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8/19/2019 Order in the matter of M/s.Peers Allied Corporation Ltd
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WTM/PS/187/CIS-NRO/MAR/2015
BEFORE THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE BOARD OF INDIACORAM: PRASHANT SARAN, WHOLE TIME MEMBER
ORDER
Under Sections 11(1), 11(4) and 11B of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act,1992 read with Regulation 65 of the SEBI (Collective Investment Schemes) Regulations,1999
In the matter of Peers Allied Corporation Limited
In respect of:1.
Peers Allied Corporation Limited [PAN: AAECP5032C]2.
Mr. Durga Prasad Dubey [PAN: AIYPD6009L],3. Mr. Anup Aggarwal [PAN: AFVPA8971N],4.
Mr. Ashish Kumar Tripathi [PAN: AGEPT4844K],
5.
Ms. Indu Dubey [PAN: AKYDP8151B],6.
Ms. Manju Upadhyay [PAN: AAZPU1224F],7. Mr. Alok Kumar Tripathi [PAN: AEUPT1819A],8. Mr. Sadhu Sharan Upadhyay [PAN: AAZPU1225E],9. Mr. Sandeep Kumar Mishra [PAN: AXHPM2750M] and10. Mr. Ajay Kumar Pandey [PAN: AXLPP7767R]
Date of Hearing: February 10, 2015 and May 25, 2015 Appearances: Mr. Sandeep Kumar Mishra, Director; Mr. Durga Prasad Dubey, Director;
Mr. Nishat Alam, Manager; Mr. Prakash Shah, Advocate; Raj Kumar,Chartered Accountant and Mr. Sanjay Tiwari appeared for the Companyand its directors.
For SEBI: Ms. Anitha Anoop, Deputy General Manager; Mr. Pradeep Kumar, Assistant General Manager; Mr. T. Vinay Rajneesh, Assistant GeneralManager; Ms. Kanchan Yadav, Manager
Date of Hearing: July 14, 2015 Appearances: Mr. Alok Kumar Tripathi, Director; Mr. Ashish Kumar Tripathi, Director;
Mr. Manish Kumar, Company SecretaryFor SEBI: Ms. Anitha Anoop, Deputy General Manager and Mr. Pradeep Kumar,
Assistant General Manager
Date of Hearings: August 07, 2015, January 07, 2016 and January 19, 2016; None
appeared for the directors namely Mr. Alok Kumar Tripathi and Mr. Ashish Kumar Tripathi
1. Securities and Exchange Board of India (hereinafter referred to as ‘SEBI’) conducted a
preliminary inquiry in the ‘investment scheme’ of one Peers Allied Corporation Limited
(hereinafter referred to as ‘the Company’ or ‘Peers’ ). Pursuant to the inquiry, SEBI vide
an ex-parte interim Order dated April 23, 2014 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the interim order’),
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4. The Company vide its letter dated May 19, 2014, while submitting the new address of the
registered office of the Company replied to the interim order and requested for stay of the
proceedings. Later the Company vide its letter dated May 24, 2014 and August 11, 2014,
requested time for filing a detailed reply to the interim order and asked for the copies of
the documents relied upon by SEBI while passing of the interim order. Accordingly, SEBI, vide letter dated September 17, 2014, afforded an opportunity of inspection of documents
to the noticees on September 22, 2014. The Company vide its letter dated September 20,
2014, requested for rescheduling of the date of inspection. The request of the Company
was acceded to and the date was rescheduled to October 13, 2014. The Company vide its
e-mail dated October 07, 2014, again requested for rescheduling of the date. The date of
inspection was later fixed for October 15, 2014, when the inspection of the relied upon
documents was conducted. The Company was provided with the copies of the brochure
and the complaints received by SEBI.
5. Thereafter, an opportunity of personal hearing was afforded to the Company on January
16, 2015 and the same was communicated to the noticees vide SEBI letter dated December
26, 2014. The noticees vide email dated January 06, 2015 through one R.K. Chhabra &
Co., Chartered Accountants requested for an adjournment. The request of the noticees
was acceded to and another opportunity of personal hearing was granted on February 10,
2015. On such date, the noticee namely Mr. Sandeep Kumar Mishra appeared along with
Mr. Prakash Shah, Advocate; Mr. Raj Kumar, Chartered Accountant; Mr. Nishat Alam
and made oral submissions. The noticees vide letter dated August 11, 2014, submitted the
list of land available with the Company along with the area and sample allotment letter and
the option-wise list of persons who paid money as advance against the plot booking.
During the course of personal hearing, the noticees were asked to submit the complete
case file/ set of documents of all the customers who had been allotted/ sold the land at
Sikanderpur, Pargana- Koda, Tehsil- Bindaki, Distt. Fatehpur, U.P. on the total area of
2,87,737 sq. ft. (as per the ‘lay out map’) (starting with the respective application forms,respective agreements, respective details of payment made/ installment receipts,
respective allotment letters, respective sale deeds, respective possession letters, etc.) and
demarcate and identify the plot on the ‘lay out map’ for all such customers. The noticees
were also asked to provide the copies of all the sale deeds executed by it in favour of its
customers, within a period of three weeks.
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6. The Company vide its letter dated March 10, 2015, submitted the following:
a. Copy of the layout map of land at R.N. No. 591 at Village – Sikanderpur, Pargana -Koda,
Tehsil- Bindaki, Distt. Fatehpur, U.P. comprising of the total area of 2,87,737 sq. ft.
b. Copy of 2 sale deeds executed by the Company in favour of its two customers namely Mr.
Vinod Kumar and Mr. Sachin Kumar Gupta along with the respective application form,respective registration letter, customer ledger, respective allotment letter, letter of the
Company to the customers for registration of the land and letter from the customers to
the Company requesting for registration of the land.
c.
Copies of documents of investors who were allotted land at R.N. No. 591 at Village –
Sikanderpur Pargana - Koda, Tehsil- Bindaki, Distt. Fatehpur, U.P. including the
respective application form, registration letter, payment receipt, allotment letter, letter of
the Company to the customers for registration of the land, reply of the customers,
calculation sheet (for repurchase of developed plot) and copy of cheque of repayment
amount.
7. Thereafter, one more opportunity of personal hearing was granted to the noticees on May
15, 2015, which was later rescheduled to May 25, 2015. On such date, the noticees namely
Mr. Sandeep Kumar Mishra and Mr. Durga Prasad Dubey appeared along with Mr.
Prakash Shah, Advocate and Mr. Sanjay Tiwari and made oral submissions. The following
documents were also submitted during the course of personal hearing:
a. Details of the directors (including the persons named as directors in the interim order and
the present directors),
b. Copy of the resolution dated February 02, 2015, passed in the meeting of the board of
Directors of the Company,
c. Copy of the first page of the Memorandum of Association of the Company,
d.
Informal guidance of SEBI dated May 05, 2014, in the matter of Purvankara Projects
Limited.
The documents submitted by the noticees were taken on record and the hearing wasconcluded.
8. In the meantime, the noticees namely Mr. Alok Kumar Tripathi and Mr. Ashish Kumar
Tripathi vide respective letters both dated May 25, 2015, submitted the reply to the interim
order and requested for the complete details of the proceedings and an opportunity of
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9. The submissions of the noticees in brief are as under:
a. Peers vide its letter dated May 19, 2014, May 24, 2014 and August 11, 2014 submitted as
under:
The Company is engaged in the business of procuring and developing agriculture land.
