4. Memorandum
(1) The memorandum of a company shall state—
(a) the name of the company with the last word “Limited” in the case of a public
limited company, or the last words “Private Limited” in the case of a private limited
company:
Provided that nothing in this clause shall apply to a company registered under
section 8;
(b) the State in which the registered office of the company is to be situated;
(c) the objects for which the company is proposed to be incorporated and any
matter considered necessary in furtherance thereof;
(d) the liability of members of the company, whether limited or unlimited, and
also state,—
(i) in the case of a company limited by shares, that liability of its members
is limited to the amount unpaid, if any, on the shares held by them; and
(ii) in the case of a company limited by guarantee, the amount up to which
each member undertakes to contribute—
(A) to the assets of the company in the event of its being wound-up
while he is a member or within one year after he ceases to be a member, for
payment of the debts and liabilities of the company or of such debts and
liabilities as may have been contracted before he ceases to be a member,
as the case may be; and
(B) to the costs, charges and expenses of winding-up and for
adjustment of the rights of the contributories among themselves;
(e) in the case of a company having a share capital,—
(i) the amount of share capital with which the company is to be registered
and the division thereof into shares of a fixed amount and the number of shares
which the subscribers to the memorandum agree to subscribe which shall not be
less than one share; and
(ii) the number of shares each subscriber to the memorandum intends to
take, indicated opposite his name;
(f) in the case of One Person Company, the name of the person who, in the event
of death of the subscriber, shall become the member of the company.
(2) The name stated in the memorandum shall not—
(a) be identical with or resemble too nearly to the name of an existing company
registered under this Act or any previous company law; or
(b) be such that its use by the company—
(i) will constitute an offence under any law for the time being in force; or
(ii) is undesirable in the opinion of the Central Government.
(3) Without prejudice to the provisions of sub-section (2), a company shall not be
registered with a name which contains—
(a) any word or expression which is likely to give the impression that the company
is in any way connected with, or having the patronage of, the Central Government, any
State Government, or any local authority, corporation or body constituted by the Central
Government or any State Government under any law for the time being in force; or
(b) such word or expression, as may be prescribed,
unless the previous approval of the Central Government has been obtained for the use of
any such word or expression.
(4) A person may make an application, in such form and manner and accompanied by
such fee, as may be prescribed, to the Registrar for the reservation of a name set out in the
application as—
(a) the name of the proposed company; or
(b) the name to which the company proposes to change its name.
(5) (i) Upon receipt of an application under sub-section (4), the Registrar may, on the
basis of information and documents furnished along with the application, reserve the name
for a period of sixty days from the date of the application.
(ii) Where after reservation of name under clause (i), it is found that name was applied
by furnishing wrong or incorrect information, then,—
(a) if the company has not been incorporated, the reserved name shall be cancelled
and the person making application under sub-section (4) shall be liable to a penalty
which may extend to one lakh rupees;
(b) if the company has been incorporated, the Registrar may, after giving the
company an opportunity of being heard—
(i) either direct the company to change its name within a period of three
months, after passing an ordinary resolution;
(ii) take action for striking off the name of the company from the register of
companies; or
(iii) make a petition for winding up of the company.
(6) The memorandum of a company shall be in respective forms specified in Tables A,
B, C, D and E in Schedule I as may be applicable to such company.
(7) Any provision in the memorandum or articles, in the case of a company limited by
guarantee and not having a share capital, purporting to give any person a right to participate
in the divisible profits of the company otherwise than as a member, shall be void.