CIRCULAR
SEBI/HO/MRD/MRD-PoD-1/P/CIR/2024/66 May 29, 2024
All Registered Depositories and Depository Participants
Sir / Madam,
Subject: Investor Charter for Depositories and Depository Participants
1. In order to facilitate investor awareness about various activities such as
dematerialization/rematerialization of securities, transmission of securities,
settlement instruction, consolidated account statement, grievance redressal
mechanism etc., SEBI in November 2021 has formulated the Investor Charter for
Depositories and Depository Participants (DPs) containing the information for
investors on aforesaid issues and advised Depositories to disclose the same on
their respective websites.
2. In view of the recent developments in the securities market including introduction
of Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform and SCORES 2.0, it is felt necessary
to modify the Investor Charter for Depositories and DPs, inter-alia, detailing the
services provided to Investors, Rights of Investors, various activities of Depository
through DPs with timelines, Dos and DON’T’s for Investors, Responsibilities of
Investors, Code of Conduct for Depositories and DPs and Grievance Redressal
Mechanism which is placed at Annexure.
3. In this regard, Depositories are advised to publish Investor Charter on their
websites. Further, Depositories should ask DPs to bring to the notice of their clients
(existing as well as new clients) through disclosing the Investor Charter on their
respective websites, provide a copy of Investor Charter as a part of account
opening kit to the clients, through emails/letters etc.
4. The circular shall be effective from the date of issuance.
5. All Recognised Depositories are advised to:
5.1. take steps to make necessary amendments to the relevant bye-laws, rules and
regulations for the implementation of this circular; and
5.2. communicate to SEBI, the status of the implementation of the provisions of this
circular in the Monthly Development Report.
Page 1 of 12
6. This Circular is issued in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 11 (1) of
the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992, to protect the interests of
investors in securities and to promote the development of, and to regulate the
securities market.
7. The Circular is issued with the approval of the competent authority.
8. This circular is available on SEBI website www.sebi.gov.in under the categories
“Legal  Circulars”.
Yours faithfully,
Naveen Sharma
General Manager
Market Regulation Department
naveens@sebi.gov.in
Phone No.: 022-26449709
Page 2 of 12
Annexure
Investor Charter for Depositories and Depository Participants
1. Vision
Towards making Indian Securities Market - Transparent, Efficient, & Investor
friendly by providing safe, reliable, transparent and trusted record keeping platform
for investors to hold and transfer securities in dematerialized form.
2. Mission
 To hold securities of investors in dematerialised form and facilitate its transfer,
while ensuring safekeeping of securities and protecting interest of investors.
 To provide timely and accurate information to investors with regard to their
holding and transfer of securities held by them.
 To provide the highest standards of investor education, investor awareness and
timely services so as to enhance Investor Protection and create awareness about
Investor Rights.
3. Details of business transacted by the Depository and Depository
Participant (DP)
A Depository is an organization which holds securities of investors in electronic
form. Depositories provide services to various market participants - Exchanges,
Clearing Corporations, Depository Participants (DPs), Issuers and Investors in
both primary as well as secondary markets. The depository carries out its activities
through its agents which are known as Depository Participants (DP). Details
available on the link [link to be provided by Depositories]
4. Description of services provided by the Depository through Depository
Participants (DP) to investors
(1) Basic Services
Expected Timelines for processing
Sr. Brief about the Activity / by the DP after receipt of proper
No. Service documents
Dematerialization of
1. s ecurities 7 days
Rematerialization of
2. s ecurities 7 days
Mutual Fund Conversion /
3. D estatementization 5 days
Page 3 of 12
Expected Timelines for processing
Sr. Brief about the Activity / by the DP after receipt of proper
No. Service documents
Re-conversion /
Restatementisation of
4. M utual fund units 7 days
5. T ransmission of securities 7 days
6. R egistering pledge request 15 days
7. C losure of demat account 30 days
For T+1 day settlements, Participants
shall accept instructions from the Clients,
in physical form up to 4 p.m. (in case of
electronic instructions up to 6.00 p.m.) on
T day for pay-in of securities.
For T+0 day settlements, Participants
shall accept EPI instructions from the
clients, till 11:00 AM on T day.
8. S ettlement Instruction Note: ‘T’ refers ‘Trade Day’
(2) Depositories provide special services like pledge, hypothecation, internet
based services etc. in addition to their core services and these include
Sr. Type of Activity Brief about the Activity / Service
No. /Service
1. Value Added Services Depositories also provide value added
services such as
a. Basic Services Demat Account(BSDA)
[link to be provided by Depositories]1
b. Transposition cum dematerialization
[link to be provided by Depositories]2
c. Linkages with Clearing System
[link to be provided by Depositories] 3
d. Distribution of cash and non-cash
corporate benefits (Bonus, Rights, IPOs
etc.), stock lending, demat of NSC / KVP,
demat of warehouse receipts etc.
