As expected, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) started responding to this complex situation and giving some respite to Listed Companies through its first Circular dated March 19, 2020. Subsequently, several circulars have been issued extending dates for meeting compliance requirements. Relaxations provided by SEBI to Listed Companies are mainly in respect of complying with various obligations under SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure) Regulations, 2015 (SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015) and circulars issued thereunder.

Common and Regular Compliance Obligations:

SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015 envisages that a Listed Company complies with various requirements such as the appointment of Share Transfer Agent for maintaining share transfer facility or maintaining such functions in-house. Listed Companies are required to send statements giving the number of investor complaints pending at the beginning of a quarter, those received during a quarter, disposed of during a quarter and those remaining unresolved at the end of a quarter to the recognized stock exchange. The compliances of this nature which are common and regular in nature are given more time to comply with. Similarly, compliance requirements regarding certificate for share transfer facility, statements of investor complaints, a certificate from practicing company secretary on the timely issue of share certificate, Corporate Governance Report and Shareholding pattern which were supposed to be submitted by April 2020 are given an extension of time until May 2020. 

SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015 also envisages that the Listed Companies are required to submit an annual Secretarial Audit Report along with its Annual Report. The SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015 also require submission of financial reports on a quarterly and annual basis to Stock Exchanges where they have listed their equity shares. In respect to the Secretarial Compliance Report and Financial Results, timelines were extended from May 2020 to June 30, 2020.

As we can observe from the above extension as of the date of March 19, 2020, the extensions have given a breathing time of nearly 45 days to Listed Companies.

Board Meetings, Committee Meetings and Annual General Meetings (AGM):

A Listed Company, in addition to regular compliances, is also required to hold four board meetings in a year with a maximum time gap of one hundred and twenty days (120) between two meetings. The condition that there should not be a time gap of 120 days between two Board meetings or Audit Committee meetings was also relaxed to an extent. If a Board meeting is held or proposed to be held between December 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020, then the relaxation from 120 days rule would be available to such listed companies. A similar rule is also made applicable for a Listed Company for holding Audit Committee meetings as they assist the Board to hold the mandated four meetings in a year. If the Audit Committee meeting is held or proposed to be held between December 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020, then 120 days rule would not be applicable between two Audit Committee meetings. But it is important to note that there are no exemptions from holding a minimum number of Board Meetings or Audit Committee meetings, which are four in a year.

In addition to Audit Committee, a listed company has various committees such as the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, Stakeholders Relationship Committee, and Risk Management Committee to serve the Board of Listed Company in order to carry on its functions. These Committees are required to hold a meeting at least once in a year. Time for conducting these Committee meetings such as Nomination and Remuneration Committee, Stakeholders Relationship Committee, and Risk Management Committee were extended up to June 30, 2020, vide Circular dated March 26, 2020.

Regulation 44 of the SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015 has put in place a higher expectation for top 100 Listed Companies by market capitalization in respect to holding of AGM and live one-way webcasting of proceedings of AGM. It requires them to hold AGM within a period of 5 months from the date of closing of the financial year. These top 100 Listed Companies shall be determined based on market capitalization as at the end of the immediate previous financial year. Accordingly, these companies need to hold their AGMs before May 31, 2020, or August 31, 2020, depending on the financial year followed i.e. Financial Year either ending on December 31, 2019, or March 31, 2020. This requirement is relaxed and time is extended up to September 30, 2020 to hold AGM.

Issuance of Debt Securities to Public or Post Disclosures:

A Listed Company intending to issue debt securities to the public is required to comply with SEBI (Issue and Listing of Debt Securities) Regulations, 2008 and Circulars issued thereunder. In this regard one of the requirements is to submit audited financials that are no older than 6 months.  As though in line with the relaxation given for holding Board Meetings, vide Circular dated March 23, 2020, the requirements for Listed Companies intending to issue debt to the public were given exemption from submitting audited financials which are not older than 6 months and allowed them to do a public issue of debt by submitting unaudited financials with a limited review for such period.

Additionally, vide Circular dated March 23, 2020, relaxations were provided to Listed Companies which have already issued debt with respect to disclosures to be made by them. Timelines for making disclosures regarding financial results and disclosures to be made by large corporates were extended up to June 30, 2020.

Relaxations under Takeover Code:

SEBI had also relaxed disclosure to be made under Regulations 30(1), 30(2) and 31(4) of the SEBI (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations, 2011. Regulations 30(1) and 30(2) contemplate disclosures regarding shareholding in a Listed Company on an Annual basis by promoters or shareholders holding 25% or more of the voting rights in the Listed Company. Similarly, under Regulation 31(4), promoters are also required to make a declaration that no encumbrance on shares held by them, other than that already disclosed is made by them. The disclosures which had to be made by March 31, 2020, maybe made before June 30, 2020. SEBI in its Circular dated March 27, 2020, has noted that travel restrictions and various other logistical challenges as reasons for granting such relaxations.

Relaxations Regarding Newspaper Publications:

SEBI has mandated publication of notification of Board Meetings, financial results notice to shareholders etc. in ‘Newspaper’ as per regulation 47 of the SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015. These publications seem to be made in order to disseminate information to especially those investors not having access to electronic mode and to enable the investors to make an informed decision on their investments. SEBI seems to have provided relaxation to publish in newspapers for events till May 15, 2020, in order to balance the interest of investors and compliance by Listed Companies. SEBI has also extended similar relaxations to Listed Companies which need to comply with regulation 52(8) of the SEBI(LODR) Regulations, 2015. Regulation 52(8) of SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015 requires Listed Companies that have listed NCDs or NCRPS to make similar “Newspaper” publications.

Postponing Implementation of Enforcement Mechanism:

More importantly, as a move to enforce the SEBI(LODR) Regulations, 2015, the penalty mechanism had been rationalized under the Circular dated January 22, 2020. SEBI has now decided to postpone the implementation of the Circular that provided for the imposition of stringent fines with respect to violations of SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2020 until June 30, 2020. However, the Listed Companies should note that earlier Circular dated May 3, 2018, regarding penal provisions for violation of SEBI(LODR) Regulations, 2015 is still valid.

Miscellaneous Relaxations:

Vide Circular dated April 17, 2020, SEBI has also granted the following exemptions to Listed Companies.

1. Penalty attracted for delayed reporting of share certificates and the issue of duplicate certificates from March 01, 2020, to May 31, 2020, under Circular dated May 3, 2018, is exempted.

2020. The obligation of prior intimation of Board Meetings required under Regulation 29 (2) to Stock Exchanges is reduced to 2 days from 5 days for meetings considering financial results. This exemption would be available for board meetings held till July 31, 2020, from the date of Circular i.e. March 27, 2020.

2020. Submissions that are allowed to be made to stock exchanges under SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2020 may be done using digital signature certifications until June 30, 2020.

Conclusion:

As is evident from the above discussion, relaxations have been provided to Listed Companies with respect to timelines pertaining to common obligations, debt issues, meetings, disclosures, publication in newspapers, promoting digitalization by allowing Digital Signature Certificates and immunity from penalties arising under SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015.

Although these relaxations seem to be a calibrated attempt to help Listed Companies comply in difficult times, it cannot be denied that it would adversely affect investor’s interests. The regulatory body seems to be doing a balancing act between the needs of Listed Companies and the interest of investors.  

However, as uncertainties around the cure of the COVID 19 Pandemic continue, it is not clear if these exemptions would be extended for further time. Nonetheless, it is felt that SEBI should embrace digitalization and extend filings to be made using Digital Signature Certificates beyond June 30, 2020, which is largely the case with other regulatory bodies.