Introduction

A Memorandum of Association is a document of vital importance in the incorporation of a

company. It should be drafted with utmost sincerity. To amend and alter the name of the
organisation, the office of registration, object clause, the authorised share capital of the
company and any other legal liabilities, the company is required to a follow a complicated
legal procedure as mentioned in the scope of this article. All other social responsibilities and
supporting activities and range of other related activities should also be clearly stated in the
Memorandum of Association to provide flexibility to undertake new projects as and when the
opportunities arise. Hence it is advisable to present the company’s scope of activities in a
more generic manner instead of mentioning any particular area of focus.

What is the Companies Act, 2013?

The Companies Act, 2013 (hereby referred to as the “Act”) is a Parliamentary Act on Indian
Company Law that regulates the affiliation, authority and disintegration of a company along
with laying concrete rules about the roles and responsibilities of the directors, board
members, stakeholders, investors, creditors and other members of the company.
What is a Memorandum of Association?

According to Section 2(56) of the Companies Act 2013, the “Memorandum” refers to the
memorandum of the company as drawn up initially during the formation of the company or
as changed periodically to carry out any action as per any other law of the Act.

Memorandum of Association is a document of prime importance for a company. It depicts

the objectives, extent of authority, competency, liabilities and legal rights of the company.
The memorandum acts as a legal code or constitution for a company and regulates the
relationships between the company and its shareholders, investors, beneficiaries and other
members.

Why is a Memorandum of Association necessary for a Company?

A memorandum of association allows people like the shareholders, creditors, investors and
other members of a company to know the purpose for which a company has been formed. It
allows them to know the range of activities that the company is permitted to be involved in
and authorises them to learn about the company’s objectives.

The memorandum of association also curbs the company’s flexibility by preventing it from
getting involved in any kind of activities other than the ones mentioned in the memorandum
while the company is in its initial stages of formation.

Some definitions and purpose of the Memorandum of Association as observed by judges such
as Lord Cairns, Lord Macmillan, Lord Selborne and Charles Worth in historical cases
are as follows :-

 Lord Cairns in the leading case of Ashbury Railway Carriage Co. V. Riche observed
that “The Memorandum of Association of a company is its charter and defines
the limitation of the powers of a company.” “The memorandum contains the
fundamental conditions upon which alone the company is allowed to be
incorporated.”

 According to Lord Macmillan, “The purpose of the memorandum is to enable the

shareholders, creditors and those who deal with the company, to know what its
permitted range of enterprise is.”
 According to Lord Selborne, “The memorandum of association is an important and
unalterable (excluding a few conditions) charter. The company is incorporated only
for such objects which are given in the Memorandum.”

 Accordingly to Charles Worth, “The memorandum of association is the company's

charter and defined the limitations of its powers. Its purpose is to enable shareholders,
creditors and those who deal with the company to know w+hat is its permitted range
of enterprise. It is the document which informs all persons dealing with the company,
what the company is formed to do, what capital it has to do with and what its
nationality is. It regulates the company's external affairs, while the article of
association regulates its internal affairs.”
Contents of Memorandum of Association

Under Section 4 of the Companies Act 2013, a Memorandum of Association should comprise
of the following clauses as discussed below:

 Name Clause: It is mandatory to mention the name of the company while drafting
the Memorandum of Association. A company may select any name that it prefers
but it should not be identical to an existing company. The chosen name of the
company as it appears in the Memorandum of Association should be exactly the
same as the one approved by the Registrar of Companies. A Public Limited
Company should end with the word “Limited” and likewise, a Private Limited
Company should end with the words “Private Limited”.

A company should restrain from using words like “King, Queen, Emperor,
Government Bodies and names of World Bodies like U.N.O., W.H.O., World Bank
etc”. In order not to mislead the public a company must not use a name which is
prohibited under the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act of
1950. A company is restricted from using any name which may connect it to the
government of the state, without obtaining prior permission from the government.

 Situation Clause: The Memorandum of Association of a company must contain

the name of the state where the company operates and the jurisdiction of
the Registrar of Company must be specified. It is mandatory for the company to
have the registered office within 15 working days. Likewise, the verification of the
registered office must be completed in 30 days. This procedure is done to fix the
domicile of the company which may or may not be the place where the company is
operating.

In the event of a change in location of the registered office the memorandum needs
to be altered, the procedure for the same is mentioned below.
 Object Clause: The objective for which the company is formed must be
mentioned in the Memorandum of Association. It is one of the key clauses and
should be drafted carefully mentioning all the types of businesses that the
company may possibly engage in the future. A company is legally prohibited from
carrying out any activity that is not specified in the object clause. The objects are
classified as ‘Main Objects’, ‘Ancillary Objects’ and ‘Other Objects’. The objects
must be stated articulately and must not be ambiguous in nature. The objects must
not also be illegal or against the prohibition of the Act or the public policy of the
country.

