Mergers and Acquisitions in India - Mergers and Acquisitions Across Indian Sectors

The process of mergers and acquisitions has gained substantial importance in today's corporate world. This process is extensively used for restructuring the business organizations. In India, the concept of mergers and acquisitions was initiated by the government bodies. Some well known financial organizations also took the necessary initiatives to restructure the corporate sector of India by adopting the mergers and acquisitions policies. The Indian economic reform since 1991 has opened up a whole lot of challenges both in the domestic and international spheres. The increased competition in the global market has prompted the Indian companies to go for mergers and acquisitions as an important strategic choice. The trends of mergers and acquisitions in India have changed over the years. The immediate effects of the mergers and acquisitions have also been diverse across the various sectors of the Indian economy.

Mergers and Acquisitions Across Indian Sectors

Among the different Indian sectors that have resorted to mergers and acquisitions in recent times, telecom, finance, FMCG, construction materials, automobile industry and steel industry are worth mentioning. With the increasing number of Indian companies opting for mergers and acquisitions, India is now one of the leading nations in the world in terms of mergers and acquisitions. The merger and acquisition business deals in India amounted to $40 billion during the initial 2 months in the year 2007. The total estimated value of mergers and acquisitions in India for 2007 was greater than $100 billion. It is twice the amount of mergers and acquisitions in 2006.

Mergers and Acquisitions in India: the Latest Trends

Till recent past, the incidence of Indian entrepreneurs acquiring foreign enterprises was not so common. The situation has undergone a sea change in the last couple of years. Acquisition of foreign companies by the Indian businesses has been the latest trend in the Indian corporate sector.

There are different factors that played their parts in facilitating the mergers and acquisitions in India. Favorable government policies, buoyancy in economy, additional liquidity in the corporate sector, and dynamic attitudes of the Indian entrepreneurs are the key factors behind the changing trends of mergers and acquisitions in India.

The Indian IT and ITES sectors have already proved their potential in the global market. The other Indian sectors are also following the same trend. The increased participation of the Indian companies in the global corporate sector has further facilitated the merger and acquisition activities in India.

Major Mergers and Acquisitions in India

Recently the Indian companies have undertaken some important acquisitions. Some of those are as follows:

Hindalco acquired Canada based Novelis. The deal involved transaction of $5,982 million. Tata Steel acquired Corus Group plc. The acquisition deal amounted to $12,000 million. Dr. Reddy's Labs acquired Betapharm through a deal worth of $597 million.Ranbaxy Labs acquired Terapia SA. The deal amounted to $324 million. Suzlon

Energy acquired Hansen Group through a deal of $565 million. The acquisition of Daewoo Electronics Corp. by Videocon involved transaction of $729 million. HPCL acquired Kenya Petroleum Refinery Ltd.. The deal amounted to $500 million. VSNL acquired Teleglobe through a deal of $239 million.

When it comes to mergers and acquisitions deals in India , the total number was 287 from the month of January to May in 2007. It has involved monetary transaction of US $47.37 billion. Out of these 287 merger and acquisition deals, there have been 102 cross country deals with a total valuation of US $28.19 billion. The practice of mergers and acquisitions has attained considerable significance in the contemporary corporate scenario which is broadly used for reorganizing the business entities. Indian industries were exposed to plethora of challenges both nationally and internationally, since the introduction of Indian economic reform in 1991. The cut-throat competition in international market compelled the Indian firms to opt for mergers and acquisitions strategies, making it a vital premeditated option.

Why Mergers and Acquisitions in India?

The factors responsible for making the merger and acquisition deals favorable in India are:

Dynamic government policies Corporate investments in industry Economic stability ready to experiment attitude of Indian industrialists

Sectors like pharmaceuticals, IT, ITES, telecommunications, steel, construction, etc, have proved their worth in the international scenario and the rising participation of Indian firms in signing M&A deals has further triggered the acquisition activities in India.

In spite of the massive downturn in 2009, the future of M&A deals in India looks promising. Indian telecom major Bharti Airtel is all set to merge with its South African counterpart MTN, with a deal worth USD 23 billion. According to the agreement Bharti Airtel would obtain 49% of stake in MTN and the South African telecom major would acquire 36% of stake in Bharti Airtel.

