Section 32: Copies of balance-sheets and accounts to be sent to registrar

Reviewed by CA Nikhil Gupta · Last reviewed 18 September 2026

Section 32 coordinates Banking Regulation Act financial-statement filing with the Registrar. When a banking company furnishes accounts and balance sheet under Section 31, it must simultaneously send three copies of those accounts, the balance sheet and auditor’s report to the Registrar. Separately, if RBI requires an additional statement or information under Section 27(2) in connection with the Section 31 accounts/balance sheet, the banking company must send a copy of that additional statement or information to the Registrar when it supplies it to RBI.

Official statute linkedProvision-specific anatomyPractical case + evidence file

Official text: DFS consolidated Act

Statutory structure and clause/subsection decode

Section 32(1)

At the same time as the Section 31 furnishing, send the Registrar three copies of the accounts, balance sheet and auditor’s report. The provision also coordinates this filing with the Companies Act filing requirement referred to in the section.

Section 32(2)

The Registrar-copy duty for extra material is triggered only when RBI requires an additional statement or information under Section 27(2) in connection with the Section 31 balance sheet/accounts.

Timing

For subsection (2), the copy goes to the Registrar when the bank supplies that additional material to RBI.

Practical example

A bank files its annual accounts under Section 31 and sends the required three copies to the Registrar. Two weeks later RBI, using Section 27(2), asks for an additional statement specifically connected with those accounts. When the bank sends that statement to RBI, Section 32(2) requires a copy to the Registrar. A routine document not called for under Section 27(2) does not become a Section 32(2) Registrar-copy obligation merely because it relates generally to finance.

Evidence / working-paper checklist

Section 32 evidence: general-ledger / treasury reconciliation.
Section 32 evidence: return or financial statement submitted to RBI/Registrar.
Section 32 evidence: auditor sign-off or working papers where relevant.
Section 32 evidence: filing acknowledgement and calculation of the statutory reference date.

Retain the event date and source version with the file so the conclusion remains reproducible after later amendments.

Common mistakes to avoid

For Section 32, avoid using a legacy Friday/fortnight reference after the statutory date changed.
For Section 32, avoid submitting a return without a ledger reconciliation.
For Section 32, avoid assuming an extension exists without a written statutory/RBI basis.

Linked Rules, RBI directions, notifications and forms

Banking Regulation (Companies) Rules, 1949
Relevance: check this instrument’s own scope where Section 32 concerns copies of balance-sheets and accounts to be sent to registrar.

Linked instruments keep their own legal basis; they are not attributed to Section 32 unless the official instrument says so.

Related sections inside the Act

Use these links to read Section 32 in its statutory sequence, especially where the provision imports definitions, approvals, appeals, penalties or winding-up consequences from neighbouring sections.

Current-law source control

Source control: Section 32 is anchored to the official DFS consolidated text; later changes require separate Gazette verification.

Dated matters: verify any later Gazette, RBI direction or binding judgment affecting Section 32 on the event date.

Section 32 Q&A

What does Section 32(1) require?

Three copies of the Section 31 accounts, balance sheet and auditor’s report are sent to the Registrar at the same time as the Section 31 furnishing.

Does every piece of information sent to RBI have to be copied to the Registrar?

No. Section 32(2) is tied to additional statements or information required by RBI under Section 27(2) in connection with the Section 31 accounts and balance sheet.

When is the Section 32(2) copy sent?

When the bank supplies the additional Section 27(2) statement or information to RBI.

What should the working paper retain?

The Section 31 filing, Registrar copies, RBI requisition under Section 27(2), and evidence of the corresponding Registrar copy where subsection (2) applies.

Primary official sources

Disclaimer

This Finin2min page is an educational and professional reference. Banking regulation is fact-, entity- and date-sensitive. Verify the current Act, Gazette amendments and commencement notifications, applicable RBI Rules/directions and the transaction record before acting or filing.