Meaning of Notice of Meeting
Notice means an invitation in writing to the concerned persons for attending the meeting. A Notice of Meeting of a Company is a document informing the members or directors of a company about an upcoming meeting. Preparing and serving notice is an essential requirement of a valid meeting. If the authority fails to serve notice to any one of the eligible members, the meeting will be invalid. This document specifies the date, time, and place of the meeting and the general nature of the business to be transacted at the meeting. Every notice of a meeting should contain the following contents:
a) Type of the meeting such as annual general meeting, extraordinary general meeting, board meeting, etc.
b) Date, time, and place of the meeting.
c) Agenda of the meeting.
In the case of company meetings, the Companies Act provides a specific time limit for sending a notice to the concerned parties prior to the meeting. According to the Companies Act 1994, the minimum time length for sending notice prior to the meeting is as follows:
There are two categories of meeting namely:
(1) Meeting of the board of directors: This is the meeting the board of directors holds to discuss certain issues relating to the running and management of the company.
(2) Meeting of the members of the company: The persons entitled to attend this meeting include: every member, director, company secretary, auditors of the company and holders of shares that have been transferred or transmitted. Under this category, there are three types of meeting, namely:
- Annual General Meeting: Every company is required to hold its first annual general meeting within 18 months of incorporation and also hold subsequent meetings at least once every year.
- Extraordinary General Meeting: This is the meeting that can be convened at any time where the members or directors deem it necessary.
- Statutory Meeting: Every public company is mandated by law to hold a statutory meeting within a period of 6 (six) months after incorporation.
When a meeting is to be convened, a notice is required to be sent to all who are to attend it. It should satisfy these conditions:
- It should be under proper authority
- It should state the name of the organization
- It should state the day, date, time, and place. Also, sometimes, how to reach the place
- It should be well in advance. Some require seven days’ notice, some 48 hours’
- It should state the purpose and, if possible, the agenda
- It should carry the date of circulation and convener’s/secretary’s signature
- It should go to all persons required at the meet
- It should mention the TA/DA etc. payable and the arrangements for this
In practice, it is necessary to ensure that the notice has reached in time. This may be done telephonically. Dispatch section and post are prone to delays