Ten biggest Mergers and Acquisitions deals in India

Tata Steel acquired 100% stake in Corus Group on January 30, 2007. It was an all cash deal which

cumulatively amounted to $12.2 billion.

Vodafone purchased administering interest of 67% owned by Hutch-Essar for a total worth of $11.1 billion

on February 11, 2007.

India Aluminium and copper giant Hindalco Industries purchased Canada-based firm Novelis Inc in February

2007. The total worth of the deal was $6-billion.

Indian pharma industry registered its first biggest in 2008 M&A deal through the acquisition of Japanese

pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo by Indian major Ranbaxy for $4.5 billion.

The Oil and Natural Gas Corp purchased Imperial Energy Plc in January 2009. The deal amounted to $2.8

billion and was considered as one of the biggest takeovers after 96.8% of London based companies' shareholders acknowledged the buyout proposal.

In November 2008 NTT DoCoMo, the Japan based telecom firm acquired 26% stake in Tata Teleservices

for USD 2.7 billion. India's financial industry saw the merging of two prominent banks - HDFC Bank and Centurion Bank of

Punjab. The deal took place in February 2008 for $2.4 billion.

Tata Motors acquired Jaguar and Land Rover brands from Ford Motor in March 2008. The deal amounted to

$2.3 billion.

2009 saw the acquisition Asarco LLC by Sterlite Industries Ltd's for $1.8 billion making it ninth biggest-ever

M&A agreement involving an Indian company.

In May 2007, Suzlon Energy obtained the Germany-based wind turbine producer Repower. The 10th largest

in India, the M&A deal amounted to $1.7 billion.

Introduction
The Indian economy has been growing with a rapid pace and has been emerging at the top, be it IT, R&D, pharmaceutical, infrastructure, energy, consumer retail, telecom, financial services, media, and hospitality etc. It is second fastest growing economy in the world with GDP touching 9.3 % last year. This growth momentum was supported by the double digit growth of the services sector at 10.6% and industry at 9.7% in the first quarter of 2006-07. Investors, big companies, industrial houses view Indian market in a growing and proliferating phase, whereby returns on capital and the shareholder returns are high. Both the inbound and outbound mergers and acquisitions have increased dramatically. According to Investment bankers, Merger & Acquisition (M&A) deals in India will cross $100 billion this year, which is double last years

level and quadruple of 2005.

In the first two months of 2007, corporate India witnessed deals worth close to $40 billion. One of the first overseas acquisitions by an Indian company in 2007 was Mahindra & Mahindras takeover of 90 percent stake in Schoneweiss, a family-owned German company with over 140 years of experience in forging business. What hit the headlines early this year was Tatas takeover of Corus for slightly over $10 billion. On the heels of that deal, Hutchison Whampoa of Hong Kong sold their controlling stake in HutchisonEssar to Vodafone for a whopping $11.1 billion. Bangalore-based MTRs packaged food division found a buyer in Orkala, a Norwegian company for $100 million. Service companies have also joined the M&A game.

The taxation practice of Mumbai-based RSM Ambit was acquired by PricewaterhouseCoopers. There are many other bids in the pipeline. On an average, in the last four years corporate earnings of companies in India have been increasing by 20-25 percent, contributing to enhanced profitability and healthy balance sheets. For such companies, M&As are an effective strategy to expand their businesses and acquire global footprint.

Mergers or amalgamation, result in the combination of two or more companies into one, wherein the merging entities lose their identities. Nofresh investment is made through this process. However, an exchange of shares takes place between the entities involved in such a process. Generally, the company that survives is the buyer which retains its identity and the seller company is extinguished.

Definitions:
Mergers, acquisitions and takeovers have been a part of the business world for centuries. In today's dynamic economic environment, companies are often faced with decisions concerning these actions - after all, the job of management is to maximize shareholder value. Through mergers and acquisitions, a company can (at least in theory) develop a competitive advantage and ultimately increase shareholder value. The said terms to a layman may seem alike but in legal/ corporate terminology, they can be distinguished from each other:

# Merger: A full joining together of two previously separate corporations. A true merger in the legal sense occurs when both businesses dissolve and fold their assets and liabilities into a newly created third entity. This entails the creation of a new corporation.

