A non-active member of an unrecognised stock exchange challenged notifications recognising the Stock Exchange, Bombay and applying s. 13 to Greater Bombay, alleging unreasonable restrictions on trade and arbitrary classification between active members. The Court upheld both notifications and dismissed the petition.
This page shows the compact analysis of this judgement. The full analysis — procedural history, issue-by-issue holdings with ratio and obiter, advocates, and paragraph-level evidence for every claim — is being added to the record in batches and will appear here when this judgement has been through it.
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19150
MADHUBHAI AMATHALAL GANDHI
v.
August 17.
THE UNION OF INDIA.
(B. P. SINHA,. c. J., J. L. KAPUR, P. B. GAJENDRAGADKAR, K. RrrBBA RAo and K. N. WANCHOO, JJ.)
Stock Exchange-Rules for membership-Notification laying· conditions restricting membership - Classification between active members and others-,-Whether unreasonable or infringed fundamental rights-Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, z956, (42 of r956) s. 4 ~Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules, ·r957, rr. r7-22.
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1960 issued another notification applying s. 13 of the Act to Greater Bombay with the result that thereafter every contract in shares Mad1&uhha1 between the members of any unrecognised stock exchange in An1atAalal (;andlii that city v.·ould be illegal. The contentions of the petitiont:r in v. the petition for the issue of a \·rit of mandamus v.•ere that The Union of under Art. 19(1){g) of the Constitution he had a fundam,,utal India right to carry on business in shares anJ the two notifications in question imp0scd unreasonable restrictions on his right, that the notification dated August 3r, 1957, \Va:> void as it \·a:; not sa11ctioncsl by the provisions of s. 4 of the'Act, that the condition 2(i)(a) of the said notification classifying members oi the Indian Stock Exchange IJimited as active members and members who were not active infringed fundamental right granted under Art. r4 of the Constitution and as the s1id condition was not severable the entire notiJication was l>ad. The respondent besides controverting the said contentions furthe_r contended that as the petitioner had not <!_tJestioned the validity of the Act itself the notification issued thereunder could not l>c questioned.
Held, that the 'olidity of a notification could not he questioned if it v;as issued under a self contained 1\ct and restated the provisions of the Act the validity of ~hich was accepted. If, however, the Act conferred a power on the State in general terms and the notification issued thereunder infringed any of the fundamental rights it could be attacked even though the Act was valid.
The Stock Exchange Rules did not operate as a har against the petitioner becoming a member of the Stock Exchange subject to the rules governing such application_
The restrictions and conditions in1posed under the notification in question were not unreasonable. The condition restricting membership to active members only is germane to the recognition of the Stock Exchange and is therefore, a condition within the meaning of "any other conditions" in cl. (b) of 'subs. (1) of s. 4 of the Act.
The classification bet'.Yeen active members and others was justifiable and the period fixed by the Government as the standard for ascertaining the active membership was neither arbitrary nor unreasonable.
There was a presumption in favour of the State that there y.·as a reasonable basis for the classification and the burden to prove that it violated the guarantee of eqcal protection lay on the petitioner who impcachr.d it.
ORIGINAL JURISDICTION: Writ Petition No, 136 of 1957_
Writ Petition under Art. 32 of the Constitution. of India for enforcement of Fundamental Rights,
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Purshoitam Tricumdas, Mukund R. Mody, Anil B. Divan, Ramesh A. Shroff and I. N. Shroff, for the petitioner.
Madhubhai Amathalal Gandhi v. The Union of India
G. K. Daphtary, Solicitor.General of India, R. Ganapathy Iyer and R. H. Dhebar, for respondent.
SUBBA RAO J.-This is a petition under Art. 32 of the Constitution for the issue of a writ of mandamus or a writ in the nat·ure of mandamus or any other appropriate direction, order or writ to direct the respondent, the Union of India, to withdraw or cancel the notification dated August 31, 1957, recognising " the Stock Exchange, Bombay " under s. 4 of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 (XLII of 1956), (hereiµafter referred to as "the Act").
Subba Rao J.
