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Section448
The Companies Act, 2013

Punishment for false statement

In force From 01 Apr 2014 Act 18 of 2013 As on 15 Oct 2026

Act 18 of 2013 Ministry Corporate Affairs Enacted 29 Aug 2013 In force 01 Apr 2014 Instruments 40

Section 448 of the Companies Act, 2013 deals with punishment for false statement. Save as otherwise provided in this Act, if in any return, report, certificate, financial statement, prospectus, statement or other document required by, or for, the purposes of any of the provisions of this Act or the rules made thereunder, any person makes a statement,-- (a) which is false in any m The Act came into force on 01 Apr 2014.

Save as otherwise provided in this Act, if in any return, report, certificate, financial statement, prospectus, statement or other document required by, or for, the purposes of any of the provisions of this Act or the rules made thereunder, any person makes a statement,--

(a) which is false in any material particulars, knowing it to be false; or

(b) which omits any material fact, knowing it to be material,

he shall be liable under section 447.

Section 448, The Companies Act, 2013 (Act 18 of 2013).

Cross-references

Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.

This section refers to

  1. s. 447 Punishment for fraud

Related judgements & precedents

These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.

  1. CMA Ashwin Solanki v. The State of Maharashtra & Anr.

    High Court 15 Mar 2023 Persuasive (High Court Single Bench) Criminal Writ Petition No.4150/2019 — Final Order 15.03.2023 (Bombay HC — Amit Borkar J.)

    Court's Decision & Legal Precedent

    Section 448 is widely worded to cover any certificate and any person; where the complaint avers that a certificate required under the Act (here a s.148(1) cost-records certificate) is false in material particulars and was issued knowing it to be false, the ingredients of s.448 are prima facie made out and knowledge is a matter for trial — High Court will not quash issuance of process at that stage.

    On this section: Applies s.448’s false-statement offence to a Cost Auditor’s s.148(1) certificate, clarifying that knowledge of falsity is an element to be proved at trial and that wide wording (‘any certificate’ / ‘any person’) sustains process.

    Read the full order on eCourts India

The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.

Judgments citing this section

These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.

  1. High Court 15 Sep 2023 DLHC010010242023

    … It is pertinent note that the relevancy of Section 448 of the 2013 Act is to be seen once there is/ are any such statement(s) made for the purpose specified thereof. It should also be noted that Section 448 of the 2013 Act is a saving clause. <span id="page-42-1"></span> SECTION 452 OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2013: 57. Section 452(1) of the 2013 Act provides for punishment if it is found that any officer or employee of a Company wrongfully obtains possession of any property or cash or on having possession of …

    Read this order on eCourtsIndia

Made under this section, and citing it

40 instruments name this provision in its title or its text without being made under it.

All subordinate legislation

Questions about Section 448

What have the courts held on Section 448 of the Companies Act?

CMA Ashwin Solanki v. The State of Maharashtra & Anr. (15 Mar 2023) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Applies s.448’s false-statement offence to a Cost Auditor’s s.148(1) certificate, clarifying that knowledge of falsity is an element to be proved at trial and that wide wording (‘any certificate’ / ‘any person’) sustains process.

How do I find court cases under Section 448 of the Companies Act?

In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Companies Act 448, section 448 Companies Act, section 448 of the Companies Act. People searching for it also type companies act 2013 section 448. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with CMA Ashwin Solanki v. The State of Maharashtra & Anr. (15 Mar 2023).

What should I read with Section 448 of the Companies Act, and has it changed?

Its own text turns on section 447 (Punishment for fraud), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 40 instruments name it without being made under it, most recently 1. G.S.R No. 36(E) Companies Registration of Foreign Companies Amendment Rules 2023 dated 20.01.2023 (2023), then G.S.R 40(E) Companies (Accounts) Amendment Rules, 2023 (2023).

When did Section 448 of the Companies Act come into force?

Section 448 of the Companies Act, cited as Companies Act 448, came into force on 01 Apr 2014, having been enacted on 29 Aug 2013. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.

Other sections of this Act

Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.