# Acquisition: Taking possession of another business. Also called a takeover or buyout. It may be share purchase (the buyer buys the shares of the target company from the shareholders of the target company. The buyer will take on the company with all its assets and liabilities. ) or asset purchase (buyer buys the assets of the target company from the target company) In simple terms, A merger involves the mutual decision of two companies to combine and become one entity; it can be seen as a decision made by two "equals", whereas an acquisition or takeover on the other hand, is characterized the purchase of a smaller company by a much larger one. This combination of "unequals" can produce the same benefits as a merger, but it does not necessarily have to be a mutual decision. A typical merger, in other words, involves two relatively equal companies, which combine to become one legal entity with the goal of producing a

company that is worth more than the sum of its parts. In a merger of two corporations, the shareholders usually have their shares in the old company exchanged for an equal number of shares in the merged entity. In an acquisition, the acquiring firm usually offers a cash price per share to the target firms shareholders or the acquiring firm's share's to the shareh olders of the target firm according to a specified conversion ratio. Either way, the purchasing company essentially finances the purchase of the target company, buying it outright for its shareholders

# Joint Venture: Two or more businesses joining together under a contractual agreement to conduct a specific business enterprise with both parties sharing profits and losses. The venture is for one specific project only, rather than for a continuing business relationship as in a strategic alliance.

# Strategic Alliance: A partnership with another business in which you combine efforts in a business effort involving anything from getting a better price for goods by buying in bulk together to seeking business together with each of you providing part of the product. The basic idea behind alliances is to minimize risk while maximizing your leverage.

# Partnership: A business in which two or more individuals who carry on a continuing business for profit as co-owners. Legally, a partnership is regarded as a group of individuals rather than as a single entity, although each of the partners file their share of the profits on their individual tax returns.

Many mergers are in truth acquisitions. One business actually buys another and incorporates it into its own business model. Because of this misuse of the term merger, many statistics on mergers are presented for the combined mergers and acquisitions (M&A) that are occurring. This gives a broader and more accurate view of the merger market .

Types of Mergers:

From the perception of business organizations, there is a whole host of different mergers. However, from an economist point of view i.e. based on the relationship between the two merging companies, mergers are classified into following:

# Horizontal merger- Two companies that are in direct competition and share the same product lines and markets i.e. it results in the consolidation of firms that are direct rivals. E.g. Exxon and Mobil, Ford and Volvo, Volkswagen and Rolls Royce and Lamborghini

# Vertical merger- A customer and company or a supplier and company i.e. merger of firms that have actual or potential buyer-seller relationship eg. Ford- Bendix, Time Warner-TBS.

# Conglomerate merger- generally a merger between companies which do not have any common business areas or no common relationship of any kind. Consolidated firma may sell related products or share marketing and distribution channels or production processes. Such kind ofmerger may be broadly classified into following:

# Product-extension merger - Conglomerate mergers which involves companies selling different but related products in the same market or sell

non-competing products and use same marketing channels of production process. E.g. Phillip Morris-Kraft, Pepsico- Pizza Hut, Proctor and Gamble and Clorox

# Market-extension merger - Conglomerate mergers wherein companies that sell the same products in different markets/ geographic markets. E.g. Morrison supermarkets and Safeway, Time Warner-TCI.

# Pure Conglomerate merger- two companies which merge have no obvious relationship of any kind. E.g. BankCorp of America- Hughes Electronics.

On a general analysis, it can be concluded that Horizontal mergers eliminate sellers and hence reshape the market structure i.e. they have direct impact on seller concentration whereas vertical and conglomerate mergers do not affect market structures e.g. the seller concentration directly. They do not have anticompetitive consequences.

The circumstances and reasons for every merger are different and these circumstances impact the way the deal is dealt, approached, managed and executed. .However, the success of mergers depends on how well the deal makers can integrate two companies while maintaining day-today operations. Each deal has its own flips which are influenced by various extraneous factors such as human capital component and the leadership. Much of it depends on the companys leadership and the ability to retain people who are key to companys on going success. It is important, that both the parties should be clear in their mind as to the motive of such acquisition i.e. there should be census- ad- idiom. Profits,

intellectual property, costumer base are peripheral or central to the acquiring company, the motive will determine the risk profile of such M&A. Generally before the onset of any deal, due diligence is conducted so as to gauze the risks involved, the quantum of assets and liabilities that are acquired etc.