At the outset it is necessary to notice briefly how a Stock Exchange is worked and how it is controlled or regulated by the State. "Stock Exchange " means, "any body of iudividuals, whether incorporated or not, constituted for the purpose of assisting or controlling the business of buying, selling or dealing in securities". The history of stock exchanges in foreign countries as well as in India shows that the development of joint stock enterprise would never have reached its present stage but for the facilities which the stock exchanges provided for dealing in securities. They have a very important function to fulfil in the country's economy. Their main function, in the words of an eminent writer, is "to liquify capital by enabling a person who has invested money in, say, a factory or a railway, to convert it into cash by disposing of his share in the enterprise to someone else". vVithout the stock exchange, capital would become immobilized. The proper working· of a stock exchange depends upon not only the moral stature of the memberll but also on their calibre. It is a trite saying that a jobber or dealer is born and not made. In the words of the same author, a jobber must be a man of good nerve, cool judgment, and ready to deal
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i96o under a.ny ordinary conditions, a.nd he must be a ma.n M dh b. . of fina.ncial sta.nding, considerable experience, with a.n "Ama•h"ala~ ~::idhi understanding of ma.rket psychology. There a.re three v. modes of dee.ling in she.res and stocks, na.moly, (1) spot ne Unio>< of delivery contra.ct., i.e., .a. contra.ct which provides for I.•dia the actua.I delivery of securities on the pa.ymeut of a. price thereof either on the da.y of the contra.ct or the Subba Rao f. next da.y, excluding perhaps tht' period taken for the despatch of tho securities or the remilta.nce of money frwn one place to a.nother; (2) rea.dy delivery contra.ct, which means a contra.ct for the purchase or sale of securities for the performance of which no timo is specified and which is to be performed immediately or within a rea.sona.ble time; (3) forward contra.cts, i.e., contra.ots whereunder the parties a.gree for their performa.nce at a future <late. If the stock exchange is in the ha.nds of unscrupulous members, the second a.nd third categories of contracts to buy or sell shares ma.y degenerate into highly specula.tive tranea.ctions or, wha.t is worse, purdy gambling ones. Whero tho parties do not intend wbilo entering into a contract of sa.le or purchase of securities tha.t only difference in prices should be pa.id, the tra.nsa.ction, even though speculative, is valid and not void, for "there is no law age.inst speculation as there is age.inst gambling". But, if the pa.rties do not intend tha.t there should be a.ny delivery of tho she.res but only the difference in prices should be accounted for, tho contract, being a wa.ger, is void. More often than not it is difficult for a. court to distinguish one from the other, as a wagering transaction may be so cleverly camoufia.ged a.s to pa.ss off a.s a. speculative transaction. These mischievpus potentialities inherent in the tra.nsa.ctions, if left uncontrolled, would tend to subvert the ma.in object of the institution of stock excha.nge and convert it into a. den of gambling which would ultimately upset the industrial economy of the country.
For tha.t reason, in Bomba.y a.s ea.rly as 1925, tho Bomba.y Securities Contracts Control Act was pa.sscd to regulate and control contracts for the purchase and 'sale of securities in the City of Bombay a.nd elsewhere in the J3ombay Presidency. Under s. 6 of tha.t Act,
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"Every contract for the purchase or sale of securities, r960 other than a ready delivery contract, entered into after a date to be notified in this behalf by the Pro-A Madhubhai vmc1a ' ' \ G overnment s a h ]J b e vo1 'd , un ess t e same is J h . matha/al Gandhi made subject to and in accordance with the rules duly. Tile J~ion of sanctioned under s. 5 and every such contract shall be India void unless the same is made between members or through a member of a ree<ignised stock exchange; Subba Rao J. and no claim shall be allowed in any Civil Court for the recovery of any commission, brokerage, fee or reward in respect of any such contract". But this Act defined " ready delivery contract " to mean " a con tract for the purchase or sale of securities for performance of which no time is specified and which is to be performed immediately or within a reasonable .time". It was also stated therein by way of explanation that what was reasonable time was in each particular case a question of fact. This Act did not achieve its purpose, for under s. 6 thereof contracts entered into in contravention of the provisions of that section were not made illegal but only void, with the result that even members of a stock exchange not recognised under that Act were able to do business in that line. What. is more, the explanation to the definition of "ready delivery contract" which is excluded from the operation of the Act was so elastic that in the name of ready deli very contracts unrecognised stock exchanges and individuals were able to carry on business in forwa:rd contracts. Gambling in shares went on unchecked in Bombay as elsewhere. After the Second World vVar, the post--war boom gave an unhealthy impetus tO the stock exchange transactions. Various expert committees appointed by the Government from time to time considered .the question of regulation of stock exchanges and the latest of those committees was the Gorwalla Committee. 'JJhe report of that Committee was circulated to the principal stock, exchanges, Chambers of Commerce, and other interested associations and individuals. After considering the reports of the committees . and the comments made thereon by the various bodies, the Government introduced a biil in the Parliament, which became law on
Madhubhai matha/al Gandhi Tile J~ion of India Subba Rao J.
