(1)An insurer may appoint any person to act as insurance agent for the purpose of soliciting and procuring insurance business:Provided that such person does not suffer from any of the disqualifications mentioned in sub-section (3).(2)No person shall act as an insurance agent for more than one life insurer, one general insurer, one health insurer and one of each of the other mono-line insurers:Provided that the Authority shall, while framing regulations, ensure that no conflict of interest is allowed to arise for any agent in representing two or more insurers for whom hemay be an agent.(3)The disqualifications referred to in the proviso to sub-section (1) shall be the following:--(a)that the person is a minor;(b)that he is found to be of unsound mind by a court of competent jurisdiction;(c)that he has been found guilty of criminal misappropriation or criminal breach of trust or cheating or forgery or an abetment of or attempt to commit any such offence by a court of competent jurisdiction:Provided that where at least five years have elapsed since the completion of the sentence imposed on any person in respect of any such offence, the Authority shall ordinarily declare in respect of such person that his conviction shall cease to operate as a disqualification under this clause;(d)that in the course of any judicial proceeding relating to any policy of insurance or the winding up of an insurer or in the course of an investigation of the affairs of an insurer it has been found that he has been guilty of or has knowingly participated in or connived at any fraud, dishonesty or misrepresentation against an insurer or insured;(e)that in the case of an individual, who does not possess the requisite qualifications or practical training or passed the examination, as may be specified by the regulations;(f)that in the case of a company or firm making, a director or a partner or one or more of its officers or other employees so designated by it and in the case of any other person the chief executive, by whatever name called, or one or more of his employees designated by him, do not possess the requisite qualifications or practical training and have not passed such an examination as required under clauses (e) and (g);(g)that he has not passed such examination as may be specified by the regulations;(h)that he has violated the code of conduct as may be specified by the regulations.(4)Any person who acts as an insurance agent in contravention of the provision of this Act, shall be liable to a penalty which may extend to ten thousand rupees and any insurer or any person acting on behalf of an insurer, who appoints any person as an insurance agent not permitted to act as such or transacts any insurance business in India through any such person shall be liable to penalty which may extend to one crore rupees.(5)The insurer shall be responsible for all the acts and omissions of its agents including violation of code of conduct specified under clause (h) of sub-section (3) and liable to a penalty which may extend to one crore rupees.(1)The Authority or an officer authorised by it in this behalf shall, in the manner determined by the regulations made by it and on payment of the fee determined by the regulations, which shall not be more than two hundred and fifty rupees, issue to any person making an application in the manner determined by the regulations, a licence to act as an insurance agent for the purpose of soliciting or procuring insurance business:Provided that,--(i)in the case of an individual, he does not suffer from any of the disqualifications mentioned in sub-section (4); and(ii)in the case of a company or firm, any of its directors or partners does not suffer from any of the said disqualifications:Provided further that any licence issued immediately before the commencement of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999 shall be deemed to have been issued in accordance with the regulations which provide for such licence.(2)A licence issued under this section shall entitle the holder to act as an insurance agent for any insurer.(3)A licence issued under this section, after the date of the commencement of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999, shall remain in force for a period of three years only from the date of issue, but shall, if the applicant, being an individual does not, or being a company or firm any of its directors or partners does not, suffer from any of the disqualificationsmentioned in clauses (b), (c), (d), (e), (ea) and (f) of sub-section (4) and the application for renewal of licence reaches the issuing authority at least thirty days before the date on which the licence ceases to remain in force, be renewed for a period of three years at any one time on payment of the fee determined by the regulations made by the Authority which shall not be more than rupees two hundred and fifty, and additional fee of an amount determined by the regulations not exceeding rupees one hundred by way of penalty, if the application for renewal of the licence does not reach the issuing authority at least thirty days before the date on which the licence ceases to remain in force.(3A)No application for the renewal of a licence under this section shall be entertained if the application does not reach the issuing authority before the licence ceases to remain in force:Provided that the Authority may, if satisfied that undue hardship would be caused otherwise, accept any application in contravention of this sub-section on payment by the applicant of a penalty of seven hundred and fifty rupees.(4)The disqualifications above referred to shall be the following:--(a)that the person is a minor;(b)that he is found to be of unsound mind by a Court of competent jurisdiction;(c)that he has been found guilty of criminal misappropriation or criminal breach of trust or cheating or forgery or an abetment of or attempt to commit any such offence by a Court of competent jurisdiction:Provided that where at least five years have elapsed since the completion of the sentence imposed on any person in respect of any such offence, the Authority shall ordinarily declare in respect of such person that his conviction shall cease to operate as a disqualification under this clause;(d)that in the course of any judicial proceeding relating to any policy of insurance or the winding up of an insurance company or in the course of an investigation of the affairs of an insurer it has been found that he has been guilty of or has knowingly participated in or connived at any fraud, dishonesty or misrepresentation against an insurer or an insured.(e)that he does not possess the requisite qualifications and practical training for a period not exceeding, twelve months, as may be specified by the regulations made by the Authority in this behalf;(ea)that in the case of a company or firm making an application under sub-section (1) or sub-section (3), a director or a partner or one or more of its officers or other employees so designated by it and in the case of any other person, the chief executive, by whatever name called, or one or more of his employees designated by him, do not possess the requisite qualifications and practical training and have not passed such an examination as required under clauses (e) and (f);(f)that he has not passed such examination as may be specified by the regulations made by the Authority in this behalf:Provided that a person who had been issued a licence under sub-section (1) of this section or sub-section (1) of section 64UM shall not be required to possess the requisite qualifications, practical training and pass such examination as required by clauses (e) and (f);(g)that he violates the code of conduct as may be specified by the regulations made by the Authority.(5)If it be found that an insurance agent being an individual is, or being a company or firm contains a director or partner who is suffering from any of the disqualifications mentioned in sub-section (4), then, without prejudice to any other penalty to which he may be liable, the Authority shall, and if the insurance agent has knowingly contravened any of the provisions of this Act may, cancel the licence issued to the agent under this section.(6)The Authority may issue a duplicate licence to replace a licence lost, destroyed or mutilated, on payment of such fee not exceeding fifty rupees as may be determined by the regulations.(7)Any person who acts as an insurance agent without holding a licence issued under this section to act as such shall be punishable with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, and any insurer or any person acting on behalf of an insurer, who appoints as an insurance agent any person not licensed to act as such or transacts any insurance business in India through any such person, shall be punishable with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees.(8)Where the person contravening sub-section (7) is a company or a firm, then, without prejudice to any other proceedings which may be taken against the company or firm, every director, manager, secretary or other officer of the company, and every partner of the firm who is knowingly a party to such contravention shall be punishable with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees."
