1. The Board of Directors of a company shall be entitled to exercise all such powers, and to do all such acts and things, as the company is authorised to exercise and do:
Provided that: in exercising such power or doing such act or thing, the Board shall be subject to the provisions contained in that behalf in this Act, or in the memorandum or articles, or in any regulations not inconsistent therewith and duly made there under, including regulations made by the company in general meeting:
Provided further that: the Board shall not exercise any power or do any act or thing which is directed or required, whether under this Act or by the memorandum or articles of the company or otherwise, to be exercised or done by the company in general meeting.
2. No regulation made by the company in general meeting shall invalidate any prior act of the Board which would have been valid if that regulation had not been made.
3. The Board of Directors of a company shall exercise the following powers on behalf of the company by means of resolutions passed at meetings of the Board, namely:—
a. to make calls on shareholders in respect of money unpaid on their shares;
b. to authorise buy-back of securities under section 68;
c. to issue securities, including debentures, whether in or outside India;
d. to borrow monies;
e. to invest the funds of the company;
f. to grant loans or give guarantee or provide security in respect of loans;
g. to approve financial statement and the Board's report;
h. to diversify the business of the company;
i. to approve amalgamation, merger or reconstruction;
j. to take over a company or acquire a controlling or substantial stake in another company;
k. any other matter which may be prescribed:
Provided that: the Board may, by a resolution passed at a meeting, delegate to any committee of directors, the managing director, the manager or any other principal officer of the company or in the case of a branch office of the company, the principal officer of the branch office, the powers specified in clauses (d ) to (f ) on such conditions as it may specify:
Provided further that: the acceptance by a banking company in the ordinary course of its business of deposits of money from the public repayable on demand or otherwise and
withdrawable by cheque, draft, order or otherwise, or the placing of monies on deposit by a banking company with another banking company on such conditions as the Board may prescribe, shall not be deemed to be a borrowing of monies or, as the case may be, a making of loans by a banking company within the meaning of this section.
Explanation.- I.—Nothing in clause (d ) shall apply to borrowings by a banking company from other banking companies or from the Reserve Bank of India, the State Bank of India or any other banks established by or under any Act.
Explanation.- II.—In respect of dealings between a company and its bankers, the exercise by the company of the power specified in clause (d ) shall mean the arrangement made by the company with its bankers for the borrowing of money by way of overdraft or cash credit or otherwise and not the actual day-to-day operation on overdraft, cash credit or other accounts by means of which the arrangement so made is actually availed of.
4. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to affect the right of the company in general meeting to impose restrictions and conditions on the exercise by the Board of any of the powers specified in this section.
Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 179
Section 179 vests plenary managerial authority in the Board of Directors, prescribing specific foundational corporate powers that can be exercised exclusively by means of resolutions passed at meetings of the Board.
Board powers under clauses (d), (e), and (f) may be delegated to a committee or managing director on specified conditions.
Section 179 establishes the core corporate principle of board autonomy. While shareholders own the company, management is vested exclusively in the Board. Resolutions under Section 179(3) cannot be passed by circular resolution under Section 175; they must be physically or electronically deliberated at a formal board meeting, ensuring collegiate discussion on critical corporate financing and investment decisions.