The first time a private company offers its shares to the public, allowing it to raise capital from public investors and become a publicly traded company.
Initial Public Offering (IPO)
Corporate LawsThe first time a private company offers its shares to the public, allowing it to raise capital from public investors and become a publicly traded company.
Definition
Example
Zomato's IPO allowed public investors to buy its shares for the first time, leading to its listing on the stock exchanges.
Study context
Corporate and other laws in the CA syllabus
This category covers terms from the Companies Act 2013 and allied corporate legislation — incorporation, share capital, meetings, directors' duties, winding up — along with concepts from contract law, negotiable instruments and other business laws that appear from Foundation through Final. Legal terms carry statutory definitions, which makes exactness non-negotiable.
Law papers reward students who can quote the statutory definition and section reference, then apply it to a fact pattern. A large share of marks comes from correctly identifying which legal concept a scenario invokes — misreading 'voidable' as 'void', or 'ordinary resolution' as 'special resolution', changes the entire answer.
How to study this area
- Learn each term with its section number and the Act it comes from — cite both in written answers.
- Build comparison tables for sibling concepts: void vs voidable, member vs shareholder, AGM vs EGM.
- Practise application: take each definition and construct a one-line scenario where it applies and one where it does not.
- Track amendments — law papers examine the provisions as amended and notified for your attempt.
Where it appears in exams
- Statutory definition questions with section references
- Scenario-based questions on company meetings and resolutions
- Directors' powers, duties and liabilities case questions
- Contract law application problems at Foundation and Intermediate
Common pitfalls
- Quoting repealed or amended provisions from outdated material.
- Applying general contract principles where a specific Companies Act provision overrides them.
- Ignoring the exceptions and provisos that most legal definitions carry.
FAQsHave questions?
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Talk to usAre section numbers compulsory in law answers?
Not strictly compulsory, but strongly rewarded. If you are confident of the section, cite it; if not, name the Act and the concept accurately rather than guessing a wrong section number, which creates a poor impression.
How do I keep up with amendments?
ICAI announces the cut-off date of applicability for each attempt. Study from the latest ICAI material, and in the final month review the RTP for your attempt — it consolidates the amendments examinable in your paper.
Practice this concept
Understand the term, then master the application.
Drill MCQs, get step-by-step solutions and check your answers on Corporate Laws topics — tuned to Foundation, Intermediate and Final.
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