BEFORE THE ADJUDICATING OFFICER

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE BOARD OF INDIA

ADJUDICATION ORDER NO. PJ/JAK/8/2015
__________________________________________________________________
UNDER SECTION 15-I OF SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE BOARD OF
INDIA ACT, 1992 READ WITH RULE 5 OF SEBI (PROCEDURE FOR
HOLDING INQUIRY AND IMPOSING PENALTIES BY ADJUDICATING
OFFICER) RULES, 1995
In respect of:
M/s. Suryaamba Spinning Mills Limited
(PAN AALCS4199Q)
In the Matter of M/s. Suryaamba Spinning Mills Limited
__________________________________________________________________
BACKGROUND
1. Securities and Exchange Board of India (hereinafter referred to as "SEBI") came
out with Circulars viz., Circular No. CIR/OIAE/2/2011 dated June 3, 2011,
Circular No. CIR/OIAE/1/2012 dated August 13, 2012 and Circular No.
CIR/OIAE/1/2013 dated April 17, 2013 (hereinafter referred to as "Circulars")
dealing with the processing of investor complaints against listed companies
through SEBI Complaints Redress System (hereinafter referred to as
"SCORES"). In terms of the said Circulars, all listed companies were inter alia
required to view the complaints pending against them, redress them and submit
Action Taken Reports (hereinafter referred to as "ATRs") electronically in
SCORES. However, it was observed that M/s. Suryaamba Spinning Mills Limited
(hereinafter referred to as "Noticee") had failed to redress the investor
grievances within the prescribed time, that is within 30 days.
Adjudication Order in respect of M/s. Suryaamba Spinning Mills Limited

Page 1 of 10

2. In order to further remind the Noticee about the compliance with the
requirements as laid down in the SEBI Circulars, letters dated April 29, 2014 and
dated July 23, 2014 were sent to the Noticee informing about the commencement
of processing of investor complaints in a centralized web based complaints redress
system SCORES in terms of the Circulars and advising the Noticee to redress
the investor grievances pending against the Noticee and file the ATR in SCORES
within 7 days of receipt of the said letters, failing which appropriate legal action
including initiation of adjudication proceedings, debarment from accessing capital
markets, prosecution proceedings against the Noticee and its directors may be
initiated by SEBI.
3. As observed from the contents of the Circular, SCORES introduced electronic
dealing of the complaints of the investors, by the respective companies. Thus,
once a complaint against a company was uploaded in the SCORES marked against
the company, it amounted to calling upon by SEBI to such company to redress the
investor grievance. Accordingly, it was incumbent upon such company to redress
the investor complaint. It was observed that four investor complaints were
pending against the Noticee and it was alleged that the Noticee failed to redress
pending investor grievances in spite of being called upon by SEBI to do so thereby
violating the provisions of Section 15 A(a) and Section 15C of the SEBI Act, 1992.
APPOINTMENT OF ADJUDICATING OFFICER
4. The undersigned was appointed as Adjudicating Officer vide order dated
27.02.2015 under section 19 of SEBI Act read with section 15-I of SEBI Act read
with rule 3 of SEBI (Procedure for Holding Inquiry and Imposing Penalties by
Adjudicating Officer) Rules, 1995 (hereinafter referred to as Rules) to inquire
into and adjudge under Section 15A(a) and 15 C of the SEBI Act, the alleged
Adjudication Order in respect of M/s. Suryaamba Spinning Mills Limited

