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Rishabh Shroff

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Co-Head and Partner in the Private Client Practice at the Mumbai office of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. Rishabh specialises in family constitutions and settlements, trusts, wills and succession planning. He can be reached at rishabh.shroff@cyrilshroff.com

India’s Finance Act 2020, COVID–19 & HNIs - An Update

The Finance Bill, 2020 (“Bill”) was presented as the Union Budget on February 1, 2020 (“Budget”) and then introduced in the Lower House of Parliament (Lok Sabha) – it was finally passed on March 23, 2020 with certain key amendments (“Amendment”). Interestingly, this was passed without any discussions in Parliament and received the presidential assent on March 27. Accordingly, the same will come into effect from April 1, 2020 (“Finance Act”).

The Finance Act needs to be seen in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic being played out in India. As India undergoes a 21-day lockdown, post passing of the Amendment, the government is undertaking pro-active measures by way of press conferences to address the pressing needs of the society. To begin with, the government announced an extension of various statutory compliances for taxpayers (discussed below). Next, the Finance Minister (“FM”) announced a COVID-19 relief package for the poor, which primarily covers food security and direct cash transfers to them. Lastly, on March 27, Reserve Bank of India (“RBI”) Governor, Shaktikanta Das slashed the key lending rate by 75 basis points in an emergency move, to counter the economic fallout of the said lockdown. The RBI also permitted all commercial banks and lending institutions to allow a 3-month moratorium on loans. “Banks should do all they can to keep credit flowing,” Mr Das said. …
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Covid -19 and succession planning

 Lawyers are generally very conservative – so it may sound a bit alarmist to hear us say “the world is ending!” At the time of writing, India is coming to grips with the terrifying ‘Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (“COVID-19”)’ virus. There is something primal and scary about an airborne threat that can kill you – from something as simple as coming close to an infected person, or touching a door handle, etc. It makes us think about the fragility of life, and the need to protect our loved ones. Some people may believe the steps being taken at present are an overreaction – but are they?

As per the WHO, COVID-19 appears to target the elderly and individuals having underlying illnesses. The WHO mission to China found that 78% of the cases reported as of February 20, 2020 were in individuals between ages 30 and 69. In a matter of barely three months, COVID-19 has infected over 185,000 individuals, resulting in nearly 7,200 deaths, covering 157 countries and territories around the world. The Diamond Princess cruise ship harbored in Yokohama, Japan— was among the lone case involving an international vessel. In India, at the time of writing, 110+ individuals tested positive for the virus, with three fatalities. The virus knows no boundaries, gender or net worth, targeting poor and rich alike. Pandemics are an equalizer in society.

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In some Indian states, stamp duty is not payable on a document through which a property has been transferred in favour of a blood relative. (Photo: iStock) – Source: Livemint

The Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas shares their comments and opinions shared in an article in the  following Q&A which was published by the Mint Newspaper on 3rd March, 2020 and the online edition of the same can be found at: https://www.livemint.com/money/personal-finance/gifts-deeds-are-not-reversible-so-the-giver-can-t-get-back-the-rights-11583220828729.html

My mother and I co-own a residential property in Mumbai. She has decided to transfer her share of the property to my name. Should we prepare a gift deed or a relinquishment or release deed to execute this transfer? The property has been mortgaged to a bank, but I have obtained a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the transfer. Will I also have to ask the housing society in which the property is located to transfer the share certificate to my name? Can I include a clause in the deed to ensure that if I am survived by my mother, the rights will be transferred back to her upon my death?

—Chirag

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Pets as beneficaries in trust or will
Image Source: iStock | Livemint.com

The Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas shares their comments and opinions shared in an article in the  following Q&A which was published by the Mint Newspaper on 18th February, 2020 and the online edition of the same can be found at: https://www.livemint.com/money/personal-finance/you-can-t-name-your-pets-as-beneficiaries-of-a-trust-or-will-11582011911565.html

I am 61 years old and widowed. I have two dogs and a cat. Can I create a trust in their names to ensure that they are taken care of after my demise? What other options can I explore while planning my estate? Also, what will happen to the trust or any such entity after my pets die?

—Name withheld on request

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Will and testament
The Indian Succession Act does not make it compulsory to appoint an executor of a Will, (iStock)

The Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas shares their comments and opinions shared in an article in the  following Q&A which was published by the Mint Newspaper on 28th Jan, 2020 and the online edition of the same can be found at: https://www.livemint.com/insurance/news/it-is-not-necessary-to-appoint-a-lawyer-as-executor-of-your-will-11580203086115.html

My life insurance policies have nominees. But I want the life insurance proceeds to go to a few other people, too. I wish to specify the same in the Will. Can it get challenged as the nominee names are different?

—Herman Patel…
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Will Making
Photo: iStock

The Private Client team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas is delighted to share, via our Private Client blog, our comments and opinions shared in various leading media publications globally. We hope these inputs help our clients and readers gain a practical perspective into key legal, financial, commercial and other aspects that need to be duly considered in Estate Planning.