Legal Procedures for Merger, Amalgamations and Take-overs The basis law related to mergers is codified in the Indian Companies Act, 1956 which works in tandem with various regulatory policies. The general law relating to mergers, amalgamations and reconstruction is embodied in sections 391 to 396 of the Companies Act, 1956 which jointly deal with the compromise and arrangement with creditors and members of a company needed for a merger. Section 391 gives the Tribunal the power to sanction a compromise or arrangement between a company and its creditors/ members subject to certain conditions. Section 392 gives the power to the Tribunal to enforce and/ or supervise such compromises or arrangements with creditors and members. Section 393 provides for the availability of the information required by the creditors and members of the concerned company when acceding to such an arrangement. Section 394 makes provisions for facilitating reconstruction and amalgamation of companies, by making an appropriate application to the Tribunal. Section 395 gives power and duty to acquire the shares of shareholders dissenting from the scheme or contract approved by the majority.

And Section 396 deals with the power of the central government to provide for an amalgamation of companies in the national interest. In any scheme of amalgamation, both the amalgamating company or companies and the amalgamated company should comply with the requirements

specified in sections 391 to 394 and submit details of all the formalities for consideration of the Tribunal. It is not enough if one of the companies alone fulfils the necessary formalities. Sections 394, 394A of the Companies Act deal with the procedures and the requirements to be followed in order to effect amalgamations of companies coupled with the provisions relating to the powers of the Tribunal and the central government in the matter of bringing about amalgamations of companies.

After the application is filed, the Tribunal would pass orders with regard to the fixation of the dates of the hearing, and the provision of a copy of the application to the Registrar of Companies and the Regional Director of the Company Law Board in accordance with section 394A and to the Official Liquidator for the report confirming that the affairs of the company have not been conducted in a manner prejudicial to the interest of the shareholders or the public. Before sanctioning the scheme of amalgamation, the Tribunal has also to give notice of every application made to it under section 391 to 394 to the central government and the Tribunal should take into consideration the representations, if any, made to it by the government before passing any order granting or rejecting the scheme of amalgamation. Thus the central government is provided with an opportunity to have a say in the matter of amalgamations of companies before the scheme of amalgamation is approved or rejected by the Tribunal.

The powers and functions of the central government in this regard are exercised by the Company Law Board through its Regional Directors. While hearing the petitions of the companies in connection with the scheme of amalgamation, the Tribunal would give the petitioner company

an opportunity to meet all the objections which may be raised by shareholders, creditors, the government and others. It is, therefore, necessary for the company to keep itself ready to face the various arguments and challenges. Thus by the order of the Tribunal, the properties or liabilities of the amalgamating company get transferred to the amalgamated company. Under section 394, the Tribunal has been specifically empowered to make specific provisions in its order sanctioning an amalgamation for the transfer to the amalgamated company of the whole or any parts of the properties, liabilities, etc. of the amalgamated company. The rights and liabilities of the employees of the amalgamating company would stand transferred to the amalgamated company only in those cases where the Tribunal specifically directs so in its order.

The assets and liabilities of the amalgamating company automatically gets vested in the amalgamated company by virtue of the order of the Tribunal granting a scheme of amalgamation. The Tribunal also make provisions for the means of payment to the shareholders of the transferor companies, continuation by or against the transferee company of any legal proceedings pending by or against any transferor company, the dissolution (without winding up) of any transferor company, the provision to be made for any person who dissents from the compromise or arrangement, and any other incidental consequential and supplementary matters to secure the amalgamation process if it is necessary. The order of the Tribunal granting sanction to the scheme of amalgamation must be submitted by every company to which the order applies (i.e., the amalgamating company and the amalgamated company) to the Registrar of Companies for registration within thirty days.

Motives behind M & A These motives are considered to add shareholder value: # Economies of Scale: This generally refers to a method in which the average cost per unit is decreased through increased production, since fixed costs are shared over an increased number of goods. In a laymans language, more the products, more is the bargaining power. This is possible only when the companies merge/ combine/ acquired, as the same can often obliterate duplicate departments or operation, thereby lowering the cost of the company relative to theoretically the same revenue stream, thus increasing profit. It also provides varied pool of resources of both the combining companies along with a larger share in the market, wherein the resources can be exercised.