It had received funds from the public for the purpose of developing plots of land only
under two options i.e. ‘Installment based plan’ and ‘Single installment plan’.
The Company has not floated any scheme after 2010 and has no program for
introduction of any investment scheme henceforth without due approvals from all the
authorities concerned. It has not accepted any deposit from its members after March 31,
2010, except the already existing renewals.
The Company had not illegally mobilised funds or had started the schemes of
investments. The Company had certain internal differences amongst the directors and
the board of directors had decided to repay the entire amount to its customers as soonas possible and had started repaying to its members.
The Company had collected funds from the members who were part and parcel of the
Company.
The interim order has been passed without giving an opportunity of being heard.
The contributions/ payments made by the persons against the plot booking was mostly
accepted after identifying the plot/ land with a right of its development. The Company
has not unilaterally changed the location of the land/ plot allotted to the customer.
The Company provided for a ‘safety net’ in order to protect the capital investment of
the customers i.e. if they desire to surrender the plot/ land within a stipulated time,
return calculated on fixed interest basis is provided by the Company. The customer had
the option to hold the plot or to surrender it.
The business of the Company is conducted like a joint venture whereby all the customers
regularly participated in various activities and the schemes thereby knowing the exact
status of their investment in the Company. The customers on the basis of the individual
capacity and needs, were involved in the day-to-day operation and management of the
Company, to protect their own interest/ capital.
b. The noticees namely Mr. Alok Tripathi and Mr. Ashish Kumar Tripathi vide separate letters
both dated May 25, 2015, had submitted as under:
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They are neither related/ connected/ associated with the Board of Directors of the
Company nor are they associated with the management of affairs / business plans and
policies / decisions related with day to day or overall management of the Company.
They have ceased to be the members of the Company by operation of law and had made
requests to the members of the board of the Company to file the necessary forms/
documents regarding the resignation, disassociation and cessation from the board by
operation of law. However, the Company and the existing board of directors never filed
the required papers of their cessation.
Later, they personally filed the forms/ documents related to their cessation.
The directors namely Mr. Durga Prasad Dubey, Ms. Indu Dubey, Mr. Sadhu Sharan, Ms.
Manju Upadhyay, Mr. Sandeep Kumar Mishra, Mr. Ajay Kumar Pandey, Mr. Shailesh
Kumar Upadhyay and Mr. Vishwambher Nath Dubey are operating, managing and
controlling the overall affairs of the Company and they have full control over the assets
(fixed and current) and funds (cash, liquid money, etc.) of the Company.
10. While proceeding further with the matter, I have considered the interim order cum show
cause notice, the replies received along with the documents submitted and the material
available on record. The interim order has alleged that the plans/ schemes operated by the
Company are in the nature of CIS and that the Company was offering these plans/
schemes without obtaining the registration from SEBI, in contravention of the provisions
of Section 12(1B) of the SEBI Act and Regulation 3 of the CIS Regulations read with
Section 11AA of the SEBI Act. The directors of Peers were also alleged to be responsible
for the illegal conduct of the business of the Company. The interim order has noted the
features of the alleged scheme offered by the Company. The following are the
observations from the interim order:
“a) Peers (CIN No. U70109DL2008PLC172452) was incorporated on January 9, 2008and has its registered office at New Delhi. Mr. Durga Prasad Dubey, Mr. Anup Aggarwal, Mr Ashish Kumar Tripathi , Ms Indu Dubey, Ms Manju Upadhyay, Mr Alok Tripathi, Mr SadhuSharan, Mr. Sandeep Kumar Mishra , and Mr. Ajay Kumar Pandey are the present Directors ofPeers.b) Main objectives of Peers are inter alia to carry on business of procuring agricultural or wasteland, developing the said land, growing of saplings, or other crops over the land, construction overthe land for value addition and leasing of the land along with various other objects. Peers has offeredvarious plans/ schemes for the "purchase and development/ maintenance of land" (hereinafterreferred to as "the scheme") for growing agricultural produce through its "Brochures" circulated tothe public.
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c) The contribution or investment to the "Scheme" is made by a "customer"/investor as per the“Payment Schedule(s)”, which differ on the basis of monetary payment either through “InstalmentPayment Plan” or “Single Instalment Payment Plan”. An "estimate of the approximate value"/estimated realizable value at the end of the term is also indicated in the “Payment Schedule(s)” .The "schemes"/plans offered by Peers are for periods ranging 36 months, 48 months & 60 months.…”
a.
I note that the plans of the Company can broadly be categorized as ‘Installment basedplan’ and ‘Single installment plan’. It is seen from the ‘brochure’ of the Company that
under the head ‘installment based plan’, the Company had various other plans for different
periods i.e. for 36 months, for 48 months, for 60 months, etc. A sample of the plans
offered by the Company as also noted in the interim order are as under:
Installment Based Plan (For 60 months)Size of plot
sq. yards
Deposit Amount Approx.
INSTALMENT PAYMENT Companies Estimateof the Approximate
value
Accidentalrisk
coverageMonthly Quarterly Half Yearly Yearly
60 20 10 5
150 7,500 126 377 751 1,500 10,763 11,250300 15,000 252 753 1,502 3,000 21,525 22,500450 22,500 378 1,129 2,257 4,500 32,288 33,750600 30,000 502 1,505 3,009 6,000 43,050 45,000750 37,500 629 1,882 3,761 7,500 53,813 56,250900 45,000 755 2,258 4,512 9,000 64,575 67,5001050 52,500 881 2,634 5,263 10,500 75,338 78,0001800 90,000 1,507 4,510 9,014 18,000 1,29,150 1,25,000
Single Installment Plan Size of plotSq. yards)
Consideration
Estimate of the approx. value after development at the end of the agreement
3 Yrs. 4 Yrs. 5 Yrs 6 Yrs. 7 Yrs. 8 Yrs 10 Yrs.
20 1,000 1,345 1,540 1,780 2,050 2,295 2,560 3,75040 2,000 2,690 3,080 3,560 4,100 4,590 5,120 7,500100 5,000 6,725 7,700 8,900 10,250 11,475 12,800 18,750200 10,000 13,450 15,400 17,800 20,500 22,950 25,600 37,500400 20,000 26,900 30,800 35,600 41,000 45,900 51,200 75,000500 25,000 33,625 38,500 44,500 51,250 57,375 64,000 93,7501000 50,000 67,250 77,000 89,000 1,02,500 1,14,750 1,28,000 1,87,5002000 1,00,000 1,34,500 1,54,000 1,78,000 2,05,000 2,29,500 2,56,000 3,75,000
b. For subscribing to the plans of the Company, a customer had to submit an ‘application
form’. The ‘application form’ reads as ‘I here by apply to you for purchase of plot(s) and development
and maintenance to the sa me under your Single Instalment Payment Plans/ Instalment Based Plans …’.
