Facts of the Case

The Official Liquidator, attached to the High Court of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, filed this application under Sections 462 and 551 of the Companies Act, 1956 concerning a company in liquidation. It sought to place on record the half-yearly accounts for the period 01.10.2023 to 31.03.2024, along with an Independent Auditor's Report dated 30.01.2026 submitted by M/s Padmanabha Rao & Company, Chartered Accountants, and sought permission to pay the auditor's fee of Rs.500/- plus GST. It also sought exemption from separately filing annual/final accounts for FY 2023-24, since the two half-yearly statements together already covered that full year.

Issues Involved

  1. Whether the half-yearly accounts and Auditor's Report should be taken on record.
  2. Whether the Official Liquidator should be exempted from separately filing annual accounts for FY 2023-24.
  3. Whether the audit fee (Rs.500/- plus GST) should be sanctioned for payment.

Petitioner's Arguments

  • The half-yearly accounts and Auditor's Report, filed pursuant to an earlier Court order dated 04.07.2024, contained no adverse observations and should be accepted; since the two half-yearly filings together constitute the annual account, a separate annual filing under Section 551 would be redundant and exemption should be granted.

Respondent's Arguments

  • None on record – the application was unopposed.

Court Order / Findings

  • Finding no adverse comment in the Auditor's Report, the Court took the half-yearly accounts on record and granted the exemption from separately filing annual accounts for FY 2023-24, allowing the Company Application as prayed for, with no order as to costs.

Important Clarification

This is a routine Companies Act, 1956 winding-up compliance order. GST is mentioned only as a small component of the Rs.500/- audit fee that was sanctioned for payment; the order has no bearing on GST law.

Sections Involved

  • Companies Act, 1956 – Sections 462 and 551
  • Companies (Court) Rules, 1959 – Rules 298 and 306

Decision – In Favour of

Applicant (Official Liquidator) – the application was allowed as prayed for.

Case Details

Court: High Court of Andhra Pradesh at Amaravati
Case Number: Company Application No. 111 of 2026
Coram: Justice V. Sujatha
Date of Order: 10 April 2026

Link to Download the Order

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