Regulation 24A - Secretarial Audit - Securities and Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015

1 [Secretarial Audit 2 [and Secretarial Compliance Report]. 24A. 5 [ (1) (a) Every listed entity and its material unlisted subsidiaries incorporated in India shall undertake Secretarial Audit by a Secretarial Auditor who shall be a Peer Reviewed Company Secretary and shall annex a Secretarial Audit Report in such form as specified, with the annual report of the listed entity. Explanation: (i) Secretarial Auditor means a Company Secretary in Practice or a firm of Company Secretary(ies) in practice appointed to conduct the Secretarial Audit. (ii) Peer Reviewed Company Secretary means a Company Secretary in practice, who is either practicing individually or as a sole proprietor or as a partner of a Peer Reviewed Practice Unit, holding a valid certificate of peer review issued by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. (b) On the basis of recommendation of board of directors, a listed entity shall appoint or re-appoint: (i) an individual as Secretarial Auditor for not more than one term of five consecutive years; or (ii) a Secretarial Audit firm as Secretarial Auditor for not more than two terms of five consecutive years, with the approval of its shareholders in its Annual General Meeting: Provided that- (i) an individual Secretarial Auditor who has completed his or her term under sub-clause (i) of this clause shall not be eligible for re-appointment as Secretarial Auditor in the same entity for five years from the completion of his or her term; (ii) a Secretarial Audit firm which has completed its term under sub-clause (ii) of this clause, shall not be eligible for re-appointment as Secretarial Auditor in the same entity for five years from the completion of such term: Provided further that as on the date of appointment no Secretarial Audit firm having a common partner or partners to the other Secretarial Audit firm, whose tenure has expired in the listed entity immediately preceding the financial year, shall be appointed as Secretarial Auditor of the same listed entity for a period of five years: Provided further that, nothing contained in these regulations shall prejudice the right of the entity to remove Secretarial Auditor with the approval of its shareholders in its Annual General Meeting or the right of the Secretarial Auditor to resign from such office of the listed entity. (c) The casual vacancy arising out of resignation, death or disqualification of a Secretarial Auditor shall be filled by the board of directors of the listed entity within a period of three months and the secretarial auditor so appointed shall hold office till the conclusion of the next annual general meeting. ]] 6 [ (1A) Eligibility, Qualifications and Disqualifications of Secretarial Auditor: (a) A person shall be eligible for appointment as a Secretarial Auditor of the listed entity only if such person is a Peer Reviewed Company Secretary and has not incurred any of the disqualifications as specified by the Board: Provided that a firm whereof majority of partners practising in India are qualified for appointment as aforesaid may be appointed by its firm name to be Secretarial Auditor of the listed entity. (b) Where a firm including a limited liability partnership is appointed as Secretarial Auditor of the listed entity, only the partners who are Peer Reviewed Company Secretaries shall be authorised to act and sign on behalf of the firm. (c) Where a person appointed as Secretarial Auditor of the listed entity incurs any of the disqualifications as specified by the Board, after appointment, such person shall vacate the office as Secretarial Auditor and such vacation shall be deemed to be a casual vacancy in the office of the Secretarial Auditor. (1B) Secretarial Auditor not to render certain services: A Secretarial Auditor appointed under these regulations shall provide to the listed entity only such other services as are approved by the board of directors, but which shall not include any services as specified by the Board in this behalf. (1C) With effect from April 1, 2025, every listed entity shall ensure compliance with sub-regulation (1), (1A) and (1B) for appointment, re-appointment or continuation of the Secretarial Auditor of the listed entity: Provided that any association of the individual or the firm as the Secretarial Auditor of the listed entity before March 31, 2025 shall not be considered for the purpose of calculating the tenure under clause (b) of sub-regulation (1). ] 4 [ (2) Every listed entity shall submit a secretarial compliance report in such form as specified, to stock exchanges, within sixty days from end of each financial year 7 [ : ]] 8 [ Provided that the listed entity shall ensure that with effect from April 1, 2025, the Secretarial Compliance Report submitted to the stock exchange(s) on annual basis is signed only by the Secretarial Auditor or by a Peer Reviewed Company Secretary who satisfies the conditions mentioned in sub-regulations (1A) and (1B) of this regulation. ] ************** NOTES:- 1 Inserted by the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) (Amendment) Regulations, 2018, w.e.f. the date specified in the provision. 2. Inserted vide Notification No. SEBI/LAD-NRO/GN/2021/22 dated 05-05-2021 3. Substituted vide Notification No. SEBI/LAD-NRO/GN/2021/22 dated 05-05-2021 before it was read as, Every listed entity and its material unlisted subsidiaries incorporated in India shall undertake secretarial audit and shall annex with its annual report, a secretarial audit report, given by a company secretary in practice, in such form as may be specified with effect from the year ended March 31, 2019. 4. Inserted vide Notification No. SEBI/LAD-NRO/GN/2021/22 dated 05-05-2021 5. Substituted vide Notification No. SEBI/LAD-NRO/GN/2024/218 dated 12-12-2024 w.e.f. 12-12-2024 before it was read as, 3 [ (1) Every listed entity and its material unlisted subsidiaries incorporated in India shall undertake secretarial audit and shall annex a secretarial audit report given by a company secretary in practice, in such form as specified, with the annual report of the listed entity. ] 6. Inserted vide Notification No. SEBI/LAD-NRO/GN/2024/218 dated 12-12-2024 w.e.f. 12-12-2024 7. Substituted vide Notification No. SEBI/LAD-NRO/GN/2024/218 dated 12-12-2024 w.e.f. 12-12-2024 before it was read as, . 8. Inserted vide Notification No. SEBI/LAD-NRO/GN/2024/218 dated 12-12-2024 w.e.f. 12-12-2024