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196o September 4, 1956. The Act wa.s passed to prevent undesirable transactions in securities by regulating the Am~~~:~~;,,;,:'.,d,., business terin by prohibiting auction a.nd by providv. ing for certam other matters connected therewith. The u,,;,,, of The Act mainly provides for the recognition of stock 1 .. J,a exchanges and for controlling the rule-ma.king of the sa.id exchanges. Section 4 of the Act empowers the Subba Rao J. Central Government to recognise stock exchanges subject to two conditions. Section 13 enables it to issue a notification that in a. pa.rticula.r State or area every contra.ct which is entered into after the date of the notification otherwise than between members of a recognised stock exchange in such State or 1irea or through or with such member shall be illega.1. Without resorting to such drastic procedure the Government is a.lso given power to prohibit e,ontracts in certain securities in certain areas from doing business without obtaining a licence. Spot deli very contracts arc excluded· from the operation of ss. 13, 14, 15 and 17 of the Act, unless the Central Government by notification thinks fit to extend the operation of s. 17 of the Act to such contracts. Section 19 prohibits formation of stock exchanges other than recognised ones except with the permission of the Central Government. It declares all auctions in securities entered into after the commencement of the Act illega.l. It aiso provides penalties for the infringements of tho provisions of the Act. In short, the Act confers an effective controlling power on the Central Government over the stock exchanges.
In exercise of the power conferred upon the Central Government to make rules, tho Centre.I Government made rules described as the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules, 1957, providing, inter alia, for the qualification for membership of a stock exchange seeking recognition, the procedure for recognition, the manner of keeping accounts, the submission of a.nnua.l reports, the constitution of governing bodies and for taking disciplinary action age.inst any member of such bodies and other similar matters.
·In Greater Bombay there were two stock exchanges,
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one called the Native Share & Stock Brokers' Associa- I960 tion~ and the other the . Ind~an Stock Exchange .w adhabhai Limited. The former was m existence for more than Aniathalal Gandhi 80 years and it was registered under the Bombay v. Securities Contracts Control Act, 1925. Its rules and The Union of bye-laws were approved by the Government of Born- India bay and it was doing business in both forward as well as rea y transactions. d • I t h as a c earing ouse J • h an d Sttbba Rao ]. was doing extensive business in different kinds of securities.
The other, namely, the Indian Stock Exchange Limited, was a company incorporated under the Indian Companies Act, 1913,. as a company limited by guarantee without any share capital. The said Company had been functioning since 1937, but was not registered under the Bombay Securities Contracts Control Act, 1925. It was mainly doing business in Tata Ordinary and Bombay Dyeing shares and had hardly any investment business. Not being registered under the Bombay Securities Contracts Control Act, 1925, it could only deal in ready delivery contracts; and as .the definition of "ready delivery contract" under that Act was elastic and as forward contracts were not made illegal thereunder, this Exchange was also doing speculative business mainly in the said two shares.
After the Act came into force, both the Exchanges applied for recognition under the Act. The Government, after considering the relative merits and the relevant circumstances, issued a notification dated August 31, 1957, recognising the Native Share and Stock Brokers' Association under the name " The Stock Exchange, Bombay" subject to the conditions mentioned therein. One of the conditions imposed was that the members of the Indian Stock Exchange Limited would be entitled to apply for membership of the Stock Exchange, Bombay, provided they were active members of the Indian Stock Exchange Limited for 12 months immediately preceding August 6, 1957, and they were also eligible under r. 8(1) of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules, 1957, to be members of a rncognised stock exchange. The notification
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1 ?~ 0 ?~ 0 0
1 ?~ 0 ?~ 0 0 further gave some concessions to such act.i vc momhors . . in the matter of payment of the membership fee. Madhuohn• Th h d 1 f' be h' b f' 0 b 15 AriiatJinlal Ctoidlu ey a to a.pp .V or mom rs ip c ore cto er , v. 1957, or before such period as the Boa.rd of the rocognis- Thr l'•'o" of ed Stock ExDha.nge might think fit tp extend. It appe- l•di• ars that within the extended timCY a number of active members of the Indian St,ock Exchange Limited as 5 "bb• Rao J. defined by tho notification a.ppli<).~ for lll('mlJership and were admitted as mem hers ;Jif. the recognised Stock Exchange. Though three ~·ears have ·passed by, no member other than the petitioner has so fa.r thought fit to question the va.lidity·of the notification, that is, the validity of the· notification has been accepted and the recognised Stock Exchange bas become stabilised on that ha.sis. Subsequent to the . filing of the petition on November 30, 1957, the Central Government issued another notification applying s. 13 of the Act to Greater Bombay; wit.h the result that thereafter every contract iri shares between the members of a.n.v unrecognised stock excha.nge in that City would be illegal.
