Companies Act, 2013
Chapter
XII
Meetings
of Board and Its Powers
173.
Meetings
of Board
1. Every company shall
hold the first meeting of the Board of Directors within thirty days of the date
of its incorporation and thereafter hold a minimum number of four meetings of
its Board of Directors every year in such a manner that not more than one hundred
and twenty days shall intervene between two consecutive meetings of the Board:
Provided
that the Central Government may, by notification, direct that the provisions of
this sub-section shall not apply in relation to any class or description of
companies or shall apply subject to such exceptions, modifications or
conditions as may be specified in the notification.
2. The participation of
directors in a meeting of the Board may be either in person or through video
conferencing or other audio visual means, as may be prescribed, which are
capable of recording and recognising the participation of the directors and of
recording and storing the proceedings of such meetings along with date and
time:
Provided
that the Central Government may, by notification, specify such matters which
shall not be dealt with in a meeting through video conferencing or other audio
visual means.
3. A meeting of the
Board shall be called by giving not less than seven days’ notice in writing to
every director at his address registered with the company and such notice shall
be sent by hand delivery or by post or by electronic means:
Provided
that a meeting of the Board may be called at shorter notice to transact urgent
business subject to the condition that at least one independent director, if
any, shall be present at the meeting:
Provided
further that in case of absence of independent directors from such a meeting of
the Board, decisions taken at such a meeting shall be circulated to all the
directors and shall be final only on ratification thereof by at least one
independent director, if any.
1.
2.
3.
4. Every officer of the
company whose duty is to give notice under this section and who fails to do so
shall be liable to a penalty of twenty-five thousand rupees.
5. A One Person Company,
small company and dormant company shall be deemed to have complied with the
provisions of this section if at least one meeting of the Board of Directors
has been conducted in each half of a calendar year and the gap between the two
meetings is not less than ninety days:
Provided
that nothing contained in this sub-section and in section 174 shall apply to
One Person Company in which there is only one director on its Board of
Directors.