Filing of Form 23D for Cost Auditor Compulsory

Default by the Cost Auditors in filing Form 23D against the corresponding Form 23C

GENERAL CIRCULAR NO. 35/2012 [F. NO. 52/5/CAB-2011], DATED 5-11-2012

Ministry of Corporate Affairs videGeneral Circular No. 15/2011, dated April 11, 2011&n! bsp;had prescribed a revisedprocedure to be followed for appointment of cost auditors. As per the re! visedprocedure, each company is required to e-file its application with the Central! Government in the prescribed Form 23C within ninety days from the date of commencement of each financial year, which shall be approved by MCA within 30 days.

2. Upon approval by MCA, the company is required to issue formal letter of appointment to the cost auditor, who shall, within 30 days of receipt of such letter of appointment, inform the Central Government in the prescribed Form 23D alongwith a copy of such appointment.

3. It is, however, observed that since April 1, 2011, though all the appointment applications made by the companies concerned in Form 23C have already been approved by the MCA, a large number of cost auditors

have defaulted in filing the required Form 23D within the stipulated time. In many cases, the default period is even more than a year. This has been viewed very seriously by the Ministry.

4. Keeping in view the initial operation of the revised procedure, all the defaulting cost auditors are requested to file their required Form 23D that have already become due till date, by December 16, 2012 positively. In case of any further default, names of such defaulting members shall be sent to the Institute on December 17, 2012 intimating the Institute to initiate Disciplinary Proceedings against them under the relevant provisions of Cost and Works Accountants Act, 1959.

5. In cases where the company concerned, after approval of Form 23C, has failed to issue theformal letter of appointment to the cost auditor, they shall do so within 15 days of the issue of thisCircular enabling the cost auditor to file Form 23D within the extended time indicated above. In case of non-compliance, the company and every officer thereof who is found to be in default shall be punishable as per provisions of the Companies Act, 1956.

6. The Institute is requested to circulate this for the information of all concerned.