Vacation of office of director
📚 Law Minded summary
When a director's seat empties automatically, without anyone voting.
It happens on incurring a disqualification, on missing every Board meeting for twelve months, on breaching the related-party rules in section 184 or 188, on being disqualified by a court or Tribunal order, on conviction with a sentence of six months or more, and on being removed under the Act.
Someone who carries on acting as a director after their office has become vacant faces imprisonment of up to a year or a fine, or both.
(1) The office of a director shall become vacant in case—
(a) he incurs any of the disqualifications specified in section 164: 1[Provided that where he incurs disqualification under sub-section (2) of section 164, the office of the director shall become vacant in all the companies, other than the company which is in default under that sub-section];
(b) he absents himself from all the meetings of the Board of Directors held during a period of twelve months with or without seeking leave of absence of the Board;
(c) he acts in contravention of the provisions of section 184 relating to entering into contrac ts or arrangements in which he is directly or indirectly interested;
(d) he fails to disclose his interest in any contract or arrangement in which he is directly or indirectly interested, in contravention of the provisions of section 184;
(e) he becomes disqualified by an order of a court or the Tribunal;
(f) he is convicted by a court of any offence, whether involving moral turpitude or otherwise and sentenced in respect thereof to imprisonment for not less than six months: 2[Provided that the office shall not be vacated by the director in case of orders referred to in clauses (e) and (f)—
(i) for thirty days from the date of conviction or order of disqualification;
(ii) where an appeal or petition is preferred within thirty days as aforesaid against the conviction resulting in sentence or order, until expiry of seven days from the date on which such appeal or petition is disposed of; or (iii) where any further appeal or petition is preferred against order or sentence within seven days, until such further appeal or petition is disposed of.]
(g) he is removed in pursuance of the provisions of this Act;
(h) he, having been appointed a director by virtue of his holding any office or other employment in the holding, subsidiary or associate company, ceases to hold such office or other employment in that company.
(2) If a person, functions as a director even when he knows that the office of director held by him has become vacant on account of any of the disqualifications specified in sub-section (1), he shall be punishable 1*** with fine which shall not be less than one lakh rupees but which may extend to 2[five lakh rupees].
(3) Where all the directors of a company vacate their offices under any of the disqualifications specified in sub -section ( 1), the promo ter or, in his absence, the Central Government shall appoint the required number of directors who shall hold office till the directors are appointed by the company in the general meeting.
(4) A private company may, by its articles, provide any other ground for the vacation of the office of a director in addition to those specified in sub-section (1).
All sections in Chapter XI — Appointment and Qualifications of Directors