Rules 14 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Rules 14 to 16 govern who may inspect the registers and annual returns of a company, on what terms, what a company may keep back, how long each record must be preserved and who holds it, and how copies are supplied. This article reflects the rules as amended up to G.S.R. 358(E) dated 30 May 2025 (forms), with the rule text per the MCA e-book to G.S.R. 801(E) of 27 October 2023. Later amendments should be checked.
Members, debenture holders, other security holders and beneficial owners may inspect the registers, indices and annual return copies without payment of fee; any other person pays the fee fixed by the articles, not exceeding fifty rupees per inspection (rule 14(1)). Copies cost not more than ten rupees a page and must be supplied within seven days of the fee being deposited (rules 14(2) and 16). The register of members is preserved permanently; the register of debenture holders and annual returns for eight years (rule 15).
Rule 14: inspection
Rule 14(1). The registers and indices maintained under section 88, and copies of returns prepared under section 92, are open for inspection during business hours, at such reasonable time on every working day as the Board decides. Who may inspect, and at what cost:
| Person | Payment |
|---|---|
| Member, debenture holder, other security holder or beneficial owner | No fee |
| Any other person | The fee specified in the articles of association, not exceeding fifty rupees for each inspection |
The Explanation to rule 14(1) says that "reasonable time" means not less than two hours on every working day.
Rule 14(2). The same persons may require a copy of any register, entries in it, or return, on payment of the fee specified in the articles, not exceeding ten rupees for each page. The copy, entries or return must be supplied within seven days of deposit of the fee.
Rule 14(3) (inserted by the Management and Administration Amendment Rules, 2022). Despite sub-rules (1) and (2), the following particulars of the register, index or return in respect of members are not made available for inspection under section 94(2) or for extracts or copies under section 94(3):
- address, or registered address in the case of a body corporate;
- e-mail ID;
- Unique Identification Number; and
- PAN.
This protects members' personal details. The names, holdings and other entries stay open to inspection, but a person who inspects will not see those four items. The right of inspection itself is in the Act; see Section 94: Place of Keeping and Inspection of Registers.
Rule 15: preservation and custody
| Sub-rule | Record | Preserved for | Custody |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15(1) | Register of members with the index | Permanently | Company secretary, or another person authorised by the Board |
| 15(2) | Register of debenture holders or other security holders with the index | Eight years from the date of redemption of the debentures or securities | Company secretary, or another person authorised by the Board |
| 15(3) | Copies of all annual returns under section 92 and all certificates and documents annexed | Eight years from the date of filing with the Registrar | Not stated |
| 15(4) | Foreign register of members | Permanently, unless it is discontinued and all entries are transferred to another foreign register or to the principal register | See 15(5) |
| 15(4) | Foreign register of debenture holders or other security holders | Eight years from the date of redemption | See 15(5) |
| 15(5) | Foreign register | - | Company secretary, or person authorised by the Board |
Rule 15(6) is omitted. It had dealt with filing a copy of a proposed special resolution in advance in Form MGT-14, which is no longer required by this rule. For a working explanation of the periods, see Statutory Register Preservation Under the Rules. Our compliance advisory team can review where your registers are kept and who is authorised to hold them.
Rule 16: copies
Copies of the registers kept under section 88, or of entries in them, and of the annual return filed under section 92, must be furnished to any member, debenture holder, other security holder or beneficial owner, or to any other person, on payment of the fee specified in the articles of association, not exceeding ten rupees for each page. The company must supply the copy within seven days from the date the fee is deposited. This repeats rule 14(2) and covers the annual return too. The right to copies of the annual return comes from section 95; see Section 95: Place of Keeping and Inspection of Annual Return.
A worked example
Verma Textiles Limited (invented) receives a letter from a debenture holder asking for a copy of the register of debenture holders. Its articles fix a per-page fee within the ten-rupee ceiling. The company supplies the copy within seven days of the deposit of that fee. A stranger who asks to inspect the register of members pays the inspection fee set in the articles (not more than fifty rupees) and sees the entries, but not the addresses, e-mail IDs, Unique Identification Numbers or PANs of the members (rule 14(3)). If Verma later redeems its debentures, the register of debenture holders is preserved for eight years from the date of redemption.
Practical points for companies
- Set the inspection hours by Board decision and make sure they total not less than two hours on every working day.
- Put the fee for non-members in the articles, within the fifty-rupee and ten-rupee ceilings.
- Mask the four withheld particulars in any extract or copy you hand out.
- Keep the permanent register of members and the eight-year registers in separate files, with a record of who has custody.
The inspection and preservation rules sit beside the rules on how the registers are written; see Rules 1 to 4 and the electronic-records rules in Rules 27 to 31.
Need help with registers and inspection?
If you are unsure what a member or an outsider may see, or your registers are held by more than one person, a short review will settle the custody, fees and withheld particulars. Our compliance advisory service can prepare a register policy for your Board.
Key takeaways
- Insiders inspect without fee; others pay the amount in the articles, up to fifty rupees per inspection.
- Copies cost up to ten rupees per page and must be given within seven days of the deposit.
- Address, e-mail, Unique Identification Number and PAN of members are not disclosed on inspection or in copies.
- Register of members: permanent. Debenture register: eight years from redemption. Annual returns: eight years from filing.
- Custody lies with the company secretary or a person the Board authorises.
Read next
- Statutory Register Preservation Under the Rules: Permanent and Eight Years
- Section 94: Place of Keeping and Inspection of Registers
- Rules 1 to 4: register of members MGT-1 and the MGT-2 register
- Rules 27 to 31: electronic records, security and penalty
Disclaimer: Based on the Companies Act, 2013 rules (and the Companies (Auditor's Report) Order, 2020) named above as consolidated in the MCA e-book (consulted on 3 October 2026), with the later notifications the article names. Later amendments, fees, forms and the Companies Act, 2013 provisions referred to should be checked. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.