The AT upheld SEBI's discretion to levy interest on outstanding...

The AT upheld SEBI's discretion to levy interest on outstanding registration fees as per Regulation 5 of Schedule-III of Stockbrokers Regulations, 2002, which mandatorily provides for charging 15% interest. The AT ruled that SEBI had no discretion in charging interest, which is compensatory in nature. It directed SEBI to credit interest at 15% p.a. for the brief period from September 6, 2003 to October 1, 2003 when the appellant had a credit balance, but dismissed other claims regarding interest calculation since the appellant had already received credit for interest from 2006 to 2019.

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