MCA preps stage for virtual hearings
NEW DELHI : Soon, corporate lawyers and executives will no longer have to turn up at company registrar offices for case hearings, with the government preparing the ground for virtual hearings on its MCA21 portal. The ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) is set to roll out e-adjudication on its statutory filing portal by March, two people familiar with the development said, drawing comfort from the record number of return filings this year. Once it is launched, all proceedings by the registrars of companies (RoCs) related to company law breaches and defaults will be conducted entirely online.
“That will include online hearings. This will be rolled out before end of this fiscal year," said one of the two people cited above, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity. At present, government officials communicate with authorized company executives via physical letters, while some proactive officials also email scanned copies of these letters for quicker delivery.
The new system is expected to fast-track proceedings, since it eliminates the need for travel every time there is a case hearing. According to the second official, although the law does not bar virtual meetings, hearings are still predominantly physical since the proceedings require making signatures and recording statements, among other reasons. Some company representatives also prefer physical meetings as they believe they can present more convincing answers at in-person meetings.
“As we offer more and more of public services digitally, e-adjudication is the next logical step. The aim is to increase speed, transparency and efficiency," the second official added. Issues around the legality of electronic evidence collected, communication delivered and
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