(1) An insurer shall not be registered by a name identical with that by which an insurer in existence is already registered, or so nearly resembling that name as to be calculated to deceive except when the insurer in existence is in the course of being dissolved and signifies his consent to the 1 [Authority],
(2) If an insurer, through inadvertence or otherwise, is without such consent as aforesaid registered by a name identical with that by which an insurer already in existence whether previously registered or not is carrying on business or so nearly resembling it as to be calculated to deceive, the first-mentioned insurer shall, if called upon to do so by the 1 [Authority] on the application of the second-mentioned insurer, change his name within a time to be fixed by the 1 [Authority]:
Provided that nothing in this section shall apply to any insurer carrying on business before the 27th day of January, 1937, under the Indian Life Assurance Companies Act, 1912 (6 of 1912):
2 [Provided further that in the application of this section to any insurer who begins to carry on insurance business after the commencement of the Insurance (Amendment) Act, 1946 (6 of 1946), the references to an insurer in existence in sub-section (1) and this sub-section shall be construed as including references to a provident society 3 [as defined in Part III] in existence, whether or not the society is in the course of being dissolved.]
(3) No insurer other than a provident society 3 [as defined in Part III], who begins to carry on insurance business after the commencement of this Act, shall adopt as its name and no such insurer carrying on business before the commencement of this Act shall continue after the expiry of six months from the commencement thereof to use as its name any combination of words which includes the word "provident".
______________________
1. Substituted by Act 47 of 1950, section 4, for "Superintendent of Insurance" (w.e.f. 1-6-1950) and again substituted by Act 41 of 1999, section 30 and Schedule I, for "Controller" (w.e.f. 19-4-2000).
2. Added by Act 6 of 1946, section 6 (w.e.f. 20-3-1946).
3. Substituted by Act 13 of 1941, section 6 "to which part III applies" (w.e.f. 8-4-1941).