# Increased revenue /Increased Market Share: This motive assumes that the company will be absorbing the major competitor and thus increase its power (by capturing increased market share) to set prices.

# Cross selling: For example, a bank buying a stock broker could then sell its banking products to the stock brokers customers, while the broker can sign up the bank customers for brokerage account. Or, a manufacturer can acquire and sell complimentary products.

# Corporate Synergy: Better use of complimentary resources. It may take the form of revenue enhancement (to generate more revenue than its two predecessor standalone companies would be able to generate) and cost savings (to reduce or eliminate expenses associated with running a business).

# Taxes : A profitable can buy a loss maker to use the targets tax right off i.e. wherein a sick company is bought by giants.

# Geographical or other diversification: this is designed to smooth the earning results of a company, which over the long term smoothens the stock price of the company giving conservative investors more confidence in investing in the company. However, this does not always deliver value to shareholders.

# Resource transfer: Resources are unevenly distributed across firms and interaction of target and acquiring firm resources can create value through either overcoming information asymmetry or by combining scarce resources. Eg: Laying of employees, reducing taxes etc.

# Improved market reach and industry visibility - Companies buy companies to reach new markets and grow revenues and earnings. A merge may expand two companies' marketing and distribution, giving them new sales opportunities. A merger can also improve a company's standing in the investment community: bigger firms often have an easier time raising capital than smaller ones.

Advantages of M&As: The general advantage behind mergers and acquisition is that it provides a productive platform for the companies to grow, though much of it depends on the way the deal is implemented. It is a way to increase market penetration in a particular area with the help of an established base. As per Mr D.S Brar (former C.E.O of Ranbaxy pharmaceuticals), few reasons for M&As are: # Accessing new markets

# maintaining growth momentum # acquiring visibility and international brands # buying cutting edge technology rather than importing it # taking on global competition # improving operating margins and efficiencies # developing new product mixes

Conclusion In real terms, the rationale behind mergers and acquisitions is that the two companies are more valuable, profitable than individual companies and that the shareholder value is also over and above that of the sum of the two companies. Despite negative studies and resistance from the economists, M&As continue to be an important tool behind growth of a company. Reason being, the expansion is not limited by internal resources, no drain on working capital - can use exchange of stocks, is attractive as tax benefit and above all can consolidate industry - increase firm's market power.

With the FDI policies becoming more liberalized, Mergers, Acquisitions and alliance talks are heating up in India and are growing with an ever increasing cadence. They are no more limited to one particular type of business. The list of past and anticipated mergers covers every size and variety of business -- mergers are on the increase over the whole marketplace, providing platforms for the small companies being acquired by bigger ones.

The basic reason behind mergers and acquisitions is that organizations merge and form a single entity to achieve economies of scale, widen their reach, acquire strategic skills, and gain competitive advantage. In simple terminology, mergers are considered as an important tool by companies for purpose of expanding their operation and increasing their profits, which in faade depends on the kind of companies being merged. Indian markets have witnessed burgeoning trend in mergers which may be due to business consolidation by large industrial houses, consolidation of business by multinationals operating in India, increasing competition against imports and acquisition activities. Therefore, it is ripe time for business houses and corporates to watch the Indian market, and grab the opportunity.

Laws Regulating Merger

Following are the laws that regulate the merger of the company:(I) The Companies Act , 1956 Section 390 to 395 of Companies Act, 1956 deal with arrangements, amalgamations, mergers and the procedure to be followed for getting the arrangement, compromise or the scheme of amalgamation approved. Though, section 391 deals with the issue of compromise or arrangement which is different from the issue of amalgamation as deal with under section 394, as section 394 too refers to the procedure under section 391 etc., all the section are to be seen together while understanding the procedure of getting the scheme of amalgamation approved. Again, it is true

