Companies Act + MCA Practitioner Certification

SPICe+ Part A (name reservation) and Part B (incorporation) walkthrough, including linked forms AGILE-PRO-S (INC-35), e-MoA (INC-33), e-AoA (INC-34), and INC-9. First-year compliance clock: first board meeting within 30 days (Section 173), auditor appointment within 30 days (Section 139), INC-20A commencement declaration within 180 days (Section 10A), letterhead and signage (Section 12). Registered office change (INC-22 within 30 days) and object clause amendments (MGT-14 for special resolutions).

1. 1. SPICe+ Part A and Part B walkthrough 11 min
2. 2. The first-year compliance clock 9 min
3. 3. Registered office changes and INC-22 discipline 8 min
4. 4. Object clause amendments and MGT-14 7 min

Board composition under Section 149 and Section 152: director count, independent-director requirement for public / listed, woman-director rule. DIN, DIR-3-KYC, and DIR-12 lifecycle. Section 173 board-meeting cadence: quarterly minimum with 120-day gap rule; OPC / small / dormant / Section 8 relaxations.

Revised SS-1 effective 1 April 2024: notice period, agenda, VC/OAVM under MBP Rules Rule 3, quorum, minutes, resolutions by circulation under Section 175. Section 179 board powers versus Section 180 requiring special resolution. Section 184 disclosure of interest; Section 189 register of contracts.

1. 1. Board composition under Section 149 and the independent-director rule 9 min
2. 2. Section 173 board meeting cadence and VC/OAVM under Rule 3 8 min
3. 3. Revised SS-1 effective 1 April 2024 9 min
4. 4. Section 179 board powers vs Section 180 special-resolution matters 8 min

AGM under Section 96: timing, place, ROC extension. Notice under Section 101: 21 clear days, content, delivery. Quorum, chair, proxies under Sections 103 to 105.

Voting: show of hands, poll under Section 109, postal ballot under MA Rules Rule 22, e-voting under Rule 20 for companies with 1,000 or more members. Revised SS-2 discipline effective 1 April 2024. Section 117 filing of resolutions in MGT-14 within 30 days: which resolutions must be filed.

AGM and EGM through VC / OAVM: MCA General Circular framework as refreshed 22 September 2025.

1. 1. Section 96 AGM: timing, place, and ROC extension 8 min
2. 2. Section 101 notice: 21 clear days, content, delivery 8 min
3. 3. Quorum, chair, proxies, and e-voting under Rule 20 8 min
4. 4. Revised SS-2 and Section 117 filing of resolutions 9 min

The annual filing calendar: AOC-4, AOC-4 CFS, AOC-4 XBRL, MGT-7, MGT-7A. Section 92 annual return: MGT-7 for larger companies vs MGT-7A for OPC and small companies. Section 137 financial statement filing: AOC-4 family and XBRL applicability.

DIR-3-KYC annual filing under Rule 12A: web form vs e-form. DPT-3 return under Deposits Rules Rule 16 by 30 June; MSME-1 half-yearly return by 30 April and 31 October. Late fees under Section 403, additional-fees schedule, CCFS-2026 relief per General Circular 01/2026 and extended by 03/2026 to 31 August 2026.

Portal filing mechanics: SRN, prefilled-data reconciliation, XBRL upload, AOC-4 versus MGT-7 cross-checks.

1. 1. The annual filing cycle: AOC-4 family and MGT-7 / MGT-7A 10 min
2. 2. DIR-3-KYC: the annual DIN hygiene ritual 6 min
3. 3. DPT-3, MSME-1, and other rolling filings 7 min
4. 4. Late fees, additional fees, and the CCFS-2026 catch-up window 7 min

Section 135 applicability thresholds: net worth ≥ ₹500 crore, or turnover ≥ ₹1,000 crore, or net profit ≥ ₹5 crore. 2% average net profit spend calculation. CSR Committee constitution under Section 135(1) and (9); Unspent CSR Account rules under CSR Amendment Rules 2021 and 2022.

Schedule VII permissible activities. CSR-1 (implementing agency registration) with the updated form under CSR Policy Amendment Rules 2025 effective 14 July 2025. CSR-2 (annual CSR report) with extended timeline for FY 2023-24 to 30 June 2025 under Companies (Accounts) Amendment Rules 2025.

Non-compliance penalty: twice the unspent amount or ₹1 crore on the company; 10% or ₹2 lakh on every officer in default.

1. 1. Section 135: applicability thresholds and the 2% spend calculation 8 min
2. 2. Unspent CSR Account and Schedule VII permitted activities 8 min
3. 3. CSR-1 substituted July 2025 and CSR-2 annual reporting 7 min
4. 4. CSR non-compliance and MCA enforcement pattern 6 min

Director appointment under Section 152, retirement by rotation under Section 152(6), removal under Section 169. Section 164 disqualifications: personal (Section 164(1)) and company-triggered (Section 164(2)) five-year debarment on default. DIR-3-KYC as annual DIN-hygiene; deactivation vs disqualification distinction.

Independent director appointment under Rule 5, IICA databank under Rule 6, proficiency self-assessment test (50 MCQs, 75 minutes, 50% pass). KMP appointment under Section 203: MD / WTD, CFO, CS trigger for listed and public with paid-up capital ≥ ₹10 crore. Related-party transactions under Section 188 read with Rule 15: board approval, audit-committee omnibus ≤ ₹1 crore, shareholder ordinary resolution for materiality thresholds.

Registers of contracts under Section 189; disclosure of interest under Section 184.

1. 1. Director appointment, retirement, removal, and Section 164 disqualifications 9 min
2. 2. Independent director qualification, IICA databank, and proficiency test 7 min
3. 3. Section 203 KMP: MD/WTD, CFO, CS trigger 6 min
4. 4. Related-party transactions under Section 188 and Rule 15 9 min

Section 204 secretarial audit: applicability (all listed, public with paid-up ≥ ₹50 crore or turnover ≥ ₹250 crore, and companies with borrowings ≥ ₹100 crore); MR-3 report contents; LODR Reg 24A material-subsidiary trigger. Preparing for a secretarial audit: statutory registers, minute-book, filing SRN traceability, CSR file, RPT file. MCA adjudication under Section 454 via E-adjudication module (live 16 September 2024).

Enforcement scale in FY 2024-25 (approximately 1,150 orders; 225 relating to Sections 92 and 137). Section 447 fraud and Section 448 false-statement, with the Supreme Court ruling of 9 January 2026 in Yerram Vijay Kumar v. State of Telangana (2026 INSC 42) confirming the SFIO complaint gate.

Strike-off under Section 248 via C-PACE (established 17 April 2023): 15,837 companies in FY 2024-25. Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill 2026: proposed Sections 454B Recovery Officer and 454C Settlement Authority; JPC report tabled in both Houses on 3 August 2026, Bill not yet enacted, teach as proposed. Capstone: design a 12-month compliance calendar for a mid-market unlisted private company with deliverables checklist.

1. 1. Section 204 secretarial audit and Form MR-3 8 min
2. 2. E-adjudication and the MCA enforcement pattern 7 min
3. 3. Strike-off under Section 248 and C-PACE 6 min
4. 4. Jan Vishwas Act 2023 impact and NFRA context 6 min
5. 5. Capstone: 12-month compliance calendar for a mid-market unlisted private company 12 min

Final certification exam covering all eight content modules. Every question is anchored to a specific Section, Rule, MCA Notification, MCA General Circular, ICSI Secretarial Standard, or court ruling cited in the course. Randomised order, shuffled options, explanations shown after each question cite the source.

Lessons coming soon.