The Articles discusses Major Amendment in Secretarial Standard 1 Meeting of Board of Directors.
| Sr. No | Points | Secretarial Standard -1 | Revised Secretarial Standard-1 |
| 1 | Scope of SS-1 | The Standard is applicable to the Meetings of Board of Directors of all companies incorporated under the Act except One Person Company (OPC) in which there is only one Director on its Board. | This Standard is applicable to the Meetings of Board of Directors of all companies incorporated under the Act except One Person Company (OPC) in which there is only one Director on its Board and a company licensed under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013 or corresponding provisions of any previous enactment thereof. |
| 2 | Meaning of Committee | Committee means a committee of Directors constituted by the Board | Committee means a Committee of Directors mandatorily required to be constituted by the Board under the Act. |
| 3 | Meaning of Secretarial Auditor | “Secretarial Auditor” means a Company Secretary in Practice appointed in pursuance of the Act to conduct the secretarial audit of the company | “Secretarial Auditor” means a Company Secretary in Practice or a firm of Company Secretary(ies) in Practice appointed in pursuance of the Act to conduct the secretarial audit of the company |
| 4 | Day of Meeting | A Meeting may be convened at any time and place, on any day, excluding a National Holiday. | A Meeting may be convened at any time and place, on any day. |
| 5 | Day of Adjourned Meeting: | A Meeting adjourned for want of Quorum shall also not be held on a National Holiday. | Removed |
| 6 | Notice of the Meeting
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Notice of the Meeting, wherein the facility of participation through Electronic Mode is provided, shall clearly mention a venue, whether registered office or otherwise, to be the venue of the Meeting and it shall be the place where all the recordings of the proceedings at the Meeting would be made. | Notice of the Meeting shall clearly mention a venue, whether registered office or otherwise, to be the venue of the Meeting and all the recordings of the proceedings of the Meeting, if conducted through Electronic Mode, shall be deemed to be made at such place. |
| 7 | Participation through Electronic Means | Directors shall not participate through Electronic Mode in the discussion on certain restricted items, unless expressly permitted by the Chairman. Similarly, participation in the discussion through Electronic Mode shall not be allowed in Meetings of the Audit Committee for consideration of annual financial statement including consolidated financial statement, if any, to be approved by the Board , unless expressly permitted by the Chairman. | Directors shall not participate through Electronic Mode in the discussion on certain restricted items. Similarly, participation in the discussion through Electronic Mode shall not be allowed in Meetings of the Audit Committee for consideration of annual financial statement including consolidated financial statement, if any, to be approved by the Board. |
| 8 | Mode of Sending of Notice |
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| 9 | Maintenance of Proof of sending of Notice | Proof of sending Notice and its delivery shall be maintained by the company. | Proof of sending Notice and its delivery shall be maintained by the company for such period as decided by the Board, which shall not be less than three years from the date of the Meeting. |
| 10 | Taken Up any other Agenda not including in Agenda Items | Any item not included in the Agenda may be taken up for consideration with the permission of the Chairman and with the consent of a majority of the Directors present in the Meeting, which shall include at least one Independent Director, if any. | Any item not included in the Agenda may be taken up for consideration with the permission of the Chairman and with the consent of a majority of the Directors present in the Meeting.
