Companies Act, 1956
Sec 408 - Powers of Government to prevent oppression
or mismanagement.
(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this
Act, the Central Government may appoint such number of persons as the Company
Law Board may, by order in writing, specify as being necessary to effectively
safeguard the interests of the company, or its shareholders or the public
interests to hold office as directors thereof for such period, not exceeding
three years on any one occasion, as it may think fit, if the Company Law Board,
on a reference made to it by the Central Government or on an application of not
less than one hundred members of the company or of the members of the company
holding not less than one-tenth of the total voting power therein, is
satisfied, after such inquiry as it deems fit to make, that it is necessary to
make the appointment or appointments in order to prevent the affairs of the
company being conducted either in a manner which is oppressive to any members
of the company or in a manner which is prejudicial to the interests of the
company or to public interest :
Provided that in lieu of passing an order as
aforesaid, the Company Law Board may, if the company has not availed itself of
the option given to it under section 265, direct the company to amend its
articles in the manner provided in that section and make fresh appointments of
directors in pursuance of the articles as so amended, within such time as may
be specified in that behalf by the Company Law Board.
(2) In case the Company Law Board passes an
order under the proviso to sub-section (1), it may, if it thinks fit, direct
that until new directors are appointed in pursuance of the order aforesaid,
such number of persons as the Company Law Board may, by order, specify as being
necessary to effectively safeguard the interests of the company, or its
shareholders or the public interest, shall hold office as additional directors
of the company and on such directions, the Central Government shall appoint
such additional directors.
(3) For the purposes of reckoning two-thirds
or any other proportion of the total number of directors of the company, any
director or directors appointed by the Central Government under sub-section (1)
or (2) shall not be taken into account.
(4) A person appointed under sub-section (1)
to hold office as a director or a person directed under sub-section (2) to hold
office as an additional director, shall not be required to hold any
qualification shares nor his period of office shall be liable to determination
by retirement of directors by rotation ; but any such director or additional
director may be removed by the Central Government from his office at any time
and another person may be appointed by that Government in his place to hold
office as a director or, as the case may be, an additional director.
(5) No change in the Board of directors made
after a person is appointed or directed to hold office as a director or
additional director under this section shall, so long as such director or
additional director holds office, have effect unless confirmed by the Company
Law Board.
(6) Notwithstanding anything contained in this
Act or in any other law for the time being in force, where any person is
appointed by the Central Government to hold office as director or additional director
of a company in pursuance of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2), the Central
Government may issue such directions to the company as it may consider
necessary or appropriate in regard to its affairs and such directions may
include directions to remove an auditor already appointed and to appoint
another auditor in his place or to alter the articles of the company, and upon
such directions being given, the appointment, removal or alteration, as the
case may be, shall be deemed to have come into effect as if the provisions of
this Act in this behalf have been complied with without requiring any further
act or thing to be done.
(7) The Central Government may require the
persons appointed as directors or additional directors in pursuance of
sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) to report to the Central Government from
time to time with regard to the affairs of the company