399. Inspection, production and evidence of documents kept by Registrar
(1) Save as otherwise provided elsewhere in this Act, any person may—
(a) inspect by electronic means any documents kept by the Registrar in
accordance with the rules made, being documents filed or registered by him in pursuance
of this Act, or making a record of any fact required or authorised to be recorded or
registered in pursuance of this Act, on payment for each inspection of such fees as
may be prescribed;
(b) require a certificate of the incorporation of any company, or a copy or extract
of any other document or any part of any other document to be certified by the
Registrar, on payment in advance of such fees as may be prescribed:
Provided that the rights conferred by this sub-section shall be exercisable—
(i) in relation to documents delivered to the Registrar with a prospectus in
pursuance of section 26, only during the fourteen days beginning with the date of
publication of the prospectus; and at other times, only with the permission of the
Central Government; and
(ii) in relation to documents so delivered in pursuance of clause (b) of subsection
(1) of section 388, only during the fourteen days beginning with the date of the
prospectus; and at other times, only with the permission of the Central Government.
(2) No process for compelling the production of any document kept by the Registrar
shall issue from any court or the Tribunal except with the leave of that court or the Tribunal
and any such process, if issued, shall bear thereon a statement that it is issued with the leave
of the court or the Tribunal.
(3) A copy of, or extract from, any document kept and registered at any of the offices
for the registration of companies under this Act, certified to be a true copy by the Registrar
(whose official position it shall not be necessary to prove), shall, in all legal proceedings, be
admissible in evidence as of equal validity with the original document.