Page 2 of 10

violations of the provisions of Circular No. CIR/OIAE/2/2011 dated June 3,

2011, Circular No. CIR/OIAE/1/2012 dated August 13, 2012 and Circular No.
CIR/OIAE/1/2013 dated April 17, 2013.
SHOW CAUSE NOTICE, REPLY AND HEARING
5. Show Cause Notice No. EAD/PJ/JAK/12265/2015 dated 30.04.2015 (hereinafter
referred to as 'SCN') was issued to the Noticee under rule 4 of the Rules to show
cause as to why an inquiry should not be held and penalty be not imposed under
Section 15A(a) and Section 15C of SEBI Act for the alleged violation of
provisions of the circulars by failing to redress four invertors complaints within the
prescribed time. Accordingly, the said SCN was delivered to the Noticee. The
noticee not replied to the SCN.
6. In the interest of natural justice an opportunity of hearing was provided to the
Noticee on 13.07.2015 vide hearing notice dated 17.06.2015.
7. The Noticee vide its letter dated 19.06.2015 has submitted as follows:
We would like to inform you that due to the change in internal operational management we
missed the continuity of monitoring the complaints made by the shareholders on SCORES. This
is an unintentional mistake for the first time. We regret for the inconvenience caused to the
shareholders due this.
We would like to inform you that we are in the process of resolving the complaints received from
the shareholders and further we ensure that we resolve the issues expeditiously.
We kindly request you to excuse and give us for a further period of 20 days to resolve the issues
and not to initiate any inquiry by the adjudicating officer and impose any penalty in terms of
above mentioned notice and circulars.

Adjudication Order in respect of M/s. Suryaamba Spinning Mills Limited

Page 3 of 10

8. Accordingly as per the request of the Noticee another opportunity of hearing was
provided to the Noticee on 23.07.2015 vide hearing notice dated 14.07.2015. The
Noticee vide e-mail dated July 22, 2015 sought extension of the date of hearing.

Accordingly another opportunity of hearing was provided to the Noticee on

23.09.2015 vide hearing notice dated 07.09.2015.
The Noticee attended the hearing. During the hearing, the noticee confirmed that
all the four complaints as on the date of the hearing stand resolved but not within
30 days of receipt of complaints as the stipulated by SEBI. The Noticee submitted
a written reply in this regard.
CONSIDERATION OF ISSUES
9. I have carefully perused the written submission of the Noticee and the documents
available on record. It is observed that the allegation against the Noticee is that
they have failed to redress four investor complaints within the prescribed time in
term of the Circulars.
10. The issues that, therefore, arise for consideration in the present case are:
10.1.

Whether the Noticee has violated the provisions of Circulars viz.,

Circular No. CIR/OIAE/2/2011 dated June 3, 2011, SEBI Circular No.

CIR/OIAE/1/2012 dated August 13, 2012 and SEBI Circular No.
CIR/OIAE/1/2013 dated April 17, 2013, by failing to redress four investor
complaints within the prescribed time?
10.2.

Does the violation, if any, attract monetary penalty under Section 15A(a)

and 15C of SEBI Act?

10.3.

If so, what would be the monetary penalty that can be imposed taking

into consideration the factors mentioned in Section 15J of SEBI Act?

Adjudication Order in respect of M/s. Suryaamba Spinning Mills Limited

Page 4 of 10

FINDINGS
11. Before moving forward, it is pertinent to refer to the provisions of Circulars,
which reads as under:

CIRCULAR Ref. No. CIR/OIAE/2/2011 June 3, 2011

1. SEBI has commenced processing of investor complaints in a centralized web based complaints
redress system SCORES. The salient features of this system are:
Centralised database of all complaints,
Online movement of complaints to the concerned listed companies,
Online upload of Action Taken Reports (ATRs) by the concerned companies, and
Online viewing by investors of actions taken on the complaint and its current status.
2. All complaints pertaining to companies will be electronically sent through SCORES at
http://scores.gov.in/Admin. The companies are required to view the complaints pending against
them and submit ATRs alongwith supporting documents electronically in SCORES. Failure on the
part of the company to update the ATR in SCORES will be treated as non redressal of investor
complaints by the company. Submission of physical ATR will not be accepted for complaints lodged in
SCORES. For complaints forwarded to companies on or before 20/05/2011, physical ATRs
should be submitted.
3. The user id and password for logging into SCORES at http://scores.gov.in/Admin are being
communicated separately to companies against whom complaints are lodged in SCORES.
4. In case the complaints are processed by the Registrar to Issue and Share Transfer Agent
(RTI/STA) on behalf of the company, the company should indicate in the enclosed Annexure
whether they require the facility to forward complaints to the RTI/STA, so that the ATRs can be
uploaded by them. In such cases, the name of the RTI/STA, the name of the Compliance Officer
and email id should be furnished, so that the user id and password can be provided accordingly.
Further, failure on the part of the RTI/STA to update the ATR in SCORES will be treated as
non redressal of investor complaints by the company.
5. This Circular supercedes the Circular No.OIAE/Cir-1/2009 dated November 25, 2009 so far
as it relates to Annexure-C to the said Circular wherein the companies had to submit physical
ATRs on the complaints forwarded by SEBI to them.
6. All companies whose securities are listed on Stock Exchanges are advised to comply with the
aforesaid Circular.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Adjudication Order in respect of M/s. Suryaamba Spinning Mills Limited