The p!'titionor had become a m~mber of the Indian Stock Exchange Limited on February 27, 1956, hut he had not been tmnsacting any business on the tlo0r of .. _. the S<id Stock Exchange either on his own account or on account of his clients. He aver; in the affidavit filed in support of the petition that he has been doing considcrablo business on bis own account or. on account of his clients through other member< of the Stock Exchange and that he intends to commenl'e business directly in ready delivery contracts. A the impugned notifications affect his right to do business, he seeks for the issue of a writ of mandamus for the aforesaid reliefs.
Shri Purshotta.m TrikumdaA, learned counsel for· the petitioner, ra.i~<.'d before UR the following contentions: (1) under Art. l9(1)(g) of the Constitution the petitioner has a fundamental right to carry on the busincAs in shares and the notification dated August 31, 1957, and the subsequent notification dated Nonmber 30, 1957, imposed unreasonable restrictions on his said right; (2) the notification dated August 31,
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1957, is void inasmuch as it is not sanctioned by the r96o provisions of s. 4 of the Act ; and (3) the condition M dh bh . 2(i)(a) of the said notification classifying members of Amath:i.7 c:'ndhi the Indian Stock Exchange Limited as active memv .. hers and members who were not active infringes the Tl« Union of fundamental right enshrined in Art. 14 of the Consti- India tution and that as the said condition is not severable the entire notification is bad. Subba Ra9 J.
Subba Ra9 J.
Learned Solicitor-General in addition to controverting the said contentions pressed on us to hold that as the vfres of the Act was not questioned, the notification issued thereunder could not be questioned by the petitioner on the ground that it contravened one or other of the said fundamental rights.
It would be convenient to take first the contention of the learned Solicitor-General as it is in the nature of a preliminary point. He says that as the validity of the Act was not questioned the notification issued in the exercise of the power conferred thereunder cannot also be questioned. There is a fallacy underlying this contention. Under Art. 13(2) of the Constitution, · the Stat!e shall not make any law which takes away or abridges the rights conferred by Part III thereof; and "law" is defined under Art. 3(a) to include a notification. Therefore, the validity of a notification issued by the State, it being law, is as much vulnerable to attack as that of the Act itself on the ground that it' infringes any of the funditmental rights. If an Act is a self-contained one and the notification issued thereunder only restates the provisions of the Act, the validity of the notification cannot obviously be questioned as the validity of its contents were accepted. But if the Act confers a power on the State in general terms and the notification issued thereunder infringes one or other of the fundamental rights, the validity of the Act cannot equally obviously prevent an attack on the notification. In the former case . the notification only reflects the provinions of a valid Act and in the latter it is the notification and not the Aot that infringes the fundamental rights. Take an example of an Act imposing restrictic.ns on the freedom of speech. The Aot authorizes the, State to impose conditions on
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1 9 60 the said freedom in the interests of security of State. Madlmbha• 1:he :'-ct is constitutionally valid .. But, if a notifica- Amal/rn/al Gandf;i t10n issuer! under that Act imposes unreasonable rest"· rictions infringing the said rights, it is liable to be Tiu Union of challenged on the ground of unconstitutionality. So India too, in the instant case s: 4 of the Act empowers the Central Government to iBBue a notification recognising · S11hba Rao J · a stock exchange subject to certain conditions express. ed in general terms. The general terms can comprehend both reasonable and unreasonable restrictions. If the notification imposes unreasonable restrictions-if the contention of the learned counsel for the petitioner be accepted, the restrictions imposed would certainly be unreasonable-it is liable to be set a.side. We cannot, therefore, accept this contention .
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....
Contracts (Regulation) Rules, 1957. The Rules do z96o not contain any limitation on the eligibility of a per- M ad 1 tubk ai. son to be elected as a member such as that the person Amathalal r;andhi should be nominated in the ma,nner provided by the v. Rules or that he should come only in the vacancy The Union of caused by another member ceasing to be one in one of India the ways mentioned thereunder. The words "no person m r. ,, . 17 are comprehensive enoug to h ta k . em any Subba Rao ]. outsider seeking for election as a member. Rule 22 provides for an application for admission in the form prescribed 'in Appendix A to the Rules. This rule also does not impose any such limitation. The admission application form in Appendix A is also general in terms and enables any person of India to apply for membership provided he agrees to abide by the conditions imposed therein. In the form also there is no such limitation. But it is contended that a fair reading of the provisions of rr. 20 and 21 makes it clear that a candidate for admission is confined only to two ca,tegories, viz., (1) a candidate nominated by a member or a legal representative of a deceased member seeking admission to membership in the place of the deceased ; and (2) a person recommended for admission to membership in the place of a member who has forfeited his right to membership. A careful scrutiny of the Rules does not bear out the contention ; nor do they enable us to cut down the wide amplitude of rr. 17 to 22. Rule 10 says:
" vVhen a right of membership is forfeited to or vests in the Exchange under any Rule, Bye-law, or Regulation of the Exchange for the time being in force it shall belong absolutely to the Exchange free of all rights, claims or interest of such member or any person claiming through such member and the Governing Body shall be entitled to deal with or dispose of such right of membership as it may think fit." Rule 54 is to the following effect:
"A member's right of membership shall lapse to and vest in the Exchange immediately he is declared a defaulter."
