Indemnification Agreement - Rediff.com Ltd.
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
This Indemnification Agreement ("Agreement") is made as of this day of
_________, 2000 by and between Rediff.com, Limited, an Indian public limited
company (the "Company"), and ("Indemnitee").
WHEREAS, the Company is issuing its American Depositary Shares through a
registered public offering in the United States, and as a result, Indemnitee
will be exposed to litigation risks arising from claims that may be made under
U.S. laws;
WHEREAS, the Company and Indemnitee recognize the increasing difficulty
in obtaining directors' and officers' liability insurance, the significant
increases in the cost of such insurance and the general reductions in the
coverage of such insurance;
WHEREAS, Indemnitee does not regard the current protection available as
adequate under the present circumstances, and Indemnitee and other officers and
directors of the Company may not be willing to continue to serve as officers and
directors without additional protection; and
WHEREAS, the Company will benefit from going public in the United States
and desires to attract and retain the services of highly qualified individuals,
such as Indemnitee, to serve as officers and directors of the Company and to
indemnify its officers and directors so as to provide them with the maximum
protection permitted by law.
NOW, THEREFORE, the Company and Indemnitee hereby agree as follows:
1. Indemnification.
(a) Third Party Proceedings. The Company shall indemnify
Indemnitee if Indemnitee is or was a party or is threatened to be made a party
to any threatened, pending or completed action or proceeding arising under the
laws of the United States or any state thereof (other than an action in the
right of the Company) by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a
director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or any subsidiary of the
Company, or by reason of any action or inaction on the part of Indemnitee while
an officer or director, against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments,
fines and amounts paid in settlement (if such settlement is approved in advance
by the Company, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld) actually and
reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with such action or proceeding
if Indemnitee acted without intentional misconduct or gross negligence.
(b) Proceedings in the Right of the Company. The Company shall
indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is a party or is threatened to be made
a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or proceeding in the
right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact
that Indemnitee is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company
or any Subsidiary of the Company by reason of any action or inaction on the part
of Indemnitee while an officer or director such expenses (including attorneys'
fees) actually and
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reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with such action or proceeding
if such action or proceeding is adjudged in favor of Indemnitee.
(c) Scope. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement,
Indemnitee shall be entitled to such indemnification, reimbursement and the like
only to the extent permitted under Indian law.
(d) Nonexclusivity. The indemnification provided by this
Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any rights to which Indemnitee may be
entitled under any other agreement to which Indemnitee is a party. The
indemnification provided under this Agreement shall continue as to Indemnitee
for any action taken or not taken while serving in an indemnified capacity even
though he may have ceased to serve in such capacity at the time of any action or
other covered proceeding.
2. Indemnification Procedure.
(a) Notice/Cooperation by Indemnitee. Indemnitee shall, as a
condition precedent to his right to be indemnified under this Agreement, give
the company notice in writing as soon as practicable of any claim made against
Indemnitee for which indemnification will or could be sought under this
Agreement. Notice to the Company shall be directed to the Managing Director of
the Company at the address shown on the signature page of this Agreement (or
such other address as the Company shall designate in writing to Indemnitee). In
addition, Indemnitee shall give the Company such information and cooperation as
it may reasonably require and as shall be within Indemnitee's power.
(b) Procedure. Any indemnification provided for in Section 1
shall be made no later than forty-five (45) days after receipt of the written
request of Indemnitee. If a claim under this Agreement, under any statute, or
under any provision of the Company's Articles of Association or Memorandum of
Association providing for indemnification, is not paid in full by the Company
within forty-five (45) days after a written request for payment thereof has
first been received by the Company, Indemnitee may, but need not, at any time
thereafter bring an action against the Company to recover the unpaid amount of
the claim and, subject to Section 9 of this Agreement, Indemnitee shall also be
entitled to be paid for the expenses (including attorneys' fees) of bringing
such action. It shall be a defense to any such action (other than an action
brought to enforce a claim for expenses incurred in connection with any action
or proceeding in advance of its final disposition) that Indemnitee has not met
the standards of conduct which make it permissible under applicable law for the
company to indemnify Indemnitee for the amount claimed, but the burden of
proving such defense shall be on the Company and Indemnitee shall be entitled to
receive interim payments of expenses pursuant to Subsection 2(a) unless and
until such defense may be finally adjudicated by court order or judgment from
which no further right of appeal exists.