The decision taken in respect of any other item shall be final only on its ratification by a majority of the Directors of the company, unless such item was approved at the Meeting itself by a majority of Directors of the company |
| 11 | Frequency of Meeting | The Board shall meet at least once in every Calendar Quarter, with a maximum interval of one hundred and twenty days between any two consecutive Meetings of the Board, such that at least four Meetings are held in each Calendar Year. | The company shall hold at least four Meetings of its Board in each Calendar Year with a maximum interval of one hundred and twenty days between any two consecutive Meetings. |
| 12 | Quorum | A Director shall not be reckoned for Quorum in respect of an item in which he is interested and he shall not be present, whether physically or through Electronic Mode, during discussions and voting on such item. | A Director shall neither be reckoned for Quorum nor shall be entitled to participate in respect of an item of business in which he is interested. However, in case of a private company, a Director shall be entitled to participate in respect of such item after disclosure of his interest. |
| 13 | Interested Director for the purpose of Quorum | A Director shall be treated as interested in a contract or arrangement entered into or proposed to be entered into by the company:
(a) with the Director himself or his relative; or (b) with any body corporate, if such Director, along with other Directors holds more than two percent of the paid-up share capital of that body corporate, or he is a promoter, or manager or chief executive officer of that body corporate; or (c) with a firm or other entity, if such Director or his relative is a partner, owner or Member, as the case may be, of that firm or other entity. |
A Director shall be treated as interested in a contract or arrangement entered into or proposed to be entered into by the company:
(a) with any body corporate, if such Director, along with other Directors holds more than two percent of the paid-up share capital of that body corporate, or he is a promoter, or manager or chief executive officer of that body corporate; or (b) with a firm or other entity, if such Director is a partner, owner or Member, as the case may be, of that firm or other entity If the item of business is a related party transaction, then he shall not be present at the Meeting, whether physically or through Electronic Mode, during discussions and voting on such item. |
| 14 | Leave of absence | Leave of absence shall be granted to a Director only when a request for such leave has been received by the Company Secretary or by the Chairman | Leave of absence shall be granted to a Director only when a request for such leave has been communicated to the Company Secretary or to the Chairman or to any other person authorized by the Board to issue Notice of the Meeting. |
| 15 | Attendance registers | If an attendance register is maintained in loose-leaf form, it shall be bound periodically depending on the size and volume.
The attendance register shall be preserved for a period of at least eight financial years and may be destroyed thereafter with the approval of the Board. |
If an attendance register is maintained in loose-leaf form, it shall be bound periodically, at least in every three year.
The attendance register shall be preserved for a period of at least eight financial years from the date of last entry made therein and may be destroyed thereafter with the approval of the Board. |
| 16 | Authentication and Custody of Register | Entries in the attendance register shall be authenticated by the Company Secretary or where there is no Company Secretary, by the Chairman by appending his signature to each page.
The attendance register shall be kept in the custody of the Company Secretary. Where there is no Company Secretary, the attendance register shall be kept in the custody of any Director authorized by the Board for this purpose. |
The attendance register shall be in the custody of the Company Secretary.
Where there is no Company Secretary, the attendance register shall be in the custody of any other person authorized by the Board for this purpose |
| 17 | Inspection of Attendance Register | The attendance register is open for Inspection by the Directors. | The attendance register is open for inspection by the Directors. Even after a person cease to be a Director, he shall be entitled to inspect the attendance register of the Meeting held during the period of his Directorship. |
| 18 | Chairman | If the Chairman is interested in any item of business, he shall, with the consent of the members present, entrust the conduct of the proceedings in respect of such item to any Dis-interested Director and resume the Chair after that item of business has been transacted. The Chairman shall also not be present at the Meeting during discussions on such items.
In case some of the Directors participate through Electronic Mode, the Chairman and the Company Secretary shall safeguard the integrity of the Meeting by ensuring sufficient security and identification procedures. No person other than the Director concerned shall be allowed access to the proceedings of the Meeting where Director (s) participate through Electronic Mode, except a Director who is differently abled, provided such Director requests the Board to allow a person to accompany him and ensures that such person maintains confidentiality of the matters discussed at the Meeting. |
If the Chairman is interested in an item of business, he shall entrust the conduct of the proceedings in respect of such item to any Non-Interested Director with the consent of the majority of Directors present and resume the chair after that item of business has been transacted. However, in case of a private company, the Chairman may continue to chair and participate in the Meeting after disclosure of his interest.
