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Interpretation of section 149 of the Companies Act, 1956 regarding the commencement of business by a company that has issued a prospectus. Determination of whether a company falls under sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) of section 149 based on compliance with relevant provisions. Analysis: The case involved an appeal by a company against the dismissal of its petition seeking a writ of mandamus to order the Registrar of Companies to comply with section 149(3) of the Companies Act, 1956. The main issue was whether the company fell under sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) of section 149. The judgment held that the company fell under sub-section (1) as it had issued a prospectus inviting the public to subscribe for its shares. The appellant's argument that compliance with section 70 transformed the company into falling under sub-section (2) was rejected. Section 70 deals with the allotment of shares or debentures and does not change a company's classification under section 149. The court emphasized that the requirement to comply with section 70 does not exempt a company from fulfilling the conditions of sub-section (1) of section 149 if it has issued a prospectus. Compliance with section 70 is considered a preliminary step and does not alter the company's classification under section 149. The judgment clarified that the scope of "commence any business" in section 149 does not include issuing prospectuses or other preliminary activities. The order to quash the Regional Director's decision was not pressed and was not considered in the judgment. The appeal was dismissed, and costs were awarded to the respondent. The court did not address the contention raised by the Advocate-General regarding the company's entitlement to a certificate under sub-section (3) of section 149 if it falls under sub-section (2). The judgment concluded that the company fell under sub-section (1) of section 149, and compliance with section 70 did not change this classification, leading to the dismissal of the appeal.
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