ICSI Urges MCA to Introduce a Dedicated E-Form for Intimation of Secretarial Auditor Appointment and Resignation:

The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) has requested the Honourable Secretary of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) to introduce a separate digital form for furnishing the appointments and resignations of Secretarial Auditors appointed under Section 204 of the Companies Act, 2013.

The institute highlighted that presently, the MCA-21 portal does not have any dedicated e-form for reporting the appointment or resignation of a Secretarial Auditor. This is an injustice for the role, as the other statutory auditors and professionals have their own separate e-forms for the intimation of appointment and resignation; for instance, Form ADT-1 has been developed for the intimation of appointment of Statutory Auditor; similarly, Form ADT-3 is for resignation of Statutory Auditor; conversely, Form CRA-2 is for the intimation of appointment to the role of Cost Auditor.

The Institute further stated that the non-availability of a dedicated digital form for Secretarial Auditors is creating a gap in statutory reporting mechanisms and is also making it extremely difficult to maintain a centralised and readily accessible record of Secretarial Auditors appointed by the companies.

Accordingly, the ICSI has urged the MCA to introduce a separate e-Form for filing the appointment and resignation/cessation of Secretarial Auditor under Section 204 of the Companies Act, 2013.

Further requested the Ministry to include key details such as the name and registration number of the Secretarial Auditor/Secretarial Audit Firm, date of appointment, period of appointment, date and reason for resignation/cessation, wherever applicable, and other relevant particulars, in the form.

Refer to the official ICSI representation for complete information.