(1) A person shall not serve as an independent director in more than seven listed entities:
Provided that any person who is serving as a whole time director in any listed entity shall serve as an independent director in not more than three listed entities.
(2) The maximum tenure of independent directors shall be in accordance with the Companies Act, 2013 and rules made thereunder, in this regard, from time to time.
(3) The independent directors of the listed entity shall hold at least one meeting in a year, without the presence of non-independent directors and members of the management and all the independent directors shall strive to be present at such meeting.
(4) The independent directors in the meeting referred in sub-regulation (3) shall, inter alia-
(a) review the performance of non-independent directors and the board of directors as a whole;
(b) review the performance of the chairperson of the listed entity, taking into account the views of executive directors and non-executive directors;
(c) assess the quality, quantity and timeliness of flow of information between the management of the listed entity and the board of directors that is necessary for the board of directors to effectively and reasonably perform their duties.
(5) An independent director shall be held liable, only in respect of such acts of omission or commission by the listed entity which had occurred with his knowledge, attributable through processes of board of directors, and with his consent or connivance or where he had not acted diligently with respect to the provisions contained in these regulations.
(6) An independent director who resigns or is removed from the board of directors of the listed entity shall be replaced by a new independent director by listed entity at the earliest but not later than the immediate next meeting of the board of directors or three months from the date of such vacancy, whichever is later:
Provided that where the listed entity fulfils the requirement of independent directors in its board of directors without filling the vacancy created by such resignation or removal, the requirement of replacement by a new independent director shall not apply.
(7) The listed entity shall familiarise the independent directors through various programmes about the listed entity, including the following:
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(a) nature of the industry in which the listed entity operates;
(b) business model of the listed entity;
(c) roles, rights, responsibilities of independent directors; and
(d) any other relevant information.
1[Obligations with respect to employees including senior management, key managerial persons, directors and promoters.]