What is Secretarial audit for bigger companies What are the Functions of company secretary Section 204 and 205 of Indian Companies Act 2013

Secretarial audit for bigger companies and Functions of company secretary are defined under Section 204 205 of Indian Companies Act 2013. Provisions under these Sections are:

Section 204 of Indian Companies Act 2013 "Secretarial audit for bigger companies"

(1) Every listed company and a company belonging to other class of companies as may be prescribed shall annex with its Board's report made in terms of sub-section (3) of section 134, a secretarial audit report, given by a company secretary in practice, in such form as may be prescribed.

(2) It shall be the duty of the company to give all assistance and facilities to the company secretary in practice, for auditing the secretarial and related records of the company.

(3) The Board of Directors, in their report made in terms of sub-section (3) of section 134, shall explain in full any qualification or observation or other remarks made by the company secretary in practice in his report under sub-section (1).

(4) If a company or any officer of the company or the company secretary in practice, contravenes the provisions of this section, the company, every officer of the company or the company secretary in practice, who is in default, shall be 1[liable to a penalty of two lakh rupees].
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1. Subs. by Act 29 of 2020, s. 41, for certain words (w.e.f. 21-12-2020).

Section 205 of Indian Companies Act 2013 "Functions of company secretary"

(1) The functions of the company secretary shall include,--

(a) to report to the Board about compliance with the provisions of this Act, the rules made thereunder and other laws applicable to the company;

(b) to ensure that the company complies with the applicable secretarial standards;

Explanation.--For the purpose of this section, the expression secretarial standards means secretarial standards issued by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India constituted under section 3 of the Company Secretaries Act, 1980 (56 of 1980) and approved by the Central Government.

(2) The provisions contained in section 204 and section 205 shall not affect the duties and functions of the Board of Directors, chairperson of the company, managing director or whole-time director under this Act, or any other law for the time being in force.