From the same, it is noted that the development was an integral part of the plan of the
Company and a customer cannot enter into an agreement with the Company unless he/
she gives the development rights to it. The relevant clauses of the ‘application form’ are as
under:
“… 2. The land shall be allotted in the name of Customer, in the case of Single Installments PaymentsPlans, after receipt of full payment within a reasonable period generally no exceeding 270 days,
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and in the case of Installment Based Plans, within a reasonable period generally, not exceeding 90days. Subject to forgoing, the land ownership would be ordinary transferred in the name of thecustomer within a reasonable period after allotment.3. In case of Installment Base Plans, If customer makes a default by not paying one or moreinstallment(s) for a period of 9 consecutive months from the due date, such default shall be treatedas Breach of Agreement.…
5. Under single Instalment Payment Plans the Customer(s) has the facility to opt out before theallotment of said property in his/ her favour. This option can be exercised by the customer(s) bysubmitting a specific written request to Peers Allied Corporation Ltd. to that effect. The paymentreceived under said plan be refundable immediately to customer(s) after deducting 10% ofConsideration comprising various costs and other incidental expenses and … … 9. The Customer shall be owner in possession of the said property at all time. Peers AlliedCorporation Ltd. shall enter upon the said property only for the limited purpose or rendering, theservice of development and maintenance of the said property as per the terms of the agreementbetween the customer and Peers Allied Corporation Ltd. in that regard. Peers Allied CorporationLtd. Peers Allied Corporation Ltd. shall have no rights whatsoever over the said property as a
manager/ tenant nor shall Peers Allied Corporation Ltd. be deemed to be manager/ tenant.10. Cost of Plot includes the cost of land, development charges, other inputs, saplings, plants, trees,crops, planting expenses maintenance and other miscellaneous expenses.11. The customer has the right to retain or sell the said property, as he/ she may deem fit, onexpiry of the tenure of this Agreement. To facilities easy liquidity, Peers Allied Corporation Ltd. provides to Customer(s) the marketing service for sale of developed plots. Customer intending toavail Peers Allied Corporation Ltd. Marketing Service For selling/ disposing off his/ her saiddevelop property shall submit an application in writing at least 180 days before the expiry of theterm authorizing company to sell his/ her said develop property at such price as may mutually beagreed upon. This may be noted that company provides such marketing services at the end of thetenure of is agreement. The payment of such sale consideration amount to customer is linked withtransfer of ownership of the said developed property in favour of any body(ies), corporate unit
person(s) as the case may be.… 13. The management of Peers Allied Corporation Ltd. reserve the right to discontinue/ change/amend/ modify or after prospectively any of the rules/ regulations and plans and introduce new plans any times at its sole discretion with or without any notice.14. In case of joint sale deeds, the title deeds pertaining to the sale of the said property shall bekept in the safe custody of Trustee(s) appointed by Peers Allied Corporation Ltd. for the purpose. A certified copy of the said title deed, issued by the sub-registrar or by a public notary , as may be feasible or practicable, shall be made available to the Customer (First Applicant only in case of joint applicants) by the said trustee(s). The name and address to Trustee(s) shall be informed tothe Customer (First Applicant only in case of joint applicant) by the letter of Allotment. The
Customer shall have the liberty to verify the tile deed at the office of Trustee(s) during the normalworking hours on any working day, after furnishing a formal written request therefore 15 days inadvance.…”
c.
Another document is ‘agreement’. The relevant clauses of the same are as under:
“…
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Whereas Peers Allied Corporation Ltd. organizes the sale of agricultural land of different size, to prospective buyers and undertakes the development and maintenance of the same.Whereas PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. is in the process of making arrangements/ hasmade arrangements for purchasing/ producing the land, forming part of various plans launched byPEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. with clear and marketable titles. AND WHEREAS the CUSTOMER, by means of an Application, which is the basis of theagreement and which contains the salient terms and conditions of the various plans, has/ have
expressed his/ her/ their desire of buying the said agriculture land. AND WHEREAS theCUSTOMER has/ have requested PEERS ALLIED CORPORATION LTD. toarrange for the sale of the said agricultural land (hereinafter referred to as the SAIDPROPERTY) in his/ her /their favour, and to develop and maintain the same by renderingvarious services in accordance with the said Plan. AND WHEREAS PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. has agreed to arrange for sale of theSAID PROPERTY in favour of the CUSTOMER, and to develop and maintain the same byrendering various services as aforesaid.
1. SALE OF PLOTSThe customer shall be entitled for allotment of said property, and subsequent transfer of title and
possession of the same in his favour by means of registered sale deed, within such period, afterreceipt, by PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD., of full consideration in case of Single InstallmentPayment Plans/ 50% of the consideration in case of Installment Based Plans, as have been setout in terms and conditions contained in the Application Form. Since fragmentation into smallersize of Plot(s) lands may not be practicable, feasible or permissible under the relevant Revenuelaws, the CUSTOMER shall have the requisite share along with other allotees/ transferees in a particulars piece of land, PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. shall execute/ procure executionand Registration of sale deeds/ deeds ensuring the title and interest of allottees/ transferees in the joint holdings with other registration of the relevant sale deed so as to enable PEERS ALLIEDCORP. LTD. to implement this agreement during the relevant period, in the matter contemplatedherein below. The right title and interest of the Customer to the land herein demised, shall remaininviolate, subject to the reciprocal rights and obligations of the customer herein and PEERS
ALLIED CORP. LTD.
2. PRELIMNARY WORK(a) WHEREAS PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. shall carry out the preliminary work byconducting the survey, demarcation, clearing and their other related jobs/ work on behalf of theCUSTOMER.(b) WHEREAS PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD or its nominee shall procure and installborewells, open wells and other water points and install motors, pump, sets, irrigation and main pipelines, electrical installations and temporary sheds/ structure subject to the terms and conditionslaid down elsewhere in the Agreement.
3. DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCEWHEREAS PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD shall have the right to develop and maintainthe SAID PROPERTY in consultation with Agro Consultants and experts, andCUSTOMER shall not ordinarily interfere, with the method and mode of development andmaintenance of the SAID PROPERTY, including survey denigration, fencing, clearing,cultivation, planting and raising crops, trees, plants, saplings etc. use of fertilizers and pesticides,irrigation, harvesting and all other activities allied or incidental thereto. The customer shall have
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the right to tender suggestion in regard to the development and maintenance of the SAIDPROPERTY.
4. CONSIDERATIONThe customer shall pay, in aggregate, sum of Rs. … Rupees … only) as per payment schedule ofPlan opted for by him towards consideration for the acquisition, sale development and maintenanceof the aforesaid property by PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. and for such other allied expenses
as may be allocable, apportionable or appropriable to the SAID PROPERTY.
5. POSSESSIONThe Customer shall be owner in possession of the said property at all times. PEERS ALLIEDCORP. LTD SHALL enter upon the said property only for the limited purposes of renderingthe services of development and maintenance of the said property as per the terms of the agreementbetween the customer and PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD in the regard PEERS ALLIEDCORP. LTD. shall have no rights whatsoever over the said property as a manager/ tenant norshall PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD be deemed to be manager/ tenant. The overall securityof the said property shall, however, be the responsibility of PEERS ALLIED COPR. LTDonly till the expiry of the period of plan opted for by the CUSTOMER.
6. IRRIGATION SYSTEMPEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. shall provided such irrigation system, as it may deemappropriate, which shall be part of the overall irrigation system of plans, depending upon the natureof soil, crop pattern of the SAID PROPERTY.
7. FERTILIZATIONPEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. upon planting the saplings, plants, crops, trees etc. over theaforesaid property, shall apply necessary fertilizers, pesticides etc. as it may deem appropriate.… 9. SALE OF PRODUCEUnless specifically directed by the Customer, PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. shall be
responsible for arranging the sale of the produce, if any, out of SAID PROPERTY, on behalf ofthe CUSTOMER, for the purpose of arranging the sale of produce as aforesaid PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. shall have the sole discretion to decide as to whether the produce shallbe sold to the wholesale market and/ or to semi-wholesale market, and/ or to one or moremarketing company of PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD., or may decide to sell it to any othermarket which PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. may consider appropriate for the sale of a particular grade of the produce.… 12. CUSTOMER’S OWNERHSIP OF PROPERTY The CUSTOMER shall be the absolute owner in possession of the said property and saplings, plants, trees, crops, thereon, and the produce out of it, as set out in clause 11. The CUSTOMER
shall not have any claim over common facilities provided by PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD.such as irrigation, pipelines, drainage system and electrical lines, etc. …
13. LAND TAX AND PUBLIC DUESPEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. shall pay the and other public dues/levies, payable in respectto the SAID PROPERTY to the appropriate authorities for and on behalf of the CUSTOMERand PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. shall be entitled to get the same reimbursed from theCUSTOMER.
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15. WASTAGEBoth PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. and the CUSTOMER agree that in the process ofarranging for the sale of the products if any; pursuant to the aforesaid Clause 9, there will normallybe percenajed of wastage at that time of harvesting, grading and handling before the delivery / sale.PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. shall keep such percentage of wastage at such nominal levelsas practicable and this shall be applicable to every harvest in general without any reference to the
produce harvested.… 21. OPTING OUTThis facility is available only under single Installment Payment Plans before the allotment ofSAID PROPERTY in favour of CUSTOMER(S). Under this scheme, CUSTOMER canexercise his option to opt of plan, on his submission of a specific written request to PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. to that effect. The payments received under the said Plan shall berefundable immediately to CUSTOMER after deduction 10% of Consideration comprisingvarious costs and other incidental expenses and shall be subject to the following terms andconditions ….
22. FAILURE/REFUSAL TO COMPLETE NECESSARYFORMALITIESIf CUSTOMER after duly subscribing to any Plan of PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. fails or refuses to submit necessary documents, paper, photographs/to complete the necessary formalities and execute the documents required for the purpose of effective transfer and maintenanceof the SAID PROPERTY by PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. the same shall be construedas case of opting out, in the event of, such failure or refusal, PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD.shall be entitled to invoke the terms of the aforesaid clause 21, and appropriate 10% ofConsideration, comprising various costs and incidental expenses. PEERS ALLIED CORP.LTD. shall give 60 days’ notice to the concerned CUSTOMER for compliance before his case istreated as a case of Opting out and dealt with accordingly.
23. AGREEMENT PERIODThe parties to the Agreement clearly understand that all the provisions in this agreement, pertainingto the rights and obligations of the parties subsequent to the registration of the SAIDPROPERTY shall become operative only after the actual registration of the said property, andthat this Agreement shall stand automatically terminated upon the expiry of the period of Planopted for by the CUSTOMER, and after such termination PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD.shall hand over possession of the said developed property to all the customer and shall have no rightswhatsoever over the said property. …
24. SALE OF DEVELOPED PROPERTYThe CUSTOMER has the right to retain or sell the SAID PROPERTY, as he/ she may
deem fit, on expiry of the tenure of this agreement. To facilities easy liquidity, PEERS ALLIEDCORP. LTD. provides to Customer(s) the marketing service for sale of developed plots. In caseof CUSTOMER decided to avail of PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. afforested services,he/she must notify PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. to the effect atleast 180 days beforeexpiry of period of the agreement. The sale can be made only at the end of the tenure of this Agreement at such price which may be mutually agreed between the parties. Customer intending toavail PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. ‘Marketing Service’ for selling/ disposing off his/ hersaid developed property shall submit an application in writing at least 180 days before the expiry
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of the term authorizing company to sell his/ her said developed property such price as may mutuallybe agreed upon. …
27. CUSTODY OF TITLE DEEDSIn case of joint sale deeds, the title deeds pertaining to the sale of the SAID PROPERTY shallbe kept in the safe custody of Trustee(s) appointed by PEERS ALLIED CORP. LTD. forthis purpose. A certified copy of the said title deed, issued by the sub-registrar or by public notary,
as may be feasible or practicable shall be made available to the CUSTOMER (first Applicantonly in case of joint applicants) by the said Trustee(s). The name and address of Trustee(s) shallbe informed to the CUSTOMER (First Applicant only in case of joint applicants) by the letterof Allotment. The CUSTOMER shall have the liberty to verify the title deed of the office ofTrustee(s) during the normal working hours on any working day after furnishing a formal writtentherefore 15 days in advance.…”
d.
The next document is the ‘Registration Letter’. The same contains the space for
registration number, date of commencement, payment plans number and term,
consideration, plot size, date of expiry of the agreement, nominee details, instalmentamount, estimated value to be realised, etc. The ‘Registration Letter’ reads as under:
“In response to your application, we are pleased to inform you that you have been registered forthe PLOT(S) booked by you as per details furnished hereunder. The terms of booking andallotment shall be governed by the terms of Agreement and General Terms and Conditions printed overleaf .”
e. Another document is the ‘Letter of Allotment of Plot(s)’. I have perused the sample
‘Letter of Allotment of Plot(s)’ and note that the same contains the space for details of the
plot allotted. The relevant part of the ‘Letter of Allotment of Plot(s) is as under:
“... Peers reserves the right to change the location of this allotment, and allot you an alternate siteat any other place. The Sale Deed in respect of Plot(s), allotted to you, Shall be executed andregistered shortly.Upon registration the original title deeds shall be handed over to the custodial services company,Peers Allied Corp. Limited, having its registered office at … which shall be holding the same intrust. A certified copy of the registered sale deed shall be supplied to you by the said custodialservices company. You shall have the right to verify to the original title deeds on any during thenormal working hours, after sending a formal request in writing 15 days in advance.… A sum of Rs.20000 Twenty Thousand Only Paid by you to PEERS under Cash DownPayment Plan no. SIP – 06 – 05 Has now been appropriated by PEERS towards the conditionwhich are to be met in procuring the said property and conveying it to you, developing the same, planting the required saplings, plants, trees, crops etc. Management fees and other ancillaryexpenses incidental there to.”
f. I note that on February 10, 2015, during the course of personal hearing, the noticees had
submitted that the Company had executed sale deeds in favour of its customers. In this
regard, the noticees were asked to provide the copies of all the sale deeds executed in
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favour of the customers. In reply, the Company vide its letter dated March 10, 2015,
submitted only two sale deeds executed in favour of its customers. I have considered the
list of plot holders as submitted by the Company (consisting of only two plot holders
namely Mr. Vinod Kumar and Mr. Sachin Kumar Gupta) and the documents attached
with such list i.e. application form, registration letter, letter of allotment, ledger, sale deeds,
etc. of both the customers. The analysis of the same is as under:
i. As per the list of customers, Mr. Vinod Kumar had applied for the plot on September
30, 2008, for an area admeasuring 400 sq.ft. for a consideration of ₹20,000. It is seen
that the plot was allotted to him on November 15, 2010 (i.e. after more than 500
days) and the allotment number was PAN0000174. The plot number allotted to him
was B-3.
In this regard, I have seen the documents of this customer and note the following:
-
The registration letter mentions the ‘estimated value to be realised’ as₹
41,000.- The ‘letter of allotment’ bears no date and mentions the date of application as
November 15, 2010.