that while the procedure to be followed in case of amalgamation of two companies is wider than the scheme of compromise or arrangement though there exist substantial overlapping. The procedure to be followed while getting the scheme of amalgamation and the important points, are as follows:(1) Any company, creditors of the company, class of them, members or the class of members can file an application under section 391 seeking sanction of any scheme of compromise or arrangement. However, by its very nature it can be understood that the scheme of amalgamation is normally presented by the company. While filing an application either under section 391 or section 394, the applicant is supposed to disclose all material particulars in accordance with the provisions of the Act. (2) Upon satisfying that the scheme is prima facie workable and fair, the Tribunal order for the meeting of the members, class of members, creditors or the class of creditors. Rather, passing an order calling for meeting, if the requirements of holding meetings with class of shareholders or the members, are specifically dealt with in the order calling meeting, then, there wont be any subsequent litigation. The scope of conduct of meeting with such class of members or the shareholders is wider in case of amalgamation than where a scheme of compromise or arrangement is sought for under section 391 (3) The scheme must get approved by the majority of the stake holders viz., the members, class of members, creditors or such class of creditors. The scope of conduct of meeting with the members, class of members, creditors or such class of creditors will be restrictive some what in an application seeking compromise or arrangement. (4) There should be due notice disclosing all material particulars and annexing the copy of the

scheme as the case may be while calling the meeting. (5) In a case where amalgamation of two companies is sought for, before approving the scheme of amalgamation, a report is to be received form the registrar of companies that the approval of scheme will not prejudice the interests of the shareholders. (6) The Central Government is also required to file its report in an application seeking approval of compromise, arrangement or the amalgamation as the case may be under section 394A. (7) After complying with all the requirements, if the scheme is approved, then, the certified copy of the order is to be filed with the concerned authorities. (II) The Competition Act ,2002 Following provisions of the Competition Act, 2002 deals with mergers of the company:(1) Section 5 of the Competition Act, 2002 deals with Combinations which defines combination by reference to assets and turnover (a) exclusively in India and (b) in India and outside India. For example, an Indian company with turnover of Rs. 3000 crores cannot acquire another Indian company without prior notification and approval of the Competition Commission. On the other hand, a foreign company with turnover outside India of more than USD 1.5 billion (or in excess of Rs. 4500 crores) may acquire a company in India with sales just short of Rs. 1500 crores without any notification to (or approval of) the Competition Commission being required. (2) Section 6 of the Competition Act, 2002 states that, no person or enterprise shall enter into a combination which causes or is likely to cause an appreciable adverse effect on competition within the relevant market in India and such a combination shall be void.

All types of intra-group combinations, mergers, demergers, reorganizations and other similar transactions should be specifically exempted from the notification procedure and appropriate clauses should be incorporated in sub-regulation 5(2) of the Regulations. These transactions donot have any competitive impact on the market for assessment under the Competition Act, Section 6. (III) Foreign Exchange Management Act,1999 The foreign exchange laws relating to issuance and allotment of shares to foreign entities are contained in The Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or Issue of Security by a person residing out of India) Regulation, 2000 issued by RBI vide GSR no. 406(E) dated 3rd May, 2000. These regulations provide general guidelines on issuance of shares or securities by an Indian entity to a person residing outside India or recording in its books any transfer of security from or to such person. RBI has issued detailed guidelines on foreign investment in India vide Foreign Direct Investment Scheme contained in Schedule 1 of said regulation. (IV) SEBI Take over Code 1994 SEBI Takeover Regulations permit consolidation of shares or voting rights beyond 15% up to 55%, provided the acquirer does not acquire more than 5% of shares or voting rights of the target company in any financial year. [Regulation 11(1) of the SEBI Takeover Regulations] However, acquisition of shares or voting rights beyond 26% would apparently attract the notification procedure under the Act. It should be clarified that notification to CCI will not be required for consolidation of shares or voting rights permitted under the SEBI Takeover Regulations. Similarly the acquirer who has already acquired control of a company (say a listed company), after adhering to all requirements of SEBI Takeover Regulations and also the Act, should be exempted from the Act for further acquisition of shares or voting rights in the same company. (V) The Indian Income Tax Act (ITA), 1961

