transfer is a deliberate act of the holder, while transmission results by operation of law.

(b) A transfer requires an execution of an instrument of transfer, while transmission requires evidence showing the entitlement of the transferee.

(c) For the execution of transfer, stamp duty is payable, while no stamp duty is payable in case of transmission.

(d) The company charges for registering a transfer, while no charges are levied for registering a transmission.

(e) In case of transfer, the liability of the transferor ceases as soon as the transfer is complete, while in transmission, the shares continue to be subject to original liabilities.