2. Consolidated Account CAS is issued 10 days from the end of the
statement (CAS) month (if there were transactions in the
previous month) or half yearly(if no
transactions) .
3. Digitalization of Depositories offer below technology
services provided by solutions and e-facilities to their demat
the depositories account holders through DPs:
Page 4 of 12
Sr. Type of Activity Brief about the Activity / Service
No. /Service
a. E-account opening: Details available on
the link [link to be provided by
Depositories}4
b. Online instructions for execution: Details
available on the link [link to be provided by
Depositories}5
c. e-DIS / Demat Gateway: Details available
on the link [link to be provided by
Depositories}6
d. e-CAS facility: Details available on the link
[link to be provided by Depositories}7
e. Miscellaneous services: Details available
on the link [link to be provided by
Depositories}8
5. Details of Grievance Redressal Mechanism
The Process of investor grievance redressal
1. Investor Complaint/ Investor can lodge complaint/ grievance against
Grievances the Depository/DP in the following ways:
a. Electronic mode -
(i) SCORES 2.0 (a web based centralized
grievance redressal system of SEBI) [link
to be provided by Depositories]
Two Level Review for complaint/grievance
against DP:
- First review done by Designated Body
- Second review done by SEBI
(ii) Respective Depository’s web portal
dedicated for the filing of compliant [link to
be provided by Depositories]
(iii) Emails to designated email IDs of
Depository [link to be provided by
Depositories]
b. Offline mode [details of link to the form to be
provided by Depositories]
The complaints/ grievances lodged directly with
the Depository shall be resolved within 21 days.
2. Online Dispute If the Investor is not satisfied with the resolution
Resolution (ODR) provided by DP or other Market Participants, then
Page 5 of 12
platform for online the Investor has the option to file the complaint/
Conciliation and grievance on SMARTODR platform for its
Arbitration resolution through by online conciliation or
arbitration.
[SMARTODR link to be provided by Depositories]
3. Steps to be followed  Investor to approach Market Participant for
in ODR for Review, redressal of complaint
Conciliation and  If investor is not satisfied with response of
Market Participant, he/she can escalate the
Arbitration
complaint on SEBI SCORES portal.
 Alternatively, the investor may also file a
complaint on SMARTODR portal for its
resolution through online conciliation and
arbitration.
 Upon receipt of complaint on SMARTODR
portal, the relevant MII will review the matter
and endeavour to resolve the matter between
the Market Participant and investor within 21
days.
 If the matter could not be amicably resolved,
then the Investor may request the MII to refer
the matter case for conciliation.
 During the conciliation process, the conciliator
will endeavor for amicable settlement of the
dispute within 21 days, which may be
extended with 10 days by the conciliator.
 If the conciliation is unsuccessful, then the
investor may request to refer the matter for
arbitration.
 The arbitration process to be concluded by
arbitrator(s) within 30 days, which is
extendable by 30 days.
6. Guidance pertaining to special circumstances related to market activities:
Termination of the Depository Participant
Sr. Type of special circumstances Timelines for the Activity/ Service
No.
1.  Depositories to terminate the Client will have a right to transfer all
participation in case a participant its securities to any other Participant
no longer meets the eligibility of its choice without any charges for
criteria and/or any other grounds the transfer within 30 days from the
as mentioned in the bye laws like date of intimation by way of
suspension of trading member by letter/email.
the Stock Exchanges.
Page 6 of 12
Sr. Type of special circumstances Timelines for the Activity/ Service
No.
 Participant surrenders the
participation by its own wish.
7. Dos and Don’ts for Investors [link to be provided by the Depositories]
Sr. Guidance
No.
i. Always deal with a SEBI registered Depository Participant for opening a
demat account.
ii. Read all the documents carefully before signing them.
iii. Before granting Power of attorney to operate your demat account to an
intermediary like Stock Broker, Portfolio Management Services (PMS) etc.,
carefully examine the scope and implications of powers being granted.
iv. Always make payments to registered intermediary using banking channels.
No payment should be made in name of employee of intermediary.
v. Accept the Delivery Instruction Slip (DIS) book from your DP only (pre-printed
with a serial number along with your Client ID) and keep it in safe custody and
do not sign or issue blank or partially filled DIS slips.
Always mention the details like ISIN, number of securities accurately. In case
of any queries, please contact your DP or broker and it should be signed by
all demat account holders.
Strike out any blank space on the slip and Cancellations or corrections on the
DIS should be initialed or signed by all the account holder(s).
Do not leave your instruction slip book with anyone else.
