Increase in board size requires central government approval; limited exceptions apply where articles permit modest increases. Increase in the number of directors in a public company or a private company that is a subsidiary of a public company requires Central Government approval; increases have no effect unless approved and are void if disapproved. Exceptions apply where the increase is within the permissible maximum in the company's articles-either as in force on the historical date for existing companies or as first registered for subsequently formed companies-and a proviso exempts approval for modest increases that do not raise the total beyond a small threshold.