One 97 Communications Limited has informed the Exchange about SEBI Settlement order dated May 08, 2025
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Paytm (One 97 Communications) has settled a SEBI case related to ESOP grants made to its founder/Chairman Vijay Shekhar Sharma (2.1 crore ESOPs in October 2021) and his brother Ajay Shekhar Sharma (2,26,582 ESOPs in May 2022). SEBI had alleged that Vijay Shekhar Sharma declassified himself as a non-promoter just before the November 2021 IPO, transferred some equity to a family trust, and used this structure to receive ESOPs in violation of SEBI's SBEB and ICDR Regulations, causing incorrect IPO disclosures. Under the settlement (without admitting or denying the findings), about 2.12 crore ESOPs stand cancelled, Vijay Shekhar Sharma faces a 3-year ban on accepting any fresh ESOPs from any listed company, and total payouts of roughly Rs. 2.79 crore (settlement + disgorgement) have already been made to SEBI. The proceedings are now formally disposed of, and SEBI has agreed not to take further action on the same alleged violations.
The case is closed with all payments already done, so there is no fresh financial drag, but the 3-year ESOP ban on the founder/CEO is a governance red flag and a restriction on his compensation structure. For shareholders, the key takeaway is regulatory closure on a long-pending overhang, though the original ESOP grants to insiders are now being unwound.