Corporate Secretarial Services in India
Secretarial Compliance Under the Companies Act 2013
Board and committee meeting support, AGM documentation, statutory registers and minutes, Secretarial Standards SS-1 & SS-2, resolutions, MGT-14, and secretarial audit coordination — the governance backbone that keeps your company in good standing with the MCA.
Overview
What Are Corporate Secretarial Services?
Corporate secretarial practice is the discipline of keeping a company compliant with the Companies Act, 2013 — running its board and general meetings correctly, maintaining its statutory registers and minutes, passing and filing its resolutions, and meeting every ROC deadline through the year. It is the governance backbone of a company: quiet when done well, but the source of penalties, disputes, and director disqualification when neglected.
At N D Savla & Associates, our Mumbai team provides end-to-end corporate secretarial support for private limited companies, public companies, and OPCs. From drafting board and AGM documentation and maintaining statutory records to coordinating your annual and event-based filings, we keep your company in good standing with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs — as one seamless part of your wider company compliance.
The secretarial function covers meetings, records, resolutions, and filings together. It is guided not only by the Act and its rules but also by the ICSI Secretarial Standards — and building both into how every meeting is called and minuted is one of the most important, and most overlooked, parts of good secretarial practice.
Common Profiles
Which Companies Need Structured Secretarial Support?
Every company has secretarial obligations, but the intensity varies sharply by type and circumstance. Here are the situations where structured, professional secretarial support matters most:
Listed Companies
The heaviest secretarial load — mandatory whole-time CS, secretarial audit, annual secretarial compliance report, and SEBI listing obligations layered on top of the Companies Act. Timelines are tight and disclosures to exchanges are continuous.
Large Public & Private Companies
Companies crossing the capital or turnover thresholds must appoint a whole-time Company Secretary under Section 203, and many also fall under the secretarial audit net. Their governance calendar is dense and benefits from professional oversight.
Startups & SMEs
Smaller companies below the statutory thresholds still must run compliant board meetings, maintain registers, and file on time. The moment a startup raises institutional funding, investors scrutinise exactly these records — so getting the basics right from day one avoids expensive clean-up later.
Group & Holding Companies
Groups with multiple entities need consistent secretarial practice across every company, with resolutions, director changes, and filings coordinated so no subsidiary falls out of compliance and group structures hold up in due diligence.
Companies Facing Due Diligence
In any funding round, acquisition, or bank loan, the buyer or lender examines the minutes, resolutions, register of members, and charges. Missing or defective records become diligence blockers — and cannot be reliably reconstructed months after the fact.
Companies Behind on Compliance
Late or missed board meetings, unrecorded resolutions, overdue ROC filings, and outdated registers all attract penalties and director disqualification risk. A structured secretarial engagement brings the company back into good standing and keeps it there.
Regulatory Framework
Secretarial Standards SS-1 and SS-2
Secretarial Standards are the rules issued by ICSI that standardise how meetings are convened and conducted. They became mandatory under Section 118(10) of the Companies Act, 2013, giving them the force of law. The two core standards are:
| Standard | Applies To | What It Governs |
|---|---|---|
| SS-1 | Board and committee meetings | Notice, agenda, frequency, quorum, and minutes of board and committee meetings |
| SS-2 | General meetings | Notice, explanatory statements, proxies, quorum, voting, and minutes of general meetings |
Following SS-1 and SS-2 is not optional — non-adherence is a compliance default. Building these standards into how every meeting is called and minuted is one of the most important, and most overlooked, parts of good secretarial practice.
The table below sets out when a whole-time Company Secretary or secretarial audit is mandatory:
| Requirement | Applies To |
|---|---|
| Whole-time Company Secretary (Section 203) | Every listed company and every other public company with paid-up share capital of Rs. 10 crore or more |
| Whole-time Company Secretary (Rule 8A) | Private companies with paid-up share capital of Rs. 10 crore or more |
| Secretarial Audit in Form MR-3 (Section 204) | Every listed company, and public companies with paid-up capital of Rs. 50 crore or more or turnover of Rs. 250 crore or more |
Our Services
Our Corporate Secretarial Services
Our secretarial practice follows the governance calendar of your company — meetings, records, resolutions, and ROC filings handled as one coordinated engagement throughout the year.
Board & Committee Meeting Support
Companies Act 2013 – Section 118, SS-1
AGM & General Meeting Documentation
Companies Act 2013 – Section 96, SS-2
Statutory Register Maintenance
Resolutions & MGT-14 Filing
Companies Act 2013 – Section 117, Form MGT-14
Annual Filing Coordination (AOC-4 & MGT-7)
Secretarial Audit (MR-3) Coordination & CS Advisory
Companies Act 2013 – Section 203, Section 204, Form MR-3
Broader Practice
Our Broader Company Compliance Services
Corporate secretarial practice is the governance backbone — but it connects to a full set of company compliance and corporate law services:
Frequently Asked Questions
Common Questions on Corporate Secretarial Services
What are corporate secretarial services?
Are Secretarial Standards SS-1 and SS-2 mandatory?
Which companies must appoint a whole-time Company Secretary?
What is a secretarial audit and who needs it?
Can secretarial compliance be outsourced?
Keep your company's governance clean and compliant, all year round.
Talk to N D Savla & Associates — board meetings, AGM, statutory registers, resolutions, ROC filings, and secretarial audit under one roof.
Get in Touch