- The details of the land as noted from the ‘letter of allotment’ are Khasra No. –
Gata No. 591, Plot No. PAN0000174, Village- Sikandarpur, Tehsil- Koda,
District- Fatehpur, State- Uttar Pradesh.
-
It is important to note that the number ‘PAN0000174’ only signifies the allotment
number and not the plot number, as argued by the Company.
-
The ‘plot no. B-3’ as noted in the list of the customers was never communicated
to Mr. Vinod Kumar.
- The Company vide its letter dated May 09, 2013 (titled as IOM-05), while referring
to the allotment date i.e. November 15, 2010 had intimated Mr. Vinod Kumar
about the plot being ready for the execution of sale deed. The letter also states that
in case the customer is not willing to execute the sale deed, then at the end of the
term of the agreement the customer will be provided with the ‘estimated value to
be realised’ as mentioned on the ‘registration letter’. -
The sale deed mentions the reason for the sale of plot as requirement of funds.
Further, the sale deed finds mentions of the receipt of ₹40,000 on the date of
execution of sale deed. Whereas the customer had admittedly paid only ₹20,000
on September 30, 2008.
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- The sale deed mentions the area of plot sold to Mr. Vinod Kumar as ‘38 sq. meter’.
The description of the plot as per the sale deed is: East- road; West- 20 ft. wide
road; North- plot of Sachin; South: plot of seller.
These details do not match with the lay-out map provided by the Company for the
land bearing Khasra No. – Gata No. 591, Plot No. PAN0000174, Village-
Sikandarpur, Tehsil- Koda, District- Fatehpur, State- Uttar Pradesh. As per the
lay-out map, the description of plot number B-3 is: East- plot no. 72; West- 20 ft.
road; North- plot no. 4; South: plot no. 2.
- Further, the signature of Mr. Vinod Kumar on the application form, request for
plot registration and the sale deed are apparently different and do not match.
ii. Second customer is Mr. Sachin Kumar Gupta in whose favour the Company had
executed the sale deed. As per the list of customers, Mr. Sachin Kumar Gupta had
made eight applications for land measuring 100 sq.ft. each on March 31, 2008 and
May 31, 2008. The plots were allotted to him on November 15, 2010 (i.e. after more
than 450 days) and the allotment numbers were PAN0000104, PAN0000105,
PAN0000106, PAN0000107, PAN0000108, PAN0000109, PAN0000116 and
PAN0000117. The plot number allotted to him were B-1 and B-2. On examination
of the documents for this customer, the observations are as under:
- The eight registration letters mentions the ‘estimated value to be realised’ as
₹10,000 each.-
The ‘letter of allotment’ bears no date.
- The details of the land as noted from the respective ‘letter of allotment’ are Khasra
No. – Gata No. 591, Plot No. PAN0000104, Village- Sikandarpur, Tehsil- Koda,
District- Fatehpur, State- Uttar Pradesh. The other plot numbers are
PAN0000105, PAN0000106, PAN0000107, PAN0000108, PAN0000109,
PAN0000116 and PAN0000117.
-
As noted earlier, the number ‘PAN0000104’ only signifies the allotment number
and not the plot number.
-
The ‘plot no. B-1 and B-2’ as noted in the list of the customers were never
communicated to Mr. Sachin Kumar Gupta.
-
The sale deed mentions the reason for the sale of plot as being more than the
requirement and to fulfil the needs of the Company. It has also been said that the
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buyer i.e. Mr. Sachin Kumar Gupta has offered the best price of the plot. Further,
the sale deed finds mention of the receipt of ₹80,000 in cash on the date of
execution of sale deed. Whereas the customer had admittedly paid only ₹40,000
for eight applications on March 31, 2008.
-
The sale deed mentions the area of plot sold to Mr. Sachin Kumar Gupta as ‘75
sq. meter’. The description of the plot as per the sale deed is: East- 20 ft. wide
road; West - farm of Ajay Kumar; North - plot of seller; South: plot of seller.
These details do not match with the lay-out map provided by the Company for the
land bearing Khasra No. – Gata No. 591, Village - Sikandarpur, Tehsil- Koda,
District- Fatehpur, State- Uttar Pradesh. As per the lay-out map, the description
of plot number B-1 and 2 are: East- plot no. 73 and 74; West- 20 ft. road; North -
plot no. 3; South: 20 ft. road.
I note that the Company has executed only two (2) sale deeds for its two customers out
of its total customer base of 9,346. Peers vide letter dated August 11, 2014 had submitted
that it had mobilised ₹14,03,05,709 from 9,346 customers.
g. I have also considered the other sample documents submitted by the Company for its
customers. From the same, it is noted that the customers who had chosen to get the refund
at the end of the term, has received the ‘estimated value’ as mentioned in the ‘registration
letter’. On sample basis, I have seen the document of one Ms. Manju who had paid₹
20,000on July 31, 2008 to the Company for a plot measuring 400 sq.yds. The ‘letter of allotment’
issued to her indicates the application date as November 15, 2010 and allotment of a plot
measuring 400 sq.ft. The document indicates the plot number as ‘PAN0000127’. Peers in
its letter dated May 09, 2013 (i.e. IOM-05), has referred the said number i.e. PAN0000127
as ‘allotment no.’ and not as plot number. The allotment date has been mentioned as
November 15, 2010 (i.e. after 800 days of making application). Vide the said letter i.e. May
09, 2013, the Company has asked the customer regarding the option to get the plot
registered or get the refund. Ms. Manju vide her undated letter (pre-printed with blanks to
be filled) requested the Company to refund the amount as per the terms of the Company.
It is noted that the Company refunded ₹41,000 (i.e. an amount equivalent to the ‘estimated
v alue to be realised’ as indicated in the ‘registration letter’) to Ms. Manju.
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11. Considering the discussion on the documents submitted by the Company, the following
are my findings:
a.
The allotment of the plot is solely at the discretion of the Company as the ‘application
form’ does not give an option to the customer to specify the location/ details of the land
they wish to apply for. The ‘application form’/ ‘registration letter’ does not provide the
location of the land where the plot will be allotted to the customers.
b. The Company allots the land much after the time specified in the application form.
c. The plot of land is not identified in the ‘application form’ and ‘registration certificate’
which are the primary documents. However, the ‘registration certificate’ indicates the
estimated value to be realised.
d.
The ‘letter of allotment’ mentions the plot numbers as ‘PAN000…’. However, such plot
numbers do not match with the lay-out plan as submitted by the Company. Therefore, it
can be said that the ‘letter of allotment’ only indicates the location where the plot is allottedand not the unique/ identifiable plot. The plot description mentioned under the field ‘plot
no.’ is the allotment no. given to the customer. Further, no proper demarcation/ map is
given with the ‘letter of allotment’ in order to identify the plot/ land.
e.
The customer does not come to know about the exact plot details till the execution of the
sale deed (only two sale deeds have been executed by the Company out of its total 9,346
customers). The two sale deeds executed by the Company are miniscule, when compared
to the total number of its customers i.e. 9,346 customers.
f.
The consideration for the plot in the executed sale deeds (two in numbers) were almost
similar to the ‘estimated value to be realised’ at the end of the term of agreement.
g. The ‘agreement’ and ‘application form’ states that as the fragmentation of land/ plot
into smaller sizes may not be practical/ feasible/ permissible under the relevant
revenue laws, the customer shall have the requisite share along with other allotees/
transferees in a particular piece of land.
h.
