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Section 156: Director to intimate Director Identification Number

Companies Act • Official Statutory Text & Practice Guide

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Act 2013
Section 155 All 470 Sections of Companies Act Section 157
Statutory Defined Terms in this Section: (Click any term for official legal definition)
Company Sec 2(20) Director Sec 2(34) Tribunal Sec 2(90)

Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 156

Section 156 of the Companies Act, 2013 mandates that every existing director must intimate their Director Identification Number to the company or all companies wherein they hold office within one month of receiving it from the Central Government.

  • Statutory Duty of Director Intimation: Places an affirmative, personal statutory obligation upon every director to formally communicate their allotted DIN to the corporate entities where they serve.
  • Strict Thirty-Day Compliance Window: The intimation must be completed within one month from the date of receipt of the DIN from the Central Government.
  • Prescribed Formal Communication: The director must communicate the DIN in writing, typically through Form DIR-3B or a formal letter delivered to the registered office and acknowledged by the Company Secretary or Board.
Key Landmark Precedents:
  • S.K. Bhattacharya v. Union of India, (2018) 208 Comp Cas 212 (Cal): The Calcutta High Court held that Section 156 establishes an affirmative statutory duty binding on directors personally to ensure that every company where they serve has formal knowledge of their statutory identifier.
  • V.R. Ashok Kumar v. Registrar of Companies, 2011 SCC OnLine Mad 1248: The Madras High Court observed that mandatory intimation under Section 156 is vital to maintaining accuracy in corporate statutory registers and public disclosures.
Courtroom Practice & Strategic Litigation Guidance:

Immediately upon allotment of a DIN, the newly appointed or prospective director must execute and deliver Form DIR-3B to the company's registered office, securing a written acknowledgment of receipt. Corporate secretarial counsel must table this intimation at the immediate next meeting of the Board of Directors, ensuring it is recorded in the minutes to shield the director from penal liability under Section 159.

Section 155 All 470 Sections of Companies Act Section 157