Provisions relating to carry forward and set off of accumulated loss and unabsorbed depreciation allowance in amalgamation or demerger, etc (1) Where there has been an amalgamation of— (a) a company owning an industrial undertaking or a ship or a hotel with another company; or (b) a banking company referred to in clause (c) of section 5 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (10 of 1949) with a specified bank; or 38[(c) one or more public sector company or companies with one or more public sector company or companies; or (d) an erstwhile public sector company with one or more company or companies, if the share purchase agreement entered into under strategic disinvestment restricted immediate amalgamation of the said public sector company and the amalgamation is carried out within five years from the end of the previous year in which the restriction on amalgamation in the share purchase agreement ends,] then, notwithstanding anything contained in any other provision of this Act, the accumulated loss and the unabsorbed depreciation of the amalgamating company shall be deemed to be the loss or, as the case may be, allowance for unabsorbed depreciation of the amalgamated company for the previous year in which the amalgamation was effected, and other provisions of this Act relating to set off and carry forward of loss and allowance for depreciation shall apply accordingly: 39[Provided that the accumulated loss and the unabsorbed depreciation of the amalgamating company, in case of an amalgamation referred to in clause (d), which is deemed to be the loss or, as the case may be, the allowance for un-absorbed depreciation of the amalgamated company, shall not be more than the accumulated loss and unabsorbed depreciation of the public sector company as on the date on which the public sector company ceases to be a public sector company as a result of strategic disinvestment. Explanation.—For the purposes of clause (d),— (i) “control” shall have the same meaning as assigned to in clause (27) of section 2 of the Companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013); (ii) “erstwhile public sector company” means a company which was a public sector company in earlier previous years and ceases to be a public sector company by way of strategic disinvestment by the Government; 40[(iii) “strategic disinvestment” means sale of shareholding by the Central Government or any State Government or a public sector company, in a public sector company or in a company, which results in— (a) reduction of its shareholding to below fifty-one per cent; and (b) transfer of control to the buyer: Provided that the condition laid down in sub-clause (a) shall apply only in a case where shareholding of the Central Government or the State Government or the public sector company was above fifty-one per cent before such sale of shareholding: Provided further that requirement of transfer of control referred to in sub-clause (b) may be carried out by the Central Government or the State Government or the public sector company or any two of them or all of them.]] (2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), the accumulated loss shall not be set off or carried forward and the unabsorbed depreciation shall not be allowed in the assessment of the amalgamated company unless— (a) the amalgamating company— (i) has been engaged in the business, in which the accumulated loss occurred or depreciation remains unabsorbed, for three or more years; (ii) has held continuously as on the date of the amalgamation at least three-fourths of the book value of fixed assets held by it two years prior to the date of amalgamation; (b) the amalgamated company— (i) holds continuously for a minimum period of five years from the date of amalgamation at least three-fourths of the book value of fixed assets of the amalgamating company acquired in a scheme of amalgamation; (ii) continues the business of the amalgamating company for a minimum period of five years from the date of amalgamation; (iii) fulfils such other conditions as may be prescribed41 to ensure the revival of the business of the amalgamating company or to ensure that the amalgamation is for genuine business purpose. (3) In a case where any of the conditions laid down in sub-section (2) are not complied with, the set off of loss or allowance of depreciation made in any previous year in the hands of the amalgamated company shall be deemed to be the income of the amalgamated company chargeable to tax for the year in which such conditions are not complied with. (4) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other provisions of this Act, in the case of a demerger, the accumulated loss and the allowance for unabsorbed depreciation of the demerged company shall— (a) where such loss or unabsorbed depreciation is directly relatable to the undertakings transferred to the resulting company, be allowed to be carried forward and set off in the hands of the resulting company; (b) where such loss or unabsorbed depreciation is not directly relatable to the undertakings transferred to the resulting company, be apportioned between the demerged company and the resulting company in the same proportion in which the assets of the undertakings have been retained by the demerged company and transferred to the resulting company, and be allowed to be carried forward and set off in the hands of the demerged company or the resulting company, as the case may be. (5) The Central Government may, for the purposes of this Act, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify such conditions as it considers necessary to ensure that the demerger is for genuine business purposes. (6) Where there has been reorganisation of business, whereby, a firm is succeeded by a company fulfilling the conditions laid down in clause (xiii) of section 47 or a proprietary concern is succeeded by a company fulfilling the conditions laid down in clause (xiv) of section 47, then, notwithstanding anything contained in any other provision of this Act, the accumulated loss and the unabsorbed depreciation of the predecessor firm or the proprietary concern, as the case may be, shall be