Short title, extent, commencement and application
📚 Law Minded summary
This is the section that switches the Act on. It gives the law its name, says it applies to the whole of India, and explains that different parts of it could be brought into force on different dates rather than all at once.
It also sets out who the Act governs: companies registered under this Act or any older company law, plus insurance companies, banking companies, electricity companies and a few other special types — but for those, only where this Act does not clash with the law made specially for them.
Nothing here creates a duty you can breach. It is the boundary line of everything that follows.
(1) This Act may be called the Companies Act, 2013. (2) It extends to the whole of India.
(3) This section shall come into force at once and the remaining provisions of this Act shall come into force on such date1 as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint and *different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Act and any reference in any provision to the commencement of this Act shall be construed as a reference to the coming into force of that provision.
(4) The provisions of this Act shall apply to— (a) companies incorporated under this Act or under any previous company law;
(b) insurance companies, except in so far as the said provisions are inconsistent with the provisions of the Insurance Act, 1938 (4 of 1938) or the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999 (41 of 1999);
(c) banking companies, except in so far as the said provisions are inconsistent with the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (10 of 1949);
(d) companies engaged in the ge neration or supply of electricity, except in so far as the said provisions are inconsistent with the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003 (36 of 2003);
(f) such body corporate, incorporated by any Act for the time being in force, as the Central Government may, by notification, specify in this behalf, subject to such exceptions, modifications or adaptation, as may be specified in the notification.