Page 5 of 10

CIRCULAR Ref. No. CIR/OIAE/1/2012 August 13, 2012

SEBI had issued Circular No.CIR/OIAE/2/2011 dated June 3, 2011 regarding commencement
of SEBI Complaints Redress System (SCORES) and advising all companies whose securities are
listed on various stock exchanges to comply with the provisions of the said circular.
1. In this regard, all companies whose securities are listed on stock exchanges, are hereby advised to
obtain SCORES authentication by September 14, 2012 in terms of the aforesaid circular.
2. All companies against whom complaints are pending on SCORES, shall take appropriate
necessary steps within 7 days of receipt of complaint by the concerned company through SCORES, so
as to resolve the complaint within 30 days of receipt of complaint and also keep the complainant duly
informed of the action taken thereon.
3. In case of failure to comply with the above, SEBI would be constrained to initiate enforcement
actions as per the law as may be deemed appropriate.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------CIRCULAR Ref. No. CIR/OIAE/1/2013 April 17, 2013

1. Pursuant to the provisions of Section 15C SEBI Act, 1992, all listed companies are hereby called
upon to redress the grievances of investors and inform them within 30 days of the receipt of the
complaints. The details of investor grievances relating to the respective companies are available at the
webpage http://scores.gov.in/admin accessed through the respective SCORES user ID and password
of each company. The companies which are yet to obtain SCORES user ID and password are
required to send their details as per the Form-A to SEBI (hard copy) and by email to
scores@sebi.gov.in in order to obtain the SCORES user ID and password. Failure to obtain the
SCORES user ID and password within 30 days of issue of this circular it would not only be deemed
as non redressal of investor grievances but also indicate willful avoidance of the same.
2. Failure by companies to file Action Taken Reports under SCORES within 30 days of date of
receipt of the grievance may also attract the provisions of Sec 15A(a) of the SEBI Act, 1992.
12. The issue for consideration is whether the Noticee has failed to redress four
investor complaints within the prescribed time; the said complaints were made by
the investor through SCORES. As per the provisions of the Circulars, all the
complaints pertaining to listed companies will be electronically sent through
SCORES at http://scores.gov.in/Admin. The listed companies are required to
Adjudication Order in respect of M/s. Suryaamba Spinning Mills Limited

Page 6 of 10

view the complaints pending against them and submit ATRs along with supporting
documents electronically in SCORES. Failure on the part of the listed company to
update the ATR in SCORES will be treated as non-redressal of investor
complaints by the listed company. Submission of physical ATR would not be
accepted for complaints lodged in SCORES. For complaints forwarded to
companies on or before 20/05/2011, physical ATRs should be submitted.
Further the listed company, against whom complaints are pending on SCORES,
shall take appropriate necessary steps within 7 days of receipt of complaint by the
concerned listed company through SCORES, so as to resolve the complaint within
30 days of receipt of complaint and also keep the complainant duly informed of
the action taken thereon. Thus the listed company shall resolve the investors'
complaints within thirty days from the receipt of the complaint in the SCORES
and submit ATRs along with supporting documents electronically in SCORES.
13. It has been alleged in the SCN that, in all there were total four investor complaints
made by the investors through SORES, The same were resolved after 30 days.
14. After considering all the contentions put forth by the Noticee, for the reasons
stated above, it is established without doubt that the Noticee has violated the
provisions of the Circulars by failing to redress the investor complaints within the
prescribed time.
15. Further, I note that the Honble Supreme Court of India in the matter of SEBI Vs.
Shri Ram Mutual Fund [2006] 68 SCL 216(SC) has also held that In our considered
opinion, penalty is attracted as soon as the contravention of the statutory obligation as
contemplated by the Act and the Regulations is established and hence the intention of the parties
committing such violation becomes wholly irrelevant.
16. In view of the foregoing, I am convinced that it is a fit case to impose monetary
penalty under Section 15A(a) and Section 15C of the SEBI Act, which reads as
under:
Adjudication Order in respect of M/s. Suryaamba Spinning Mills Limited

Page 7 of 10

Penalty for failure to furnish information, return, etc.