Merger has not been defined under the ITA but has been covered under the term 'amalgamation' as defined in section 2(1B) of the Act. To encourage restructuring, merger and demerger has been given a special treatment in the Income-tax Act since the beginning. The Finance Act, 1999 clarified many issues relating to Business Reorganizations thereby facilitating and making business restructuring tax neutral. As per Finance Minister this has been done to accelerate internal liberalization. Certain provisions applicable to mergers/demergers are as under: Definition of Amalgamation/Merger Section 2(1B). Amalgamation means merger of either one or more companies with another company or merger of two or more companies to form one company in such a manner that: (1) All the properties and liabilities of the transferor company/companies become the properties and liabilities of Transferee Company. (2) Shareholders holding not less than 75% of the value of shares in the transferor company (other than shares which are held by, or by a nominee for, the transferee company or its subsidiaries) become shareholders of the transferee company. The following provisions would be applicable to merger only if the conditions laid down in section 2(1B) relating to merger are fulfilled: (1) Taxability in the hands of Transferee Company Section 47(vi) & section 47 (a) The transfer of shares by the shareholders of the transferor company in lieu of shares of the transferee company on merger is not regarded as transfer and hence gains arising from the same are not chargeable to tax in the hands of the shareholders of the transferee company. [Section 47(vii)] (b) In case of merger, cost of acquisition of shares of the transferee company, which were

acquired in pursuant to merger will be the cost incurred for acquiring the shares of the transferor company. [Section 49(2)] (VI) Mandatory permission by the courts Any scheme for mergers has to be sanctioned by the courts of the country. The company act provides that the high court of the respective states where the transferor and the transferee companies have their respective registered offices have the necessary jurisdiction to direct the winding up or regulate the merger of the companies registered in or outside India. The high courts can also supervise any arrangements or modifications in the arrangements after having sanctioned the scheme of mergers as per the section 392 of the Company Act. Thereafter the courts would issue the necessary sanctions for the scheme of mergers after dealing with the application for the merger if they are convinced that the impending mer ger is fair and reasonable. The courts also have a certain limit to their powers to exercise their jurisdiction which have essentially evolved from their own rulings. For example, the courts will not allow the merger to come through the intervention of the courts, if the same can be effected through some other provisions of the Companies Act; further, the courts cannot allow for the merger to proceed if there was something that the parties themselves could not agree to; also, if the merger, if allowed, would be in contravention of certain conditions laid down by the law, such a merger also cannot be permitted. The courts have no special jurisdiction with regard to the issuance of writs to entertain an appeal over a matter that is otherwise final, conclusive and binding as per the section 391 of the Company act.

(VII) Stamp duty Stamp act varies from state to State. As per Bombay Stamp Act, conveyance includes an order in respect of amalgamation; by which property is transferred to or vested in any other person. As per this Act, rate of stamp duty is 10 per cent. Intellectual Property Due Diligence In Mergers And Acquisitions The increased profile, frequency, and value of intellectual property related transactions have elevated the need for all legal and financial professionals and Intellectual Property (IP) owner to have thorough understanding of the assessment and the valuation of these assets, and their role in commercial transaction. A detailed assessment of intellectual property asset is becoming an increasingly integrated part of commercial transaction. Due diligence is the process of investigating a partys ownership, right to use, and right to stop others from using the IP rights involved in sale or merger ---the nature of transaction and the rights being acquired will determine the extent and focus of the due diligence review. Due Diligence in IP for valuation would help in building strategy, where in:(a) If Intellectual Property asset is underplayed the plans for maximization would be discussed. (b) If the Trademark has been maximized to the point that it has lost its cachet in the market place, reclaiming may be considered. (c) If mark is undergoing generalization and is becoming generic, reclaiming the mark from slipping to generic status would need to be considered. (d) Certain events can devalue an Intellectual Property Asset, in the same way a fire can suddenly destroy a piece of real property. These sudden events in respect of IP could be adverse publicity or personal injury arising from a product. An essential part of the due diligence and

valuation process accounts for the impact of product and company-related events on assets management can use risk information revealed in the due diligence. (e) Due diligence could highlight contingent risk which do not always arise from Intellectual Property law itself but may be significantly affected by product liability and contract law and other non Intellectual Property realms. Therefore Intellectual Property due diligence and valuation can be correlated with the overall legal due diligence to provide an accurate conclusion regarding the asset present and future value Legal Procedure For Bringing About Merger Of Companies (1) Examination of object clauses: The MOA of both the companies should be examined to check the power to amalgamate is available. Further, the object clause of the merging company should permit it to carry on the business of the merged company. If such clauses do not exist, necessary approvals of the share holders, board of directors, and company law board are required. (2) Intimation to stock exchanges: The stock exchanges where merging and merged companies are listed should be informed about the merger proposal. From time to time, copies of all notices, resolutions, and orders should be mailed to the concerned stock exchanges. (3) Approval of the draft merger proposal by the respective boards: The draft merger proposal should be approved by the respective BODs. The board of each company should pass a resolution authorizing its directors/executives to pursue the matter further. (4) Application to high courts: Once the drafts of merger proposal is approved by the respective boards, each company should

