In pursuance of the Government’s objective of providing Ease of Doing Business to Law abiding corporate while simultaneously strengthening the corporate governance and compliance framework enshrined in the Companies Act, 2013, the Companies (Amendment) Second Ordinance, 2019 has been promulgated with a view, to empower the Central Government to allow certain companies to have a different financial year instead of as determined by the Tribunal. This Ordinance, inter alia, addresses the need to impose civil liability for technical and procedural defaults of a minor nature and to plug the corporate governance and enforcement framework, through the following: (i) re-categorisation of 16 minor offences as civil defaults which will de-clog special courts; (ii) transfer of certain routine functions such as permitting conversion of a public company into a private company from NCLT to the Central Government; (iii) making non-maintenance of registered office and non-reporting of commencement of business as grounds for striking of from register of companies; and (iv) breach of ceiling on Directorships being made a ground for disqualification; (vi) Enhancing the pecuniary jurisdiction of Regional Director’s for compounding offences under the Companies Act with a view to unburdening the NCLT of routine functions etc.
[Source: PIB]
Ministry of Law and Justice
