ICSI Formally Requests MCA Relief for Stakeholders Impacted by Portal Failures After Data Centre Fire
Background: What Triggered the Crisis
A fire incident at the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) Data Centre has set off a chain of technical disruptions that continue to hamper routine statutory compliance activities across India's corporate ecosystem. As an emergency measure, the MCA initiated an unscheduled migration to its Disaster Recovery (DR) site. While this switchover was intended as a precautionary step to preserve data integrity and maintain service continuity, the transition has proven far from seamless — with multiple critical portal functionalities remaining unstable or entirely non-operational.
In response to the mounting difficulties faced by professionals and companies attempting to meet their statutory obligations, The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), through its President CS Pawan G. Chandak, formally wrote to Ms. Deepti Gaur Mukherjee, Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, on 12th June, 2026, urging immediate administrative relief for all affected stakeholders.
The Formal Representation by ICSI
The communication, addressed under reference G&CL: MCA: June:2026, represents ICSI's institutional stance in protecting the interests of its members and the wider corporate community. The letter acknowledges the MCA's proactive communication regarding the DR site switchover while simultaneously flagging that the downstream impact on portal usability has been severe and ongoing.
"Several critical functionalities of the MCA portal are yet to be fully stabilised," the representation notes, underlining the urgency of remedial action from the Ministry.
Key Operational Challenges Reported on the MCA Portal
The ICSI representation systematically documents the range of technical difficulties that professionals and corporates have encountered since the disruption began. These issues span across multiple layers of MCA portal functionality:
1. Account Lockouts and Password Reset Failures
One of the most immediately disruptive problems has been the frequent and unexplained locking of user accounts. Registered users — including practising Company Secretaries, compliance officers, and corporate representatives — have found themselves unable to access the portal during time-sensitive filings. Compounding this issue is the breakdown of the password reset mechanism, which has prevented affected users from regaining access even after following standard recovery procedures.
2. Inability to Resubmit Forms Within Prescribed Timelines
Under the Companies Act, 2013, various e-forms carry strict timelines for initial submission as well as resubmission upon receipt of queries or deficiency notices from the Registrar of Companies (ROC). With the portal in an unstable state, professionals have been unable to resubmit forms within the stipulated windows, even where they have received timely notices and prepared complete responses. The technical glitch, rather than any professional negligence, is the direct cause of these lapses.