3. Partial Indemnification. If Indemnitee is entitled under any
provision of this Agreement to indemnification by the Company for some or a
portion of the expenses, judgments, fines or penalties actually or reasonably
incurred by him in the investigation, defense, appeal or settlement of any civil
action or proceeding, but not, however, for the total amount thereof, the
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Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee for the portion of such
expenses, judgments, fines or penalties to which Indemnitee is entitled.
4. Mutual Acknowledgment. Both the Company and Indemnitee acknowledge
that in certain instances, applicable law or public policy may prohibit the
Company from indemnifying its directors and officers under this Agreement or
otherwise. Indemnitee understands and acknowledges that the Company has
undertaken or may be required in the future to undertake with the Securities and
Exchange Commission or any other regulatory body to submit the question of
indemnification to a court in certain circumstances for a determination of the
Company is right under public policy to indemnify Indemnitee.
5. Severability. Nothing in this Agreement is intended to require or
shall be construed as requiring the Company to do or fail to do any act in
violation of applicable law. The Company's inability, pursuant to court order,
to perform its obligations under this Agreement shall not constitute a breach of
this Agreement. The provisions of this Agreement shall be severable as provided
in this Section 5. If this Agreement or any portion hereof shall be invalidated
on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Company shall
nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee to the full extent permitted by any applicable
portion of this Agreement that shall not have been invalidated, and the balance
of this Agreement not so invalidated shall be enforceable in accordance with its
terms.
6. Construction of Certain Phrases. For purposes of this Agreement,
references to the "Company" shall include, in addition to the resulting company,
any constituent company (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in
a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would
have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, employees or
agents, so that if Indemnitee is or was a director, officer, employee or agent
of such constituent company, or is or was serving at the request of such
constituent company as a director, officer, employee or agent of another
corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, Indemnitee
shall stand in the same position under the provisions of this Agreement with
respect to the resulting or surviving company as Indemnitee would have with
respect to such constituent company if its separate existence had continued.
7. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more
counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original.
8. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon the
Company and its successors and assigns, and shall inure to the benefit of
Indemnitee and Indemnitee's estate, heirs, legal representatives and assigns.
9. Attorneys' Fees. To the maximum extent provided for under Indian law,
in the event that any action is instituted by Indemnitee under this Agreement to
enforce or interpret any of the terms hereof, Indemnitee shall be entitled to be
paid all court costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees,
incurred by Indemnitee with respect to such action, except for the pro-rata
amount of any such costs and expenses relating to material assertions that, as a
part of such action, the court of competent jurisdiction determines were not
made in good faith or were frivolous. In the event of an action instituted in
the name of the Company under this Agreement or to enforce or
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interpret any of the terms of this Agreement, Indemnitee shall be entitled to be
paid all court costs and expenses, including attorneys, fees, incurred by
Indemnitee in defense of such action (including with respect to Indemnitee's
counterclaims and cross-claims made in such action), except for the pro-rata
amount of any such costs and expenses relating to material assertions that, as a
part of such action, the court determines were not made in good faith or were
frivolous.
10. Notice. All notices, requests, demands and other communications
under this Agreement shall be in writing. Addresses for notice to either party
are as shown on the signature page of this Agreement, or as subsequently
modified by written notice.
11. Consent to Jurisdiction. The Company and Indemnitee each hereby
irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of the State of Maharashtra, India for
all purposes in connection with any action or proceeding which arises out of or
relates to this Agreement and agree that any action instituted under this
Agreement shall be brought only in such courts.
12. Choice of Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and its
provisions construed in accordance with the laws of India.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as
of the date first above written.
REDIFF.COM LIMITED
By:
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Name:
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Title:
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Address:
Mahalaxmi Engineering Estate
1st Floor, L. J. Road
Behind Khilani College
Mahim (West), Mumbai 400 021, India
AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED:
INDEMNITEE
(signature)
Address:
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