From the details of the plans operated by Peers, it is seen that the costs of all the plots
offered by the Company are same. The value of each piece of land usually varies according
to location, however, the schemes operated by Peers suggests that the land was being sold
as a homogeneous commodity at a fixed price.
i. Further, the cost of the plot had included the cost of land, development charges, other
inputs, saplings, plants, trees, etc. However, the executed sale deeds (where the sale deed
has been executed) does not provide details of any development/ landscaping/
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maintenance and the same only speaks of payment of consideration on the date of
execution of sale deed.
j.
From the letters issued by the Company (i.e. IOM-05) asking its customers to indicate
whether the customer would want to register the land in his name indicates only the area
of the plot and the allotment number. The same does not specify the plot number allotted
to the customer. The said letter of the Company also states that in case the customer is
not willing to execute the sale deed, then at the end of the term of the agreement the
customer will be provided with the ‘estimated value to be realised’ as mentioned on the
‘registration letter’.
k. Peers has extended the facility of 'opting out' only to the customers who had made the
investment under the 'single installment plan'.
l. The customer though stated to be an absolute owner of the land and in exclusive
possession of the land sold to him, he is not entitled to carry out any activity on the landallotted to him, as the right of development and maintenance is exclusively retained by the
Company.
m. The Company has submitted the details of its total land bank as 6,67,000 sq.ft. Considering
the total of customers i.e. 9,346, each customer is eligible for only 71.26 sq.ft. (i.e.
6,67,000/ 9,346) of land.
n.
The Company has not submitted the complete set of documents as the copy of the
agreement has not been placed on record.
12. Having discussed the above, now I proceed to test the characteristics of the impugned
plans/ schemes floated and carried on by the Company. For concluding whether a scheme
is a CIS or not, all the four conditions under Section 11AA(2) of the SEBI Act should be
satisfied.
i. The first condition is that the contributions, or payments made by the investors, by whatever name
called, are pooled and utilized for the purposes of the scheme or arrangement . In this regard, I note
that:- Admittedly the Company accepts the money from the investors/ customers for
subscribing to one of its plans offered for the purchase of plot. The customers by way
of an application apply for the purchase of land. The Company takes the contribution/
investments of the customers in accordance with its plans/ schemes for the purchase
of plot.
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- At the stage of ‘application form’ and ‘agreement’, the Company does not identify the
land to be sold to the customer. As discussed in the earlier paragraphs, the Company
had promised to allot the plot under the ‘single installment plan’ within a reasonable
period generally not exceeding 270 days. As regards, the ‘installment based plan’, the
plot had to be allotted within reasonable period generally not exceeding 90 days after
the receipt of 50% of the total amount.
- Further, the 'agreement' states that the Company is in process of ‘making
arrangements/ had made arrangements for purchasing/ procuring the land', the same
suggests that the Company till the date of agreement only makes arrangements for
purchasing/ procuring the land.
- The ‘registration letter’ issued by the Company also does not identify the plot and the
same only provides for the size of the plot and the ‘estimated value to be realised’ of
the plot which is yet to be allotted.
The Company in its replies has argued that the contributions/ payments made by the
customer were mostly accepted after identifying the plot/ land. This argument is contrary
to the clauses of the agreement wherein it has been said that ‘Whereas PEERS ALLIED
CORP. LTD. is in the process of making arrangements/ has made arrangements for purchasing/
producing the land …’ . The same suggests that till the stage of accepting application and
execution of agreement the Company had only made arrangements for purchasing the
land. The same is also confirmed from the finding that the Company has a total land bankof only 6,67,000 sq.ft. for its admitted customer base of 9,346 customer. A simple
calculation shows that the Company has only 71.26 sq.ft. land for its existing customers
whereas the minimum offered area of land as per the plans is 100 sq.ft.
These facts show that the Company pools the investment made by the customers, with an
aim/ object of carrying out the overall plan/ scheme. One can safely conclude that the
'contributions, or payments made by the investors, are pooled and utilised by the Company
for the purposes of the scheme or arrangement', the scheme being to accept
contributions/ payments in the name of sale of plot/ land. Thus, satisfying the first
condition as stipulated in Section 11AA(2)(i) of the SEBI Act.
ii. The second condition is that the contributions or payments are made to such scheme or arrangement
by the investors with a view to receive profits, income, produce or property, whether movable or immovable
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from such scheme or arrangement . The brochure of the Company provides for the ‘estimate
value’ at the end of the term and the ‘accidental risk coverage’ on the investment made.
The same shows that the investment/ contributions were made by the customers/
investors with a view to earn profits. The ‘registration letter’ issued by the Company also
mentions the ‘estimated value to be realised’ on the investment made.
The Company has argued that the ‘estimated value to be realised’ acts as a ‘safety net’ in
order to protect the capital investment of the customers. This argument of the Company
is also without merits as the ‘estimated value to be realised’ has been provided in the
‘registration letter’ i.e. before the issuance of allotment letter/ identifying the plot/ land.
From the above, it is clear that the customers/ investors had made the contribution/
payment to the Company with a view of earning profits/ income/ property/ return on
the initial investments that may accrue to them as applicable, thus attracting the second
condition as stipulated in Section 11AA(2)(ii) of the SEBI Act.
iii. The third and fourth conditions under Section 11AA(2) of the SEBI Act are being
discussed together. The said conditions are that the property, contribution or investment forming
part of scheme or arrangement, whether identifiable or not, is managed on behalf of the investors and the
investors do not have day to day control over the management and operation of the scheme or arrangement .
In relation to the same, I note as under
- The customer investing with the Company is mandatorily required to give authority
for the development and maintenance of the plot in favour of Peers, as development
is an integral part of the plan of the Company.
- As per the terms and conditions in the ‘application form’, after allotment of land, Peers
shall have the right to enter into the property allotted to the customer.
- The clauses in the ‘agreement’ states that the Company shall carryout the preliminary
work on behalf of the customer hints that the plot/ land was not managed by the
customers, at any stage of the scheme.
- The Company obtains the unconditional authority from its customers for developing
and maintaining the plot intended to be purchased by the customers. In view of the
same, it can be said that the customer does not manage his investments in the scheme
rather his investments are managed and utilized by Peers at its discretion.
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Considering the discussion above, it can be concluded that the plans/ schemes of the
Company satisfies the third and fourth conditions under Section 11AA (2) of the SEBI
Act also.
13. From the arrangement which the Company has with its customers, it is evident that the
Company solicits investments from its customers in its scheme of purchase of plot/ land.In this regard, I place my reliance on the following observations of the Hon ’ble Supreme
Court, made in the matter of PGF Limited & Ors. Vs. Union of India & Anrs. (Civil Appeal
No. 6572 of 2004)
“……….. sub -section (2) of Section 11 AA, which defines a collective investment schemedisclose that it is not restricted to any particular commercial activity such as in a shop or any othercommercial establishment or even agricultural operation or transportation or shipping orentertainment industry etc. The definition only seeks to ascertain and identify any scheme orarrangement, irrespective of the nature of business, which attracts investors to invest their funds at
the instance of someone else who comes forward to promote such scheme or arrangement in any field and such scheme or arrangement provides for the various consequences to result there from.”
