The order from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) widens an investigation the agency began last year, after a Reuters report showed prescient messages about financial results of companies were shared in private WhatsApp chatrooms before their official release.
Reuters identified 12 such instances relating to as many companies, with HDFC Bank and Axis Bank among the firms identified. Both of those banks have been issued orders similar to the one handed to Tata Motors.
SEBI said its initial examination showed certain details about Tata Motors shared through messages on WhatsApp closely matched financial results for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2015, that were disclosed by the company later.
"It is observed that the financial figures pertaining to the quarterly results of Tata Motors were matching with the figures that were in circulation prior to its official announcement by Tata Motors," the agency said in the order.
Tata Motors, which owns luxury brand Jaguar Land Rover, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Tuesday.
SEBI added that while it could not ascertain the source of the leak, it had prima facie concluded the leak occurred due to a lack in Tata Motors' controls.
The agency asked Tata Motors to conduct an internal inquiry into its systems and controls and prepare a report within three months that would also identify those responsible for the leak.
Comments
The Reuters report has sparked a broad SEBI investigation since December, including raids on brokers' homes that resulted in the confiscation of laptops and mobile phones.© Thomson Reuters 2018
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
