Search and status report 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.
A search and status report is a professional's written statement of the charges that stand on record against a company on a stated date. Lenders, investors and buyers ask for it before they lend, take over a loan or acquire shares, because it tells them what is already secured on the company's assets and in whose favour.
The Companies Act, 2013 never uses the words "search report" or "status report"; it is a practice document, not a legal requirement. Its legal base is the duty to register a charge (section 77), the Registrar's register (section 81), the company's own register (section 85), satisfaction entries (sections 82 and 83) and public inspection (section 399). A charge that is not duly registered is not taken into account by a liquidator or another creditor, so the report is only as good as the records behind it.
When a search and status report is asked for
It is usual in four situations: fresh lending against assets, a lender taking over an existing loan, a new lender joining a group of lenders, and due diligence before an acquisition. In each case the reader wants one answer: what is already charged, to whom, and is any of it still alive?
Where the search sits in a wider review is covered in our note on legal due diligence; the charge search is one of its smaller, factual steps. If you need the filings themselves cleaned up before a search is done, see our charge filing service.
What the Act requires: the legal base, section by section
Creation and registration (section 77). Section 77(1) makes it the duty of every company creating a charge on its property or assets, tangible or otherwise, to register the particulars with the Registrar within thirty days of its creation. The provisos allow later registration in the cases and on the terms they set out; the live post on section 77 and the rules on registering a charge cover the extended periods and forms. A proviso also says that a later registration does not prejudice a right acquired in the property before the charge was actually registered.
Effect of non-registration (section 77(3) and (4)). Under sub-section (3), a charge created by a company is not taken into account by the liquidator or any other creditor unless it is duly registered and the Registrar has given a certificate of registration. Sub-section (4) adds that this does not prejudice any contract or obligation for repayment of the money secured. In plain words: the lender may still sue on the debt, but the security is weak against other creditors.
Acquired property and modifications (section 79). The registration rules apply, so far as may be, to a company acquiring property that is already under a charge, and to any modification of a registered charge. A search must therefore look for modifications, not only first entries.
Notice (section 80). Anyone acquiring the charged property or an interest in it is deemed to have notice of the charge from the date of registration.
The Registrar's register (section 81). The Registrar keeps, for every company, a register of the charges registered. Under section 81(2) it is open to inspection by any person on payment of the prescribed fee. Section 399 separately lets any person inspect by electronic means the documents the Registrar holds, and a certified copy is admissible in evidence as of equal validity with the original (section 399(3)).
Satisfaction and release (sections 82 and 83). The company must intimate payment or satisfaction in full to the Registrar within thirty days (section 82(1)); the Registrar then enters a memorandum of satisfaction, after a show-cause notice to the charge-holder unless the intimation is signed by the holder. Under section 83 the Registrar may also make an entry of satisfaction or release, in whole or in part, on evidence and without the company's intimation. See the posts on section 82 and rules 5 to 9.
Receivers (section 84). A person who obtains a receiver's appointment, or appoints one under an instrument, must notify the company and the Registrar within thirty days, and the Registrar registers it in the register of charges.
The company's own register (section 85). Every company keeps at its registered office a register of all charges and floating charges, with a copy of each instrument. Under section 85(2) it is open during business hours to any member or creditor without payment, and to others on payment, subject to reasonable restrictions in the articles. See section 85.
Rectification (section 87). The Central Government may, in the cases described, extend the time for intimating satisfaction or direct that an omission or misstatement be rectified. A search should note any such order.
Penalties for default sit in section 86; read them through the linked post. Under section 86(2), wilfully furnishing false or incorrect information, or suppressing material information, attracts action under section 447.
What a search examines: records and what can go wrong
The report layout below is TaxClue's own drafting. It is practice, not a legal requirement.
| Record | What it shows | What can be wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Registrar's register (s.81) | Charges registered, holder, status, memoranda of satisfaction | Charge shown "open" though the loan is repaid; a modification not filed |
| Certificate of registration (s.77(2)) | That the Registrar accepted the charge | Certificate missing for a charge the company says exists |
| Company's register and instruments (s.85) | All charges, floating charges, copies of instruments | Entry missing or out of step with the Registrar's record |
| Satisfaction entries (ss.82, 83) | Which charges are closed, wholly or in part | Repayment made years ago, never intimated |
| Receiver entries (s.84) | Appointments and cessations | Appointment not notified |
| Orders under s.87 | Extensions and rectifications | Order not carried into the register |
What the report sets out
A usable report gives: the parties and the purpose of the search; the date and time up to which records were checked; a list of every charge with holder, amount secured, date of creation, property covered and status; observations on gaps between the two registers; and the limits of the search, such as records not available or filings made after the search date. A report is a snapshot. It should say so.
Worked example (all names and figures assumed)
Meridian Fabrics Private Limited (assumed) applies for a new working-capital line. The proposed lender asks for a report. The search shows four entries on the Registrar's register:
- A term loan charge created in 2016, shown open.
- A working-capital hypothecation created in 2021, open.
- A vehicle loan charge, with a memorandum of satisfaction.
- A modification of the 2021 charge, registered in 2023.
The company's own register agrees on entries 2, 3 and 4 but marks entry 1 as repaid in 2019, with a no-dues letter on file. The report lists all four, states for entry 1 that the Registrar's record still shows it open, quotes the company's statement and the no-dues letter, and records that no satisfaction was intimated. It does not say the charge is closed; it recommends that the company file the satisfaction and, if time has run out, seek the extension route under the live posts above before the new loan is released. The lender can then decide with the real picture.
Common lapses
- Reading only the Registrar's register and ignoring the company's own register, or the other way round.
- Not checking modifications and treating the first entry as the whole story.
- Leaving old, repaid charges open because no one filed the satisfaction.
- Giving a report without a date, or without stating its limits.
- Treating the report as legal opinion on the validity of the security.
Need help with a charge search or a clean-up?
If a lender has asked for a report, or your own register and the Registrar's record do not match, our team can help you reconcile them and file what is missing through our filing of charge forms service, before the next round of funding or a sale.
Key takeaways
- The search and status report is a practice document; the Act does not use the term.
- Its legal base is sections 77 to 87 and 399 of the Companies Act, 2013.
- Under section 77(3), an unregistered charge is not taken into account by a liquidator or another creditor, though the debt itself survives under section 77(4).
- Compare the Registrar's register with the company's own register; differences are the findings.
- Old charges that were repaid but never marked satisfied are the commonest finding.
- State the date and the limits of the search in the report.
Read next
- Section 77: duty to register charges
- Section 85: the company's register of charges and inspection
- Term sheet and share subscription agreement for a funding round
- Forensic audit and investigation of a company in India
Disclaimer: Based on the Companies Act, 2013 (MCA consolidated text) and, for the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, the India Code text showing amendments up to Act 40 of 2021, as consulted on 6 October 2026. Later amendments, rules, notifications and control orders should be checked in their current form. Checklists, report outlines and examples are illustrative drafting by TaxClue with invented names and figures. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.