15A. If any person, who is required under this Act or any rules or regulations made there under,
(a) to furnish any document, return or report to the Board, fails to furnish the same, he shall be liable
to a penalty 1[which shall not be less than one lakh rupees but which may extend to one lakh rupees
for each day during which such failure continues subject to a maximum of one crore rupees];
(b).......
(c).......

Penalty for failure to redress investors grievances.

15C. If any listed company or any person who is registered as an intermediary, after having been
called upon by the Board in writing, to redress the grievances of investors, fails to redress such
grievances within the time specified by the Board, such company or intermediary shall be liable to a
penalty 2[which shall not be less than one lakh rupees but which may extend to one lakh rupees for
each day during which such failure continues subject to a maximum of one crore rupees].
17. While determining the quantum of monetary penalty under Section 15A(a) and
Section 15C of SEBI Act, I have considered the factors stipulated in Section 15-J
of SEBI Act, which reads as under:

15J - Factors to be taken into account by the adjudicating officer

While adjudging quantum of penalty under Section 15-I, the adjudicating officer shall have due
regard to the following factors, namely:
(a) the amount of disproportionate gain or unfair advantage, wherever quantifiable, made as a
result of the default;
(b) the amount of loss caused to an investor or group of investors as a result of the default;

Substituted for the words of one lakh rupees for each day during which such failure continues or one crore rupees,
whichever is less by the Securities Laws (Amendment) Act, 2014, w.e.f. 08-09-2014.
2
Substituted for the words of one lakh rupees for each day during which such failure continues or one crore rupees,
whichever is less by the Securities Laws (Amendment) Act, 2014, w.e.f. 08-09-2014.

Adjudication Order in respect of M/s. Suryaamba Spinning Mills Limited

Page 8 of 10

(c) the repetitive nature of the default.

18. As per Section 15A(a) and 15(c) of the SEBI Act, the Noticee is liable to penalty,
not be less than one lakh rupees but which may extend to one lakh rupees for each
day during which such failure continues subject to a maximum of one crore
rupees. Further, under Section 15-I of the SEBI Act, the adjudicating officer has to
give due regard to certain factors which have been stated as above while adjudging
the quantum of penalty. It is noted that no quantifiable figures are available to
assess the disproportionate gain or unfair advantage made as a result of such
failure to redress the investor complaints in term of the circulars by the Noticee.
Further from the material available on record, it is not possible to ascertain the
exact monetary loss to the investors on account of such failure to redress the
investor complaints in term of the circulars by the Noticee.
19. In addition to the aforesaid, I am also inclined to consider the following mitigating
factor while adjudging the quantum of penalty:
I have noted that the replies have been sent to the complainants by the Noticee,
albeit with delay and the complaints have been resolved.
ORDER
20. After taking into consideration all the facts and circumstances of the case, I
impose a penalty of Rs 25,000/- (Rupees Twenty Five Thousand only) under
Section 15 A(a) and a penalty of Rs 25,000/- (Rupees Twenty Five Thousand
only) under Section 15C of the SEBI Act(Total :- Rupees Fifty Thousand
only) on the Noticee M/s Suryaamba Spinning Mills Limited, which in my
opinion, will be commensurate with the violations committed by the Noticee.

Adjudication Order in respect of M/s. Suryaamba Spinning Mills Limited

Page 9 of 10

21. The Noticee shall pay the said amount of penalty by way of demand draft in
favour of SEBI - Penalties Remittable to Government of India, payable at
Mumbai, within 45 days of receipt of this order. The said demand draft should be
forwarded to Regional Director, Securities and Exchange Board of India, Southern
Regional Office, Overseas Towers, 7th Floor, 756-L, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002.
22. In terms of rule 6 of the Rules, copies of this order are sent to the Noticee and
also to the Securities and Exchange Board of India.

Date: 30.09.2015
Place: Mumbai

Adjudication Order in respect of M/s. Suryaamba Spinning Mills Limited

Prasad P. Jagadale
Adjudicating Officer

Page 10 of 10