Part II of the article discusses the Indian legal position on attorney-client privilege as well as best practices during internal investigations and for work-from home setups.
Legal Privilege and Covid-19 – Part I
Part I discuses the concept of attorney-client privilege, work product doctrine and the legal position in the US and the UK.
Legal privilege and attorney work product
The legal privilege or attorney-client privilege is often regarded as the crown jewel of the legal profession. It provides protection from disclosure of communications between a client and an attorney made for the purpose of seeking legal advice.
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New CSR Regime – Is it a philanthropy or a tax levy?
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (“MCA”), Govt of India, notified the amendments to Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 (“the Act”), (dealing with CSR contribution), by the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2019 (“2019 Amendment”), and the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2020 (“2020 Amendment”), on January 22, 2021. The MCA has also notified the Companies (CSR Policy) Amendment Rules, 2021 (“new CSR Rules”), which has made some fundamental changes to the CSR Rules, 2014.
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New disclosure obligation in Financial Statements for companies holding cryptocurrencies – Are Regulators testing waters?
Context
India is witnessing a rapid increase in the number of crypto exchanges as well as cryptocurrency transactions. As per publicly available data, the average daily cryptocurrency trading volumes across the top Indian exchanges have grown nearly 500% from March 2020 to December 2020. Globally, countries such as Switzerland, Singapore and the US have been pro-active in undertaking cryptocurrency transactions, and simultaneously creating a robust regulatory framework for the same. In fact, investors from these countries have also been investing in Indian cryptocurrency exchanges.
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Supreme Court on Section 482 CrPC – Have the inherent powers of High Courts been diluted?
Recently, in Neeharika Infrastructure Private Limited v. State of Maharashtra[1] (“Neeharika Infrastructure”) a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court (“SC”) pronounced a detailed judgment on the powers of the High Court (“HC”), while adjudicating a petition for quashing of the FIR – filed under Section 482 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (“Section 482 CrPC”) and Article 226 of the Constitution of India.Continue Reading Supreme Court on Section 482 CrPC – Have the inherent powers of High Courts been diluted?
New Remuneration Regime for Independent Directors- Will It help in attracting better talent on the boards of India Inc?
Recently, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (‘MCA’) has notified the amendments made to Sections 149(9) and 197(3) of the Companies Act, 2013 (‘2013 Act’) by the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2020 (‘2020 Amendment’) -to enable companies faced with absence or inadequacy of profits to pay certain minimum guaranteed remuneration to Non-Executive Directors (‘NEDs’) and Independent Directors (‘IDs’), as may be prescribed. On the same day, the MCA also issued a Notification to amend Schedule V of the 2013 Act to prescribe the scale of remuneration which can be paid to NEDs and IDs, depending on the effective capital of the company.
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Computation of ‘net profits’ for Managerial Remuneration – Has this provision outlived its utility?
Introduction
Section 198 of the Companies Act, 2013 (‘2013 Act’), prescribes a special method for computation of ‘net profits’ of a company in a financial year — which has different rules for arriving at net profit than the one prescribed under Accounting Standards.
The special methodology for computation of net profits prescribed under Section 198 is used for two purposes – (i) for determining managerial remuneration under Section 197 and Schedule V; and (ii) for determining the minimum CSR amount to be spent by the company in a financial year, under Section 135(5) of the 2013 Act.
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Cross-border ESOP Structures
Employee stock options (“ESOPs”) have been used as an effective retention tool globally. Cross-border ESOP structures can be considered by a variety of global businesses with existing Indian presence and by investors that propose to set up greenfield presence or acquire operating businesses in India. Moreover, Indian companies can also issue ESOPs to employees of their foreign holding, subsidiary or joint venture companies. This article discusses various cross-border ESOP structures and identifies key considerations arising under Indian corporate, foreign exchange and taxation laws.
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Evidentiary value of Parliamentary Committee Reports
In Kalpana Mehta v Union of India (‘Kalpana Mehta judgment’)[1], a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court (‘SC’) pronounced a detailed judgment on whether Courts can place reliance on the Report of a Parliamentary Standing Committee (‘PSC’). The SC also examined whether the factual observations made in a PSC Report can be contested or challenged by the parties, during a judicial proceeding.
This decision arose from a referral order issued by a two-judge bench of the SC. The two-judge bench took the view that this was a ‘substantial question of law’ – that should be adjudicated by a Constitution Bench in accordance with Article 145(3) of the Constitution. While the Constitution Bench took a unanimous view, three separate concurring opinions were issued by Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Dr. D Y Chandrachud and Justice Ashok Bhushan.
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Minimum Interest Rates on loans to foreign WOS – Need for Review
Inter-corporate loans granted by a company are regulated under Section 186 of the Companies Act, 2013 (‘2013 Act’). One important pre-condition relates to the interest rate thresholds prescribed under sub-section (7). Section 186(7) of the Act states that – “No loan shall be given under this Section at a rate of interest lower than the prevailing yield of one-year, three-year, five-year or ten-year Government Security closest to the tenor of the loan.”
Section 186(7) effectively prevents a company from giving an inter-corporate loan at a rate of interest lower than the prescribed thresholds, i.e. the prevailing yield of one-year, three-year, five-year or ten-year government security closest to the tenor of the loan. This leads to multiple practical difficulties, especially in situations where a holding company wishes to provide funds to its foreign wholly owned subsidiaries (‘WOS’).
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