If the item of business is a related party transaction, the Chairman shall not be present at the Meeting, whether physically or through Electronic Mode, during discussions and voting on such item. In case some of the Directors participate through Electronic Mode, the Chairman and the Company Secretary shall take due and reasonable care to safeguard the integrity of the Meeting by ensuring sufficient security and identification procedures to record proceedings and safe keeping of the recordings. No person other than the Director concerned shall be allowed access to the proceedings of the Meeting where Director(s) participate through Electronic Mode, except a Director who is differently abled, provided such Director requests the Board to allow a person to accompany him and ensures that such person maintains confidentiality of the matters discussed at the Meeting. The Chairman shall ensure that the required Quorum is present throughout the Meeting and at the end of discussion on each agenda item the Chairman shall announce the summary of the decision taken thereon. |
| 19 | Passing of Resolution by Circulation | The Resolution, if passed, shall be deemed to have been passed on the last date specified for signifying assent or dissent by the Directors or the date on which assent from more than two- third of the Directors has been received, whichever is earlier, and shall be effective from that date, if no other effective date is specified in such Resolution.
Proof of sending and delivery of the draft of the Resolution and the necessary papers shall be maintained by the company. |
The Resolution, if passed, shall be deemed to have been passed on the earlier of:
(a) the last date specified for signifying assent or dissent by the Directors, or (b) the date on which assent has been received from the required majority, provided that on that date the number of Directors, who have not yet responded on the resolution under circulation, along with the Directors who have expressed their desire that the resolution under circulation be decided at a Meeting of the Board, shall not be one third or more of the total number of Directors; and shall be effective from that date, if no other effective date is specified in such Resolution. Proof of sending and delivery of the draft of the Resolution and the necessary papers shall be maintained by the company for such period as decided by the Board, which shall not be less than three years from the date of the Meeting. |
| 20 | A record of all appointments made at the Meeting | Where the Minutes have been kept in accordance with the Act and all appointments have been recorded, then until the contrary is proved, all appointments of Directors, First Auditors, Key Managerial Personnel, Secretarial Auditors, Internal Auditors and Cost Auditors, shall be deemed to have been duly approved by the Board. All appointments made one level below Key Managerial Personnel shall be noted by the Board. | Where the Minutes have been kept in accordance with the Act and all appointments have been recorded, then until the contrary is proved, all appointments of Directors, First Auditors, Key Managerial Personnel, Secretarial Auditors, Internal Auditors and Cost Auditors, shall be deemed to have been duly approved by the Board. |
| 21 | Contents of Minutes | Minutes shall state, at the beginning the serial number and type of the Meeting, name of the company, day, date, venue and time of commencement and conclusion of the Meeting. | Minutes shall state, at the beginning the serial number and type of the Meeting, name of the company, day, date, venue and time of commencement of the Meeting.
Contents in 7.2.2.1 have been reshuffled to bring greater clarity. |
| 22 | Recording of Minutes |
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| 23 | Finalization of Minutes |
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| 24 | Signing and dating of Minutes: | A copy of the signed Minutes certified by the Company Secretary or where there is no Company Secretary, by any Director authorized by the Board shall be circulated to all Directors within fifteen days after these are signed | Within fifteen days of signing of the Minutes, a copy of the said signed Minutes, certified by the Company Secretary or where there is no Company Secretary by any Director authorized by the Board, shall be circulated to all the Directors, as on the date of the Meeting and appointed thereafter, except to those Directors who have waived their right to receive the same either in writing or such waiver is recorded in the Minutes. |
| 25 | Disclosure: | The Annual Report and Annual Return of a company shall disclose the number and dates of Meetings of the Board and Committees held during the financial year indicating the number of Meetings attended by each Director. | The Report of the Board of Directors shall include a statement on compliances of applicable Secretarial Standards. |
New insertion in Annexure A:
- In case of a public company, the appointment of New insertion as provided in Section 161(4) Director(s) in casual vacancy subject to the provisions in the Articles of the company.
- Sale of subsidiaries.
- Purchase and Sale of material tangible/intangible assets not in the ordinary course of business.
(Author Prathana Mallya is Senior Associate with NovoJuris Legal and can be reached at Twitter: @novojuris email: [email protected])