make an application to the high court of the state where its registered office is situated so that it can convene the meetings of share holders and creditors for passing the merger proposal. (5) Dispatch of notice to share holders and creditors: In order to convene the meetings of share holders and creditors, a notice and an explanatory statement of the meeting, as approved by the high court, should be dispatched by each company to its shareholders and creditors so that they get 21 days advance intimation. The notice of the meetings should also be published in two news papers. (6) Holding of meetings of share holders and creditors: A meeting of share holders should be held by each company for passing the scheme of mergers at least 75% of shareholders who vote either in person or by proxy must approve the scheme of merger. Same applies to creditors also. (7) Petition to High Court for confirmation and passing of HC orders: Once the mergers scheme is passed by the share holders and creditors, the companies involved in the merger should present a petition to the HC for confirming the scheme of merger. A notice about the same has to be published in 2 newspapers. (8) Filing the order with the registrar: Certified true copies of the high court order must be filed with the registrar of companies within the time limit specified by the court. (9) Transfer of assets and liabilities: After the final orders have been passed by both the HCs, all the assets and liabilities of the merged company will have to be transferred to the merging company. (10) Issue of shares and debentures:

The merging company, after fulfilling the provisions of the law, should issue shares and debentures of the merging company. The new shares and debentures so issued will then be listed on the stock exchange. Waiting Period In Merger International experience shows that 80-85% of mergers and acquisitions do not raise competitive concerns and are generally approved between 30-60 days. The rest tend to take longer time and, therefore, laws permit sufficient time for looking into complex cases. The International Competition Network, an association of global competition authorities, had recommended that the straight forward cases should be dealt with within six weeks and complex cases within six months. The Indian competition law prescribes a maximum of 210 days for determination of combination, which includes mergers, amalgamations, acquisitions etc. This however should not be read as the minimum period of compulsory wait for parties who will notify the Competition Commission. In fact, the law clearly states that the compulsory wait period is either 210 days from the filing of the notice or the order of the Commission, whichever is earlier. In the event the Commission approves a proposed combination on the 30th day, it can take effect on the 31st day. The internal time limits within the overall gap of 210 days are proposed to be built in the regulations that the Commission will be drafting, so that the over whelming proportion of mergers would receive approval within a much shorter period. The time lines prescribed under the Act and the Regulations do not take cognizance of the

compliances to be observed under other statutory provisions like the SEBI (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations, 1997 (SEBI Takeover Regulations) . SEBI Takeover Regulations require the acquirer to complete all procedures relating to the public offer including payment of consideration to the shareholders who have accepted the offer, within 90 days from the date of public announcement. Similarly, mergers and amalgamations get completed generally in 3-4 months time. Failure to make payments to the shareholders in the public offer within the time stipulated in the SEBI Takeover Regulations entails payment of interest by the acquirer at a rate as may be specified by SEBI. [Regulation 22(12) of the SEBI Takeover Regulations] It would therefore be essential that the maximum turnaround time for CCI should be reduced from 210 days to 90 days. Conclusion With the FDI policies becoming more liberalized, Mergers, Acquisitions and alliance talks are heating up in India and are growing with an ever increasing cadence. They are no more limited to one particular type of business. The list of past and anticipated mergers covers every size and variety of business -- mergers are on the increase over the whole marketplace, providing platforms for the small companies being acquired by bigger ones. The basic reason behind mergers and acquisitions is that organizations merge and form a single entity to achieve economies of scale, widen their reach, acquire strategic skills, and gain competitive advantage. In simple terminology, mergers are considered as an important tool by companies for purpose of expanding their operation and increasing their profits, which in faade depends on the kind of companies being merged. Indian markets have witnessed burgeoning trend in mergers which may be due to business consolidation by large industrial houses, consolidation of business by

multinationals operating in India, increasing competition against imports and acquisition activities. Therefore, it is ripe time for business houses and corporates to watch the Indian market, and grab the opportunity.