Rule 11 is as follows :
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196o "(a) A member of not less than seven years' Am Madhu tho/al bh Gandh• "' e standing l" 1g1 "bl e un or who desires to resign d t b ese R I u es .or ,. a d · · may m1ss10n nominate a person to mem be rs h" 1p • v. of the Exchange as a candidate for admission in his
• v. of Thi Union of place. India
India (b) The !!'gal representatives of a deceased member or his heir8 or the persons mentioned in Appendix Swbb• Rao J. C to these Rules may with the sanction of the Governing Boa.rd nominate any person eligible under these Rules for admission to membership of the Exchange as a candidate for admission in tho place of tho deceased member. In considering such nomination the Governing Board shall be guided so far as pra.ctica ble by the instructions Sl"t out in Appendix C to these Rules." ·
Appendix B gives the nomination forms Nos. I and 2 to be filled by a member or a legal representative, as the ca.so may be, under r. 11 (a) and (b). Now it would be convenient to read rr. 20 and 21. They are as follows:
Rule 20 : " A candidate for admission except a candidate applying for a membership vesting in the Exchange must obtain a nomination in the manner provided in these Rules."
Rule 21: "A candidate for admission must be recommended by two members none of whom should be a member of the Governing Boa.rd. The rcoommenders must have such personal knowledge of the candidate and of his past and present circumstances as shall satisfy the Governing Boa.rd."
The argument is that under r. 20 a candidate for a.dmiBBion fa.Us under two categories, namely, (l) a candidate who must obtain a nomination in the manner provided in the Rules, i.e., r. ll (a) and (b); and (2) a. candidate applying for a membership vesting in the Exchange; and, therefore, these two categories exhaust the candidates for admission and that when under r. 21 the ea.me words, "a. candidate for admission", a.re used they must carry the ea.me meaning as ·· in r. 20, that is, they must be confined only to the two oa.tegories comprehended by r. 20. This argument ap~ars to be plausible and even incontrovertible, if
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rr. 20 and 21 are taken out of their setting and cons- '96° trued independently of other rules. But in the setting M dh bh . in which they appear they can bear only one meaning, Ama•h:la~ G:~dhi namely, that r. 20 provides for nomination only in v. the case of a candidate for admission who requires a Th• Union of nomination in the manner provided by the rule and India r. 21 provides, for all the candidates for admission, that they should be recommended by two members Subba Rao f. who have personal knowledge of the candidates. To put it in other words, under the Rules candidates for admission fall under three groups, viz., (l) candidates falling under r. II, (a) and (b); (2) candidates applying for membership vesting in the Exchange; and (3) other candidates. All the three categories of candidates must be recommended by two members. But the candidates belonging to the first category shall in addition be nominated in the manner provided by the Rules. We, therefore, hold that the Stock Exchange Rules do not operate as a bar against the petitioner becoming a member of the Stock Exchange subject to the rules governing such application. The petitioner has the right to do business in shares : in spite of the notifications he can still do business in spot delivery contracts. He can apply to become a member of the Stock Exchange subject to the conditions laid down by the Rules. The Act, the validity of which he has not chosen to question, enables the State to give or refuse recognition to any Stock Exchange and it has chosen to give recognition to the Stock Exchange, ·Bombay, subject to the conditions prescribed. The restrictions, in our view, are not unreasonable, having regard to the importance of the business of a stock exchange in the country's national economy and having regard to the magnitude of the mischief sought to be remedied in the interest of the general public. At another place we have already dealt with the necessity for stringent rules governing this type of business. For the reasons mentioned we reject the first contention.
Re. (2) : The second contention also has no merits. The criticism is that condition 2(i) (a) annexed to the notification cannot be supported on the basis of any
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1y60 of the provisions of s. 4 of the Act. Condition 2 (i) reads as follow~: Amafluilal "'"d"""'"" <;a11d/i1 " 'I'h . e . 111 em b ers 0 f t h c I d. n 1a.n I S toe k E xc h a.nge v. Limited, Bombay, will be entitled to apply for ~Icm- Th• u"''" ,,f bership of the Stock Exchange, Bombay, provided InJ1a they fulfil or comply with the following torms and conditions :-
Subba Nao _/.