Do not sign blank DIS as it is equivalent to a bearer cheque.
vi. Inform any change in your Personal Information (for example address or Bank
Account details, email ID, Mobile number) linked to your demat account in the
prescribed format and obtain confirmation of updation in system
vii. Mention your Mobile Number and email ID in account opening form to receive
SMS alerts and regular updates directly from depository.
viii. Always ensure that the mobile number and email ID linked to your demat
account are the same as provided at the time of account opening/updation.
ix. Do not share password of your online trading and demat account with anyone.
x. Do not share One Time Password (OTP) received from banks, brokers, etc.
These are meant to be used by you only.
xi. Do not share login credentials of e-facilities provided by the depositories such
as e-DIS/demat gateway, SPEED-e/easiest etc. with anyone else.
xii. Demat is mandatory for any transfer of securities of Listed public limited
companies.
Page 7 of 12
Sr. Guidance
No.
xiii. If you have any grievance in respect of your demat account, please write to
designated email IDs of depositories or you may lodge the same with SEBI
online at https://scores.sebi.gov.in
xiv. Keep a record of documents signed, DIS issued and account statements
received.
xv. As Investors you are required to verify the transaction statement carefully for
all debits and credits in your account. In case of any unauthorized debit or
credit, inform the DP or your respective Depository.
xvi. Appoint a nominee to facilitate your heirs in obtaining the securities in your
demat account, on completion of the necessary procedures.
xvii. Register for Depository's internet based facility or download mobile app of the
depository to monitor your holdings.
xviii. Ensure that, both, your holding and transaction statements are received
periodically as instructed to your DP. You are entitled to receive a transaction
statement every month if you have any transactions.
xix. Do not follow herd mentality for investments. Seek expert and professional
advice for your investments
xx. Beware of assured/fixed returns.
8. Rights of investors [link to be provided by the Depositories]
i. Receive a copy of KYC, copy of account opening documents.
ii. No minimum balance is required to be maintained in a demat account.
iii. No charges are payable for opening of demat accounts.
iv. If executed, receive a copy of Power of Attorney. However, Power of Attorney
is not a mandatory requirement as per SEBI / Stock Exchanges. You have the
right to revoke any authorization given at any time.
v. You can open more than one demat account in the same name with single DP/
multiple DPs.
vi. Receive statement of accounts periodically. In case of any discrepancies in
statements, take up the same with the DP immediately. If the DP does not
respond, take up the matter with the Depositories.
vii. Pledge and /or any other interest or encumbrance can be created on demat
holdings.
viii. Right to give standing instructions with regard to the crediting of securities in
demat account.
ix. Investor can exercise its right to freeze/defreeze his/her demat account or
specific securities / specific quantity of securities in the account, maintained
with the DP.
x. In case of any grievances, Investor has right to approach Participant or
Depository or SEBI for getting the same resolved within prescribed timelines.
Page 8 of 12
xi. Every eligible investor shareholder has a right to cast its vote on various
resolutions proposed by the companies for which Depositories have developed
an internet based ‘e-Voting’ platform.
xii. Receive information about charges and fees. Any charges/tariff agreed upon
shall not increase unless a notice in writing of not less than thirty days is given
to the Investor.
xiii. Right to indemnification for any loss caused due to the negligence of the
Depository or the participant.
xiv. Right to opt out of the Depository system in respect of any security.
9. Responsibilities of Investors [link to be provided by the Depositories]
i. Deal with a SEBI registered DP for opening demat account, KYC and
Depository activities.
ii. Provide complete documents for account opening and KYC (Know Your Client).
Fill all the required details in Account Opening Form / KYC form in own
handwriting and cancel out the blanks.
iii. Read all documents and conditions being agreed before signing the account
opening form.
iv. Accept the Delivery Instruction Slip (DIS) book from DP only (preprinted with a
serial number along with client ID) and keep it in safe custody and do not sign
or issue blank or partially filled DIS.
v. Always mention the details like ISIN, number of securities accurately.
vi. Inform any change in information linked to demat account and obtain
confirmation of updation in the system.
vii. Regularly verify balances and demat statement and reconcile with trades /
transactions.
viii. Appoint nominee(s) to facilitate heirs in obtaining the securities in their demat
account.
ix. Do not fall prey to fraudsters sending emails and SMSs luring to trade in stocks
/ securities promising huge profits.
10. Code of Conduct for Depositories [link to be provided by the Depositories]
(Part D of Third Schedule of SEBI (D & P) regulations, 2018)
A Depository shall:
(a) always abide by the provisions of the Act, Depositories Act, 1996, any Rules or
Regulations framed thereunder, circulars, guidelines and any other directions
issued by the Board from time to time.
(b) adopt appropriate due diligence measures.
(c) take effective measures to ensure implementation of proper risk management
framework and good governance practices.
Page 9 of 12
(d) take appropriate measures towards investor protection and education of
investors.