The scheme of the Company in taking monies from the investors and promising ‘estimated
value to be realised’ at the end of the contract would definitely fall within the ambit of
Section 11AA of the SEBI Act as held by the Hon’ble Supreme Court. It is also to be
noted that Section 11AA mentions the activities that are exempted from its operation. In
this regard, the following observations of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in of PGF Limited
& Ors. Vs. Union of India & Anrs. ( supra ) is relevant to be noted:
“ A reading of sub-Section (3) of Section 11AA also throws some light on this aspect, wherein itis provided that those institutions and schemes governed by sub-clause (i) to (viii) of sub-Section(3) of Section 11AA will not fall under the definition of collective investment scheme. ...........Therefore, by specifically stipulating the various ingredients for bringing any scheme or arrangementunder the definition of collective investment scheme as stipulated under sub- Section (2) of Section11AA, when the Parliament specifically carved out such of those schemes or arrangements governed by other statutes to be excluded from the operation of Section 11AA, one can easilyvisualize that the purport of the enactment was to ensure that no one who seeks to collect and dealwith the monies of any other individual under the guise of providing a fantastic return or profit orany other benefit does not indulge in such transactions with any ulterior motive of defrauding suchinnocent investors and that having regard to the mode and manner of operation of such business
activities announced, those who seek to promote such schemes are brought within the control of aneffective State machinery in order to ensure proper working of such schemes.”
I note that the activities of the Company are not exempted under the clauses under Section
11AA(3) of the SEBI Act. Further, as all the four conditions specified under Section
11AA(2) of the SEBI Act are satisfied in the present facts of the case, the schemes/ plans
promoted, launched, carried on and operated by the Company are in the nature of CIS in
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terms of Section 11AA(1). While proceeding further, I once again place my reliance on the
observations of the Hon'ble Supreme Court, made in the matter of PGF Limited & Ors.
Vs. Union of India & Anrs. ( supra ):
“42. … ... .. as per the agreement between the customer and the PGF Limited, it is the responsibility ofthe PGF Limited to carry out the developmental activity in the land and thereby the PGFLimited undertook to manage the scheme/arrangement on behalf of the customers. Having regardto the location of the lands sold in units to the customers, which are located in different states whilethe customers are stated to be from different parts of the country it is well-neigh possible for thecustomers to have day to day control over the management and operation of thescheme/arrangement. In these circumstances, the conclusion of the Division Bench in holding thatthe nature of activity of the PGF Limited under the guise of sale and development of agriculturalland did fall under the definition of collective investment scheme under Section 2(ba) read alongwith Section 11AA of the SEBI Act was perfectly justified and hence, we do not find any flawin the said conclusion.... ....53. … therefore, hold that Section 11AA of the SEBI Act is constitutionally valid. We also
hold that the activity of … the sale and development of agricultural land squarely falls within thedefinition of collective investment scheme under Section 2(ba) read along with Section 11AA (ii)of the SEBI Act ...”
Therefore, having concluded that the activities of the Company are CIS in terms of Section
11AA of the SEBI Act, I proceed further with the matter.
14.
Section 12(1B) of the SEBI Act mandates that no person, shall sponsor or cause to be
sponsored or carry on or caused to be carried on any CIS unless it obtains a certificate of
registration from SEBI in accordance with the CIS Regulations. The Company has clearlyfailed to do so. Regulation 3 of the CIS Regulations provides that no person other than a
Collective Investment Management Company which has obtained a certificate under the
said regulations shall carry on or sponsor or launch a 'CIS'. A person can launch or sponsor
or cause to sponsor a CIS only if it is registered with SEBI as a Collective Investment
Management Company. Therefore, the launching/ floating/ sponsoring/ causing to
sponsor any ‘collective investment scheme’ by any ‘person’ without obtaining the
certificate of registration in terms of the provisions of the CIS Regulations is in
contravention of Section 12(1B) of the SEBI Act and Regulation 3 of the CIS Regulations.
15. Further, in terms of Regulation 4(2)(t) of the SEBI (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair
Trade Practices Relating to Securities Market) Regulations, 2003, dealing in securities shall
be deemed to be a fraudulent or an unfair trade practice if it involves fraud and includes
illegal mobilization of funds by sponsoring or causing to be sponsored or carrying on or
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causing to be carried on any CIS by any person. This provision in the above Regulations
has been brought into effect from September 06, 2013. Accordingly, it could be held that
by mobilizing public funds through CIS without obtaining registration from SEBI as
required under Section 12(1B) of the SEBI Act read with Regulation 3 of the CIS
Regulations, the Company has contravened the above said provision.
16. Liability of the Directors: I note that the interim order was issued against the Company
and its directors namely Mr. Durga Prasad Dubey, Mr. Anup Aggarwal, Mr. Ashish Kumar
Tripathi, Ms. Indu Dubey, Ms. Manju Upadhyay, Mr. Alok Tripathi, Mr. Sadhu Sharan,
Mr. Sandeep Kumar Mishra and Mr. Ajay Kumar Pandey. The details of the appointment
and resignations of the directors of the Company are as under:
Name Date of Appointment Date of CessationMr. Durga Prasad Dubey 28/01/2008 13/05/2013Mr. Anup Aggarwal 01/02/2008 18/08/2008Mr. Ashish Kumar Tripathi 08/08/2008 04/10/2010Ms. Indu Dubey 08/08/2008 04/02/2013Ms. Manju Upadhyay 08/08/2008 04/02/2013Mr. Alok Tripathi 28/01/2008 -Mr. Sadhu Sharan 08/08/2008 04/02/2013Mr. Sandeep Kumar Mishra 25/08/2008 -Mr. Ajay Kumar Pandey 25/08/2008 13/05/2013Mr. Shailesh Kumar Upadhyay 04/02/2013 -Mr. Vishwambher Nath Dubey 04/02/2013 -
It is noted that Mr. Alok Tripathi, Mr. Sandeep Kumar Mishra Mr. Shailesh Kumar
Upadhyay and Mr. Vishwambher Nath Dubey are the present director of the Company.
Both Mr. Shailesh Kumar Upadhyay and Mr. Vishwambher Nath Dubey have been
appointed as director of the Company on February 04, 2013. Though they are not covered
vide the interim order, they would be in the capacity as present directors are under liability
to wind up the unregistered CIS activity of the Company and make refunds to the investors
and also for other remedial and preventive directions.
It is noted that the noticees namely Mr. Durga Prasad Dubey, Mr. Anup Aggarwal, Mr.
Ashish Kumar Tripathi, Ms. Indu Dubey, Ms. Manju Upadhyay, Mr. Sadhu Sharan and
Mr. Ajay Kumar Pandey had resigned from the Company on the dates as mentioned in
the table above. I note that such resignations does not absolve these from the charges
levelled in the interim order, in the light of the incorporation of the Company on January
09, 2008 and commencement of the schemes in the period during which they were the
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directors of the Company. Therefore, I have no hesitation in holding that the Company
and its directors namely Mr. Durga Prasad Dubey, Mr. Anup Aggarwal, Mr. Ashish Kumar
Tripathi, Ms. Indu Dubey, Ms. Manju Upadhyay, Mr. Sadhu Sharan and Mr. Ajay Kumar
Pandey were engaged in the illegal fund mobilising activity by floating/ sponsoring/
launching, unregistered/ unauthorised CIS, as defined in the Section 11AA of the SEBI
Act. In view of the above findings and observations made in this Order and the violations
committed by the Company, it becomes necessary for SEBI to issue appropriate directions
in order to protect the interest of investors and also to secure the interest of the securities
market.