(a) they have beon active members of the Indian Stock Exchange Limited, for twelve months immediately preceding the 6th August, 1957.
Explanation: ·"Active Members" for purpOHf' of this conditfon means members who have themselves transacted business regularly on tho floor of the Indian Stock Exchange Limited either on their own account or on account. of their clients.
"
To appreciate the argument it is also necessary to read the material pro'ibions of"· 4 of the Act.
Section 4: "(1) If the Central Government is satisfied, after making such inquiry as ma.y be necessary iu this bohalf and after obtaining such further information, if any, as it may requirc,-
(a) that the rules and bye-laws of a stock exchange applying for registration are in conformity with such conditions as may be prescribed with a view to ensure fa.ir dealing and to protect investors;
(b) that the stock e:rnhange is willing to comply with any other conditions (including condition~ as t-0 the number ofmemhers) which the Central Government after consultation with the governing body of the stock exchange aud having regard to the aroa served by t.he AU>ck exchange and its standing and the nature of the securities dealt with by it, may impose for the purpose of carrying out the objects of this Act; and
(c) that it would be in the interest of the trade and also in the public interest to grant recognition to the stock exchange;
It may grant recognition tot.he stock exchange subj<'ct to the conditions imposed upon it as aforesaid and in such form as may be prescribed.
(2) The conditions which the Central Government
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may prescribe under clause (a) of sub-section (1) for I96° the · 1 d grant of recognition h to the stock d" exchanges . J . may A 1 O< 1 hubha< . ItlC u e, among ot er matters, con 1t1ons re at1ng Aniathalal Gandhi to,v. (i) the qualifications for membership of stock ex- The Unwn of changes; India (ii) the manner in which manner in which in which contracts shall be enter-shall be enter- Subba Rao ].
(ii) the manner in which manner in which in which contracts shall be enter-shall be enterre d into an d en orce f d as between members;
(iii) the representation of the Central Government on each of the stock exchanges by such number of persons not exceeding three as the Central Government may nomina.te in this behalf; and
(iv) the maintenance of accounts of members and their audit by chartered accountants when ever such audit is required by the Central Government. "
The argument proceeds that condition 2(i)(a) enables only the active members of the Indian Stock Exchange Limited to apply for membership of the Stock Exchange, Bombay and that such a conditfon can be imposed only if it amounts to a qualification of membership within the meaning of sub-s. (2) of s. 4, as the other conditions in that sub-section are obviously inapplicable. It is further pointed out that sub-s. (2) refers back to sub-s. (i)(a) and under that clause the condition imposed must only be that prescribed by the Rules made under the Act and that the condition imposed by the notification is not a condition so prescribed. There is force in this argument; but, the acceptauce of this contention does not advance the case of the petitioner, for, if the condition is not covered by cl. (a) of s. 4(1), it falls under cl. (b) thereof. Under that clause, the Central Government may grant recognition to a stock exchange if the said stock exchange is willing to comply with "any other conditions". It is said that the other conditions in s. 4 (l)(b) must only be conditions relating to the area served by the stock exchange, its standing and the nature of the securities dealt with by it. This is not what cl. (b) of s. 4(1) says. The conditions under cl. (b) of s. 4(1) no doubt shall he such as may be impose<l by the Government, having regard to the aforesaid three consi<lerations, but they need not necessarily be
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1 960 confined only to the said considerations. The Govern11 -;;; 1 , ment may impose a.ny conditions, no doubt germane Am~/},: 1 ;":;,dh• to the recognition of a stock exchange, after consultav. tion with its governing boa.rd, and having regard to The 1:,,;o., of the said considerations. It cannot be said that con- 1"drn dition 2(i)(a) imposed on the St-0ck Exchange is not a condition germane to its recognition. The record Sflll,a Rao J · discloses that the Central Government in recognising the Stock Exchange sought to avoid the consequential J hardship on the members of the rival stock exohange and therefore imposed the said condition on tho Stock Exchange, Bombay, as a condition for its recognition. The condition is germane to recognition of the Stock l<;xchangc and is, therefore, a condition within the meaning of "any other conditions" in cl. (b) of sub-s. (I) of s. 4 of tho Act.