 Liability Clause: The liabilities of the members of the company must be clearly
stated in the Memorandum of Association. They may be limited by shares or by
guarantee. In case of unlimited liability company, the entire clause can be
eliminated.

When a company is limited by shares, the liability of its members remains limited
to any unpaid amount on the shares owned by them. When it is limited by
guarantee the members of the company are liable to pay the amount stated in the
memorandum at the time of liquidation of the company. In case of unlimited
companies, the liability of the members is unlimited, involving personal assets.

 Capital Clause: The maximum amount of authorised capital that can be generated
by the members of the company is ought to be specified in the Memorandum of
Association. Stamp duty is applicable on this amount. Although there is no legal
limit to the maximum amount of capital that can be raised by a company, it cannot
increase the authorised share capital once it has been incorporated. The
denomination for each such share has to be either RS 10 or RS 100 in case of
equity and preference shares respectively. A company should make sure that the
raised authorised capital is sufficiently high for further expansion of business in
the future. All other rights and privileges, as agreed upon by shareholder, creditors,
investor and other members of the company may also be specified in this charter.
 It is not mandatory for an unlimited company having an authorised share capital to
mention it in the memorandum.

 Association or Subscription Clause: The amount of authorised capital and the

number of shares owned by each member of the company should be mentioned in
the Memorandum of Association of the company. The subscribers to the
memorandum must own a minimum of one share each. Each subscriber must write
the number of shares owned by him and sign the memorandum in the presence of
at least one witness who is required to attest the signature.

Form of Memorandum

The memorandum of a company should be formulated in accordance with the respective

forms as mentioned in the tables A, B, C, D & E under Schedule 1 of the Companies Act,
2013.

 Form in Table A is applicable to companies that are limited by shares.

 Form in Table B is applicable to companies that are limited by guarantee and do
not have an authorised share capital.
 Form in Table C is applicable to companies limited by guarantee and have an
authorised share capital.
 From is Table D is applicable to unlimited companies that do not have an
authorised share capital.
 Form in Table E is applicable to unlimited companies that have an authorised
share capital.
Printing and Signing of Memorandum of Association

It is mandatory for every company to print its Memorandum of Association and have it
signed by each of its members. The address, occupation and shares held by each member of
the company must also be mentioned in this charter.

For the formation of a Private Limited Company, a minimum of 2 members are necessary.
For a Public Company, it is 7. In case of a One Person Company, the nominee has to be
stated in the Memorandum of Association as in case of death of the founding member or his
incapacity to perform, the legal rights of the company will be transferred to him or her.

Alteration, Amendment & Change in Memorandum of

Association under Companies Act 2013

A memorandum of association needs to be amended if any of the following changes occur in

the company:

 An alteration in the name of the business.

 A change in the office of registration.
 An alteration in the object clause of the business.
 An alteration in the authorised capital of the business.
 Any adjustments made in the legal liabilities of the members of the business.

The procedures for making any amendments in the Memorandum of Association as

prescribed under Section 13 of the Companies Act 2013:

 It is advisable to conduct a board meeting to uphold the proposal to the members

of the company for consideration, by passing a special resolution.
 It is recommended to issue a notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting in which
the special resolution will be passed. The notice must mention the location, date,
day and time of the meeting and a statement specifying the objective of the
meeting and the business to the carried out in the meeting.
 As mentioned under Section 102 of the Act, an explanatory statement must
accompany the notice for the meeting.
 As specified under Section 61 of the Act, in the event of an amendment of the
authorised share capital, approval of the members by way of an ordinary resolution
is necessary. However, for amendment of all other clauses, approval of members
by special resolution is mandatory.
 For amendment of a Memorandum of Association with the Registrar of
Companies, a company must file a special resolution which has been passed by its
shareholders. In order to register the special resolution, Form MGT 14 is required
to be filed within 30 days of passing such a motion.
 A validated copy of the special resolution, the notice and the explanatory statement
of the Extraordinary General Meeting must be attached with Form MGT 14,
along with the altered memorandum of the company.
 In the event of an alternation in the name of the company or a change in the
registered office, a copy of approval from the Central Government is necessary.
 Any such alterations and amendments made under Section 13 of the Act shall not
be in effect unless registered.
Conclusion

The whole process of formation of a company can be divided into four distinct stages namely
promotion incorporation, capital subscription and commencement of business. However, a
private company can start business as soon as it obtains the certificate of information. The
memorandum of Association of a company tells us the objects of the company's formation
and the utmost possible scope of its operations beyond which its actions cannot go. The
memorandum of association of every clause, objects clause, liability clause, Memorandum of
association cannot be altered by the sweet will of the members of the company. It can be
altered only by following the procedure prescribed in the Companies Act. Articles of
association contain the rules and regulations which are granted for the internal management
of the company. The company may alter its articles of association any time by following the
procedure as prescribed in the Companies Act. Every person dealing with the company is
presumed to have read the memorandum and articles of association and understood them in
their time perspective. This is known as doctrine of constructive notice.