Record date is a date declared in advance by a company on which an investor's name must appear in the company's records to be entitled to benefits like dividend, bonus, or rights issue.
Source: Chapter 8, Section 8.3 – Clearing & Settlement and Redressal
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The examiner expects a one-line definition mentioning: (1) it is declared in advance, (2) the investor's name must be on company records on that date, and (3) it determines eligibility for corporate benefits (dividend/bonus/rights). Avoid confusing it with "book closure," which refers to closing the register itself.