Re. (3): Learned counsel for the petitioner advanced a forcible argument questioning the validity of condition 2(i)(a) of the notification on the ground that it infringed Art. 14 of the Constitution. Elaborating his argument, tho learned counsel stated that the said condition classified members of the Indian Stock Exchange Limited into two groups, one active members and the other who were not active members, and that that olassification was arbitrary and had no reasonable relation to the object sought t-0 be achieved by the notification. He fort her pointed out that the defining of active members as those who had themselves trans11.cted business regularly on the floor of the Indian Stock Exchange Limited either on their own account or on account of their clients for 12 months immediately preceding August 6, 1957, was not only arbitrary a.nd vague but also, if analysed, would lead t-0 anomalies destructive of any standard of reasonableness. It is alleged in the affidavit filed by the petitioner that from the inception of the Indian Stock Exchange Limited, l!l!l members of the said Stock Exchange were actually trading on the floor of the said Exchange' from time to time but for some reason or the other were not trading during the period of 12 months immediately preceding August 6, 1957; that there were 34 members of the said Stock Exchange who were reguliuly
1 S.C.R. SUPREME COURT REPORTS
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transacting business on the floor of the said Stock I960 Exchange prior to August 6, 1956, and for some time after August 6, 1956, but not during the entire period Ani;;.:b:dhi of 12 months from August 6, 1956 to August 6, 1957; v. and that there were 24 members of the said Stock The Unfon of Exchange who started transacting business regularly India on the floor of the said Stock Exchange some time after August 6, 1956 ansJ. continued to transact busi- Subba. Rao J. ness right upto and after August 6, 1957. It was asked what was the reasonable basis for confining the definition of active · members to those who were carrying orr business during the period of 12 months from August 6, 1956 to August 6, 1957, while excluding the aforesaid thre categories who were equally active members and indeed more active than those included in the definition. It was further asked what was the justification for excluding a. member who was an active member for yea.rs before the crucial year and irregularly conducted business on the floor of the Stock Exchange during the crucial year while including a member who might have been a newcomer or who might have been earlier a nominal member but began to do business regularly only during the said · year. Emphasis was also laid upon the alleged elastic · and indefinite content of the word " regular " and it was suggested that the said word could not possibly afford a precise standard. These are all weighty considerations and we must confess that there is force in them. But there is the other side of the picture. It is well-settled that a classification must have reasonable relation to the object sought to be achieved. The standard of reasonableness is inextricably conditioned by the extent and nature of the evil and the urgency for eradicating the same. The object of the notification is twofold. The main object is to carry out the -purpdse of the Act, namely, to prevent undesirable transactions in securities by regulating the business in them. The subsidiary object is to assuage the hardship that .recognition of only one stock exchange would cause to the members of the other association. Te achieve this twin objeot the classification is ma.do !.et. ween active members and inactive members. While
SlJPRK\lE COCRT. REPORTS [1961]
208
•
i96u on the one. hand the Government found it necessary to . . exclude the nominal members who would add their Am~:":;~~~~i!-~<.:1;ut1n **dead\·cigl.it. to the recognised associatiou and bring** v. down it.8 efficiency and affect its di:iciplined conduct _nc c"'"" of_ of business, on the other hand it ga>c opportunity to Indw persons who were actively iuterested in the business to b"come regular members of the Stock Exchange, S•thba Ua(l · · I 13 om b ay. 'l'h ere is · every JUHt1!wat.zon · · ... · 1· or exc.u< ing 1 J members who had not. beeu taking active interest. in the business, for, as we have already pointed out, the efficient carrying out of the business of the Stock Exchange depends upon the moral stature, high calibre, and genuine and active internst evinced by the members. The active members justified themselves to the preferential treatment by their sustained llltercst in the business whereas the membns who were not acti\·e showed their continued indifference to th.i.t line of business. But the crux of the question i8, what. is the justification for fixing twelve months immcuw.tely preceding August. (i, I957, as the standard for active membership? The Under Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Finance, filed an affidavit describing the circumstances whereunder this classifi. cation wa8 made. It discloses that the ·notification was issued after taking into consideration the r"pre. sentations made on behalf of both the Sl-0ck Ex· changes and also the facts pertaining to the course of business conducted by the Indian St.ock Exchange Limited. It also gives the vicissitudes through '-';hich the said Stock Exchange passed from the date of its formation and the circumstance8 under which the membership of that Exchange was divided into full members and associate membern. It points out that the Indian Stock Exchange Limited became moribund in a few v<>ars and to revive its activities it allowed the mcmbe.rs of the East India Chamber of Commerce, by relaxing it.s entrance fee and· security de posit requirements in l!l50.5l and created a new class of Associate J\Iembcrs, which facilitated tho enrolment of hundreds of Associate Membcr8 on payment of & nominal entrance fee ·of Its. 100. The Governmont on a consideration of the necessary data and presumably
l S.C.R. SUPREME COURT REPORTS
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having regard' to the record of the activities of the r96o various members fixed the activities in the crucial year· l956-57 as the standard of activity for member- Am::,,:~:b::dhi ship. . . v.
