The Indian Companies Act, 1956, which principally governs for-profit entities, permits certain companies to obtain not-for-profit status as “section 25 companies.” A section 25 company may be formed for “promoting commerce, art, science, religion, charity or any other useful object.” A section 25 company must apply its profits, if any, or other income to the promotion of its objects, and may not pay a dividend to its members. At least three individuals are required to form a section 25 company. The founders or promoters of a section 25 company must submit application materials to the Regional Director of the Company Law Board. The application must include copies of the memorandum and articles of association of the proposed company, as well as a number of other documents, including a statement of assets and a brief description of the work proposed to be done upon registration.
The internal governance of a section 25 company is similar to that of a society. It generally has members and is governed by directors or a managing committee or a governing council elected by its members.
Like a society (but unlike a trust), a section 25 company may be dissolved. Upon dissolution and after settlement of all debts and liabilities, the funds and property of the company may not be distributed among the members of the company. Rather, the remaining funds and property must be given or transferred to some other section 25 company, preferably one having similar objects as the dissolved entity.
Public Benefit Status:-
To be eligible for tax-exemption under the Income Tax Act, 1961, a not-for-profit entity must be organized for religious or charitable purposes. Charitable purposes include “relief of the poor, education, medical relief and the advancement of any other object of general public utility.”
Public charitable trusts, by definition, must be created for the benefit of the public. Societies likewise may be registered for charitable purposes. Section 25 companies are formed for the limited purposes of “promoting commerce, art, science, religion, charity or any other useful object.