Company Secretary
74342 Points
Joined March 2009
Basic requirements of the preference shares
A company limited by shares may, if authorised by its Articles, issue preference shares. This means that a public company or a private company may issue preference shares only if its Articles authorise to do so. To qualify the preference share, it should fulfill both the following requirements namely:—
(a) that it carries or will carry a preferential right to be paid dividend of a fixed amount or at a fixed rate; and
(b) that it carries or will carry a preferential right to repayment of capital paid up where or not there is any other preferential right.
In view of the above inclusion of a right to get dividend, whether cumulative or non-cumulative is an inseparable element of preference shares and right to the repayment of capital on winding up.
Dividends can be paid to cumulative preference shareholders in winding up whilst assets of the company are being distributed, and they rank in priority to other shareholders both as regards dividend and capital. [Bombay Chlorine Products Ltd., In re (1965) 35 Comp Cas 282 (Bom)].
Where cumulative preference shareholders are entitled to share in surplus of assets on winding up, they are not entitled to preference for arrears of dividend unless there is specific provision for priority to such arrears.
Where the preference shareholders are entitled to participate in surplus assets on winding up, surplus assets will include undistributed profits on the date of liquidation. [Dimbula Valley (Ceylon) Tea Co. Ltd. v Laurie (1961) 31 Comp Cas 655 (Ch. D)].
Regards
CS Ajay Mishra