v. The Union of· · India • Subba Rao·]:
There is. a presumption in favour of the State that The Union of· · there is a reasonable basis for the classification. · India _Except the mere allegations in the affidavit which are Subba Rao·]: not admitted, the petitioner has not placed before us . any materials to ascertain that any .other members,;. who were regularly doing business on the floor · of the. · Indian Stock Exchange Limited before August 6, 1956, temporarily suspendd their business for one reason or other over which they had no control. No statement from the accounts has been produced ·to enable us to evaluate the activities of the members before the cr.ucial date so a.s to enable us to form a view ,that really active members. were excluded by the fixing of this period. Nor are we in a position to verify w hether any of the members excluded were regularly doing business duri_ng a part of the year in continuation of their business in the earlier period We cannot also say that the words "carrying on business regu,larly " are so vague that the parties did not understand their connotation, for it is admitted that some of the regular members applied for membership of the Stock Exchange, Bombay and most of them were admitted; There is also the "fact that though hree years hl!-ve elapsed since the date of the notification no· other member ef th!J Indian Stock Exchange· Limited thought fit to question the notification on the ground that the period fixed was unreasonable and that really active members were excluded f(om membership of . the Stock Exchange, Bombay. So far as the petitioner · is concerned, he was admittedly not an active member, though he now pretends that he. was doing business through other .members. There is also no ma.tee rial-placed before us to support the said assertion. If the ·classification, between'active members and others who were,not, is justifiable-we hold it is..:...th ·Government has to draw a line somewhere and to fix a period of activity reasonable in its opinion as a
•7·
SL'.PIU~;\fE COURT REPORTS [Hl61]
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'960 standard to satisfy the test of" active member". The burden which lies upon the petitio1wr who impoaches A 111a11a a M;ad1"1""Ghai cui dh t the • validity of the classification to show • . that it v. violates tho guarantee of equal protcctwn has not been n, Fua,;u of discharged. On the material placed before us we can- IHd•a not say that the p<'riod fixed by the Govornme111. as the standard fur ascertaining tho active mcmberohip Suil,a Rao J · is ar b. 1trary or·unn•asOIHL bl e. ur n e must ma e it c k 1 ear that this finding must be confined only to tho validity of the impugned uotification dated August 31, 1956. The petition accordingly fails and is di"sruissed with costs.
Petition dismissed.
:\1/S. ZORASTER AKD CO.
v. August 17.
THE CO:\IMISSlONER OF INCOME TAX, DELHI, AJMEH, RAJASTHAN AD MADHYA BHARAT (NOW) MADHYA PltADESH. (S. K. DAs, M. HrnAYATULLAn AND .r. C. SHAII, JJ.) Income-lax - Reference -- l'cr.vcr of High Courl tu call for supplemental stalemetit of case-·- Indian Jnco-tax Act, 1922 (I I of 1922), S. 66(4). The appellant entered into contract with Government for the supply of goods, and in the assessment year 1942-43 Rs. 10.0.653 and in the assessment year 1943-44. Rs. 17.4),336 were assessed as its income by the lnco1ne-tax Officer. 1'hc supplies to Govcrnn1ent were made f. o. r. Jaipur by the appellant, and payment \'as by cheques \vhich \'ere received at Jaipur. The contention of the appellant v.·as that this income \'as received at Jaipur outside the then taxable territories. l'his contention was not accepted by the Income-tax Appellate Tri- bunal, Delhi. The appellant then applied for a reference to the High Court under s. 66(1) of the Indian Income-tax Act, and by its order dated December 10, 1952, the Tribunal referred the following question for the decision of the High Court. "Whether on the facts and circumstances of the case the profits and gains in resct of the sales made to the Government
3 issues framed by the court
Whether a notification issued under s. 4 of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act recognising the Stock Exchange, Bombay could be challenged when the validity of the Act was not questioned.
Whether the conditions in the recognition notification imposed unreasonable restrictions on the petitioner's right to carry on business under Art. 19(1)(g).
Whether the classification between active and inactive members of the Indian Stock Exchange Limited infringed Art. 14.
5 provisions across 3 enactments
Madhubhai Amathalal Gandhi
The Union of India
B. P. Sinha
J. L. Kapur
P. B. Gajendragadkar
K. Subba Rao
K. N. Wanchoo
As recorded by the court registry
Judgements on the same questions, provisions and authorities, from every court