(e) treat all its applicants/members in a fair and transparent manner.
(f) promptly inform the Board of violations of the provisions of the Act, the
Depositories Act, 1996, rules, regulations, circulars, guidelines or any other
directions by any of its issuer or issuer’s agent.
(g) take a proactive and responsible attitude towards safeguarding the interests of
investors, integrity of depository’s systems and the securities market.
(h) endeavor for introduction of best business practices amongst itself and its
members.
(i) act in utmost good faith and shall avoid conflict of interest in the conduct of its
functions.
(j) not indulge in unfair competition, which is likely to harm the interests of any
other Depository, their participants or investors or is likely to place them in a
disadvantageous position while competing for or executing any assignment.
(k) segregate roles and responsibilities of key management personnel within the
depository including
a. Clearly mapping legal and regulatory duties to the concerned position
b. Defining delegation of powers to each position
c. Assigning regulatory, risk management and compliance aspects to
business and support teams
(l) be responsible for the acts or omissions of its employees in respect of the
conduct of its business.
(m)monitor the compliance of the rules and regulations by the participants and shall
further ensure that their conduct is in a manner that will safeguard the interest of
investors and the securities market.
11. Code of Conduct for Participants [link to be provided by the Depositories]
(Part A of Third Schedule of SEBI (D & P) regulations, 2018)
1. A participant shall make all efforts to protect the interests of investors.
2. A participant shall always endeavour to—
(a) render the best possible advice to the clients having regard to the client’s
needs and the environments and his own professional skills;
(b) ensure that all professional dealings are effected in a prompt, effective and
efficient manner;
(c) inquiries from investors are adequately dealt with;
(d) grievances of investors are redressed without any delay.
3. A participant shall maintain high standards of integrity in all its dealings with its
clients and other intermediaries, in the conduct of its business.
4. A participant shall be prompt and diligent in opening of a beneficial owner
account, dispatch of the dematerialisation request form, rematerialisation
Page 10 of 12
request form and execution of debit instruction slip and in all the other activities
undertaken by him on behalf of the beneficial owners.
5. A participant shall endeavour to resolve all the complaints against it or in
respect of the activities carried out by it as quickly as possible, and not later
than one month of receipt.
6. A participant shall not increase charges/fees for the services rendered without
proper advance notice to the beneficial owners.
7. A participant shall not indulge in any unfair competition, which is likely to harm
the interests of other participants or investors or is likely to place such other
participants in a disadvantageous position while competing for or executing any
assignment.
8. A participant shall not make any exaggerated statement whether oral or written
to the clients either about its qualifications or capability to render certain
services or about its achievements in regard to services rendered to other
clients.
9. A participant shall not divulge to other clients, press or any other person any
information about its clients which has come to its knowledge except with the
approval/authorisation of the clients or when it is required to disclose the
information under the requirements of any Act, Rules or Regulations.
10. A participant shall co-operate with the Board as and when required.
11. A participant shall maintain the required level of knowledge and competency
and abide by the provisions of the Act, Rules, Regulations and circulars and
directions issued by the Board. The participant shall also comply with the award
of the Ombudsman passed under the Securities and Exchange Board of India
(Ombudsman) Regulations, 2003.
12. A participant shall not make any untrue statement or suppress any material fact
in any documents, reports, papers or information furnished to the Board.
13. A participant shall not neglect or fail or refuse to submit to the Board or other
agencies with which it is registered, such books, documents, correspondence,
and papers or any part thereof as may be demanded/requested from time to
time.
14. A participant shall ensure that the Board is promptly informed about any action,
legal proceedings, etc., initiated against it in respect of material breach or non-
compliance by it, of any law, Rules, regulations, directions of the Board or of
any other regulatory body.
15. A participant shall maintain proper inward system for all types of mail received
in all forms.
16. A participant shall follow the maker—Checker concept in all of its activities to
ensure the accuracy of the data and as a mechanism to check unauthorised
transaction.
17. A participant shall take adequate and necessary steps to ensure that continuity
in data and record keeping is maintained and that the data or records are not
Page 11 of 12
lost or destroyed. It shall also ensure that for electronic records and data, up-
to-date back up is always available with it.
18. A participant shall provide adequate freedom and powers to its compliance
officer for the effective discharge of his duties.
19. A participant shall ensure that it has satisfactory internal control procedures in
place as well as adequate financial and operational capabilities which can be
reasonably expected to take care of any losses arising due to theft, fraud and
other dishonest acts, professional misconduct or omissions.
20. A participant shall be responsible for the acts or omissions of its employees and
agents in respect of the conduct of its business.
21. A participant shall ensure that the senior management, particularly decision
makers have access to all relevant information about the business on a timely
basis.
22. A participant shall ensure that good corporate policies and corporate
governance are in place.
*********
Page 12 of 12