(1)

An insider shall be entitled to formulate a trading plan and present it to the compliance officer for approval and public disclosure pursuant to which trades may be carried out on his behalf in accordance with such plan.

Note: - This provision intends to give an option to persons who may be perpetually in possession of unpublished price sensitive information and enabling them to trade in securities in a compliant manner. This provision would enable the formulation of a trading plan by an insider to enable him to plan for trades to be executed in future. By doing so, the possession of unpublished price sensitive information when a trade under a trading plan is actually executed would not prohibit the execution of such trades that he had pre-decided even before the unpublished price sensitive information came into being.

(2)

Such trading plan shall: -

(i) not entail commencement of trading on behalf of the insider earlier than six months from the public disclosure of the plan;

(ii) not entail trading for the period between the twentieth trading day prior to the last day of any financial period for which results are required to be announced by the issuer of the securities and the second trading day after the disclosure of such financial results;

(iii) entail trading for a period of not less than twelve months;

(iv) not entail overlap of any period for which another trading plan is already in existence;

(v) set out either the value of trades to be effected or the number of securities to be traded along with the nature of the trade and the intervals at, or dates on which such trades shall be effected; and

(vi) not entail trading in securities for market abuse.

(3)

The compliance officer shall review the trading plan to assess whether the plan would have any potential for violation of these regulations and shall be entitled to seek such express undertakings as may be necessary to enable such assessment and to approve and monitor the implementation of the plan.

[Provided that pre-clearance of trades shall not be required for a trade executed as per an approved trading plan.

Provided further that trading window norms and restrictions on contra trade shall not be applicable for trades carried out in accordance with an approved trading plan.] [Inserted by Notification No. SEBI/LAD-NRO/GN/2018/59, dated 31.12.2018 (w.e.f. 15.1.2015).]

Note: It is intended that the compliance officer would have to review and approve the plan. For doing so, he may need the insider to declare that he is not in possession of unpublished price sensitive information or that he would ensure that any unpublished price sensitive information in his possession becomes generally available before he commences executing his trades. Once satisfied, he may approve the trading plan, which would then have to be implemented in accordance with these regulations.

(4)

The trading plan once approved shall be irrevocable and the insider shall mandatorily have to implement the plan, without being entitled to either deviate from it or to execute any trade in the securities outside the scope of the trading plan.

Provided that the implementation of the trading plan shall not be commenced if any unpublished price sensitive information in possession of the insider at the time of formulation of the plan has not become generally available at the time of the commencement of implementation and in such event the compliance officer shall confirm that the commencement ought to be deferred until such unpublished price sensitive information becomes generally available information so as to avoid a violation of sub-regulation (1) of regulation 4.

Note: - It is intended that since the trading plan is an exception to the general rule that an insider should not trade when in possession of unpublished price sensitive information, changing the plan or trading outside the same would negate the intent behind the exception. Other investors in the market, too, would factor the impact of the trading plan on their own trading decisions and in price discovery. Therefore, it is not fair or desirable to permit the insider to deviate from the trading plan based on which others in the market have assessed their views on the securities.

The proviso is intended to address the prospect that despite the six-month gap between the formulation of the trading plan and its commencement, the unpublished price sensitive information in possession of the insider is still not generally available. In such a situation, commencement of the plan would conflict with the over-riding principle that trades should not be executed when in possession of such information. If the very same unpublished price sensitive information is still in the insider's possession, the commencement of execution of the trading plan ought to be deferred.

(5)

Upon approval of the trading plan, the compliance officer shall notify the plan to the stock exchanges on which the securities are listed.

Note: - It is intended that given the material exception to the prohibitory rule in regulation 4, a trading plan is required to be publicly disseminated. Investors in the market at large would also factor the potential pointers in the trading plan in their own assessment of the securities and price discovery for them on the premise of how the insiders perceive the prospects or approach the securities in their trading plan.

Chapter - III Disclosures of Trading by Insiders