True and Fair View of Financial Statements: Who will finally bell the cat?

One of the most important communications by a company to its shareholders is its financial statements. It is a key document on which shareholders rely while making their decision on whether to stay invested in a company or not, as it highlights the financial health of the company. The regulators also understand the importance of financial statements, due to which the issuance of the same is heavily regulated and scrutinized. Section 129 of the Companies Act, 2013 (“CA 2013”), provides that the financial statements shall give a ‘true and fair view’ of the state of affairs of a company, while also complying with the accounting standards notified under Section 133 and be in the form as provided in Schedule III of CA 2013.Continue Reading True and Fair View of Financial Statements: Who will finally bell the cat?

Financial Statement

Context

The cardinal principle of company law, as enshrined under Section 129(1) of the Companies Act, 2013 (“Companies Act”), is that the financial statements (“FS”) should give a ‘true and fair view’ of the state of affairs of the company, comply with the accounting standards notified under Section 133, and also be in the form provided for different classes of companies under Schedule III.Continue Reading Non-compliance with Accounting Standards – Will it amount to an FUTP Offence?