INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Sebi has received four reports in the matter pertaining to leak of price-sensitive information of companies through WhatsApp and is carrying
out further investigations, chairman Ajay Tyagi said today.
In the high profile case, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has
passed preliminary orders against HDFC Bank, Tata Motors, Axis Bank and Bata India
These companies were also asked to conduct internal probes and report back to the regulator.
"We have received four reports," Tyagi said
here.
The companies were "asked to do their own internal investigation", he said, adding that the regulator is examining the reports and
doing further investigation.
In the matter, Tyagi said it would do "whatever is required to be done".
Soon after the preliminary orders were
passed by Sebi, the four companies had said that they would comply with the directions from the regulator.
Sebi's preliminary probe found
that the firms' quarterly financial results were matching with the figures that were in circulation on WhatsApp groups prior to the official
announcement.
Around a dozen listed firms are under the scanner of Sebi.
Sebi began a probe in November 2017 after a media report surfaced
with respect to circulation of unpublished price sensitive information in various private WhatsApp groups about certain companies before
their official announcements.
The regulator had also conducted search and seizure operations in this regard at various places, including on
the premises of various market entities.
Those being probed by Sebi include auditors, brokers, analysts and investment advisors, besides the
company executives, with whom the financial information was shared before being made public through regulatory disclosure on stock