The following Q&A was published by the Mint Newspaper on 14 Jan 2020 and the online edition of the same can be found at: https://www.livemint.com/money/personal-finance/trust-made-under-will-works-well-for-bequeathing-assets-to-a-minor-11578997625506.html.

For further information, please contact our Partner & Co-Head of our Private Client team, Mr. Rishabh Shroff, at Rishabh.shroff@cyrilshroff.com…
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Legal Heirs Preferred Over Nominees - Court Decision

The issue of legatees vs. nominees still seems to be causing confusion in the minds of the public. Even after a number of clear judicial decisions on this topic, confirming that legal heirs are the correct persons to inherit assets (over that of a nominee), a new decision re-confirms this issue.

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, New Delhi (“NCLAT”), on November 14th, 2019 had held that nomination does not amount to beneficial ownership to an asset and the nominee holds the asset for and on behalf of the legal heirs of the deceased. The Bench of Justice S.J. Mukhopadhyaya and Justice A.I.S. Cheema, in the case of Oswal Greentech v Mr Pankaj Oswal and Ors[1] (“Oswal”) whilst listening to the question of maintainability of the petition under Section 241-242 of the Companies Act, 2013 (“Act”), decided on the said matter.…
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Prosecution under Black Money Act for inherited foreign bank accounts

The scourge of ‘black money’ has been a persistent issue for India, becoming a major political issue in the recent past. The problem of black money leads to challenges on multiple fronts, greatest of them being denial of revenue to the Government. The parallel economy created by black money deprives the government of its due share of individual income tax, which in turn leads to reduced funds available for much needed government spending and stimulus. Socially, the problem of black money gives rise to further corruption and enhanced class inequality.

Since coming to power in 2014, the current Government has taken up the issue of black money as a major point of reform and has been gradually escalating its efforts to bring black money, both in India and abroad, to tax. Some of the major measures include establishing the multilateral mechanism for Automatic Exchange of Information, information exchange mechanisms with various countries under the respective tax treaties, the demonetisation drive, enactment of the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 (BM Act) and the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018.…
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In recent years, the issue of corporate governance in India has been a hot topic of discussion. As India Inc. has grown by leaps and bounds, corporate India’s attention has evolved from simple ‘management’ to ‘governance’, and now ‘effective governance’. Given the unique challenges that India Inc. faces due to the predominance of family run businesses, there is a pressing need to move from the ‘Raja’ and ‘Praja’ model of governance (wherein the self-interests of the promoter family precedes the interests of other stakeholders) to the ‘Custodian’ model of governance (which is designed to serve the interests of all stakeholders). While some promoters have consciously worked hard to establish a “Ram Rajya” (a democratic-righteous rule), many are still reluctant to yield power and fear that it may lead to an abdication of their throne.

Kotak Committee

In June 2017, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), constituted a high powered committee under the chairmanship of Mr. Uday Kotak (Kotak Committee) with the aim of improving governance standards of Indian listed companies which came out with detailed recommendations (Kotak Report)[1]. The legal experts on the Kotak Committee included our Firm’s Managing Partner, Mr. Cyril Shroff.

On March 28th, 2018, SEBI’s Board decided on these recommendations whereby (i) 40 out of 80 were accepted without any modifications; (ii) 15 were accepted with modifications; and (iii) 18 were rejected.

Kotak Committee – Key recommendations accepted by SEBI

The Kotak Committee suggested numerous amendments to the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, which will consequently impact all listed entities. In this article, we dissect some of the critical proposals and their impact on Indian Promoters. For a full list of recommendations accepted by SEBI, please refer to the press release[2].

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Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

–  Anonymous

Philanthropists the world over have been inspired by this simple but powerful statement, and have evolved from undertaking traditional notions of charity to philanthropy and now more recently, towards impact investing.

Impact investing bridges the gap between pure charity and donations for social, environmental and other causes, and pure investment aimed only at financial gain. As the world and, in particular, India, braces itself to battle increasing demand but diminishing resources, the deployment of monies in a manner that helps solve societal problems and conserve resources is not a luxury, but an urgent necessity.

Impact investing is an idea whose day has come. Mahatma Gandhi believed that the rich should be custodians of their wealth for the benefit of society, leading to a more egalitarian world. In this article, we explore why Indian family offices – being custodians of family wealth – should embrace impact investing that embodies this Gandhian philosophy. In doing so, they will not only contribute to society but also extend family legacies beyond the board room.

Impact Investing

The World Economic Forum describes impact investing as an approach that intentionally seeks to create both financial return as well as positive social and/or environmental impacts that are actively measured. The term is often used narrowly as an asset class, but, in fact, it represents an investment approach or philosophy by which investments are made across asset classes. Such asset classes include venture capital and private equity, social impact bonds, municipal bonds, real estate and contribution to social venture funds.

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