Restrictions as to payment of dividend

Section 15 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 deals with restrictions as to payment of dividend. ] No banking company shall pay any dividend on its shares until all its capitalised expenses (including preliminary expenses, organisation expenses, share-selling commission, brokerage, amounts of losses incurred and any other item of expenditure not represented by tangible assets) have been complet The Act came into force on 16 Mar 1949.

¹[(1)] No banking company shall pay any dividend on its shares until all its capitalised expenses (including preliminary expenses, organisation expenses, share-selling commission, brokerage, amounts of losses incurred and any other item of expenditure not represented by tangible assets) have been completely written off.

²[(2) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in sub- section (1) or in the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956), a banking company may pay dividends on its shares without writing off--

(i) the depreciation, if any, in the value of its investments in approved securities in any case where such depreciation has not actually been capitalised or otherwise accounted for as a loss;

(ii) the depreciation, if any, in the value of its investments in shares, debentures or bonds (other than approved securities) in any case where adequate provision for such depreciation has been made to the satisfaction of the auditor of the banking company;

(iii) the bad debts, if any, in any case where adequate provision for such debts has been made to the satisfaction of the auditor of the banking company.]

Section 15, The Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (Act 10 of 1949).