17. In view of the observations made in this Order, I, in exercise of the powers conferred
upon me under Section 19 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 and
Sections 11(1), 11B and 11(4) thereof and Regulation 65 of the SEBI (Collective
Investment Schemes) Regulations, 1999, hereby issue the following directions:
a. Peers Allied Corporation Limited [PAN: AAECP5032C] and its directors (past and
present), namley Mr. Durga Prasad Dubey [PAN: AIYPD6009L], Mr. Anup
Aggarwal [PAN: AFVPA8971N], Mr. Ashish Kumar Tripathi [PAN:
AGEPT4844K], Ms. Indu Dubey [PAN: AKYDP8151B], Ms. Manju Upadhyay
[PAN: AAZPU1224F], Mr. Alok Tripathi [PAN: AEUPT1819A], Mr. Sadhu Sharan
[PAN: AAZPU1225E], Mr. Sandeep Kumar Mishra [PAN: AXHPM2750M], Mr.
Ajay Kumar Pandey [PAN: AXLPP7767R], Mr. Shailesh Kumar Upadhyay [PAN:
ABDPU8384M] and Mr. Vishwambher Nath Dubey [PAN: AZRPD9701B] shall
abstain from collecting any money from the investors or launch or carry out any Collective
Investment Schemes including the scheme which have been identified as a Collective
Investment Scheme in this Order.
b. Peers Allied Corporation Limited and its directors, namley Mr. Alok Tripathi, Mr.
Sandeep Kumar Mishra, Mr. Shailesh Kumar Upadhyay and Mr. Vishwambher
Nath Dubey shall wind up the existing Collective Investment Schemes and refund
through ‘Bank Demand Draft’ or ‘Pay Order’, the money collected by the said company
under the schemes with returns which are due to its investors as per the terms of offer
within a period of three months from the date of this Order and thereafter within a period
of fifteen days, submit a winding up and repayment report to SEBI in accordance with the
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SEBI (Collective Investment Schemes) Regulations, 1999, including the trail of funds
claimed to be refunded, bank account statements indicating refund to the investors and
receipt from the investors acknowledging such refunds.
c. Peers Allied Corporation Limited and its directors, namley Mr. Alok Tripathi, Mr.
Sandeep Kumar Mishra, Mr. Shailesh Kumar Upadhyay and Mr. Vishwambher NathDubey shall not alienate or dispose off or sell any of the assets of Peers Allied Corporation
Limited except for the purpose of making refunds to its investors as directed above.
d. After completing the aforesaid repayments in terms of sub-paragraph (b) above, the
Company shall file a certificate of such completion with SEBI, within a period of 15 days,
from two independent peer reviewed Chartered Accountants who are in the panel of any
public authority or public institution. For the purpose of this Order, a peer reviewed
Chartered Accountant shall mean a Chartered Accountant, who has been categorized so by
the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (‘ICAI’).
e. Peers Allied Corporation Limited and its directors (past and present), namley Mr.
Durga Prasad Dubey, Mr. Anup Aggarwal, Mr. Ashish Kumar Tripathi, Ms. Indu
Dubey, Ms. Manju Upadhyay, Mr. Alok Tripathi, Mr. Sadhu Sharan, Mr. Sandeep
Kumar Mishra, Mr. Ajay Kumar Pandey, Mr. Shailesh Kumar Upadhyay and Mr.
Vishwambher Nath Dubey are also directed to immediately provide a complete and
detailed inventory of all their assets and properties and details of all their bank accounts,
demat accounts and holdings of shares/ securities, if held in physical form.
f. Peers Allied Corporation Limited and its directors (past and present), namley Mr.
Durga Prasad Dubey, Mr. Anup Aggarwal, Mr. Ashish Kumar Tripathi, Ms. Indu
Dubey, Ms. Manju Upadhyay, Mr. Alok Tripathi, Mr. Sadhu Sharan, Mr. Sandeep
Kumar Mishra and Mr. Ajay Kumar Pandey are restrained from accessing the securities
market and are prohibited from buying, selling or otherwise dealing in securities market for
a period of four (4) years.
g. In the event of failure by Peers Allied Corporation Limited and its directors (past and
present), namley Mr. Durga Prasad Dubey, Mr. Anup Aggarwal, Mr. Ashish Kumar
Tripathi, Ms. Indu Dubey, Ms. Manju Upadhyay, Mr. Alok Tripathi, Mr. Sadhu
Sharan, Mr. Sandeep Kumar Mishra, Mr. Ajay Kumar Pandey, Mr. Shailesh Kumar
8/19/2019 Order in the matter of M/s.Peers Allied Corporation Ltd
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Upadhyay and Mr. Vishwambher Nath Dubey to comply with the above directions,
the following actions shall follow:
- Peers Allied Corporation Limited and its directors (past and present), namley,
Mr. Durga Prasad Dubey, Mr. Anup Aggarwal, Mr. Ashish Kumar Tripathi, Ms.
Indu Dubey, Ms. Manju Upadhyay, Mr. Alok Tripathi, Mr. Sadhu Sharan, Mr.
Sandeep Kumar Mishra and Mr. Ajay Kumar Pandey shall remain restrained from
accessing the securities market and would further be prohibited from buying, selling or
otherwise dealing in securities, even after the period of four (4) years of restraint imposed
in paragraph 17(f) above, till all the Collective Investment Schemes of Peers Allied
Corporation Limited are wound up and all the monies mobilized through such schemes
are refunded to its investors with returns which are due to them.
- SEBI would initiate proceedings against Mr. Shailesh Kumar Upadhyay and Mr.
Vishwambher Nath Dubey (who joined the board in the year 2013 and not coveredunder the interim order) for appropriate directions including directions restraining him
from accessing the securities market and prohibiting him from buying, selling or
otherwise dealing in securities market for an appropriate period
- SEBI would make a reference to the State Government/ Local Police to register a civil/
criminal case against Peers Allied Corporation Limited, its promoters, directors and
its managers/ persons in-charge of the business and its schemes, for offences of fraud,
cheating, criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of public funds; and
- SEBI would make a reference to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, to initiate the process
of winding up of the company, Peers Allied Corporation Limited.
- SEBI shall initiate attachment and recovery proceedings under the SEBI Act and rules
and regulations framed thereunder.
18. This order shall come into force with immediate effect.
19. This Order shall be without prejudice to the right of SEBI to initiate prosecution
proceedings under Section 24 and adjudication proceedings under Chapter VIA of the
Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 against Peers Allied Corporation
Limited and its directors, namley Mr. Durga Prasad Dubey, Mr. Anup Aggarwal,
Mr. Ashish Kumar Tripathi, Ms. Indu Dubey, Ms. Manju Upadhyay, Mr. Alok
Tripathi, Mr. Sadhu Sharan, Mr. Sandeep Kumar Mishra, Mr. Ajay Kumar Pandey,
8/19/2019 Order in the matter of M/s.Peers Allied Corporation Ltd
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Mr. Shailesh Kumar Upadhyay and Mr. Vishwambher Nath Dubey, including other
persons who are in default, for the violations as found in this Order.
20. Copy of this Order shall be forwarded to the stock exchanges and depositories for
necessary action.
DATE : March 14, 2016 PRASHANT SARANPLACE : Mumbai WHOLE TIME MEMBER
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE BOARD OF INDIA