RBI Central Board Gets Three New Part-Time Non-Official Directors for Four-Year Terms
The Central Government has appointed Janmejaya Kumar Sinha, Syed Akbaruddin and Annie George Mathew as part-time, non-official directors on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India. RBI announced the appointments in Press Release No. 2026-2027/960 dated 24 August 2026.
What the announcement says
According to the press release, the three have been appointed "for a period of four years with effect from August 24, 2026 or until further orders, whichever is earlier." The same tenure and the same effective date apply to all three. The release does not cite a section of the RBI Act or give further conditions.
| Director | Position | Effective from | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janmejaya Kumar Sinha | Part-time, non-official director | 24 August 2026 | Four years or until further orders, whichever is earlier |
| Syed Akbaruddin | Part-time, non-official director | 24 August 2026 | Four years or until further orders, whichever is earlier |
| Annie George Mathew | Part-time, non-official director | 24 August 2026 | Four years or until further orders, whichever is earlier |
Where the new directors sit on the Board
RBI's list of Central Board directors now shows all three among the members nominated under section 8(1)(c) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, alongside Anand Gopal Mahindra and Somanath Sreedhara Panicker. The list groups the Board as follows:
- Section 8(1)(a), official members: Governor Sanjay Malhotra and Deputy Governors Swaminathan J, Dr. Poonam Gupta, Shirish Chandra Murmu and Rohit Jain.
- Section 8(1)(c), nominated members: Anand Gopal Mahindra, Somanath Sreedhara Panicker, Janmejaya Kumar Sinha, Syed Akbaruddin and Annie George Mathew.
- Section 8(1)(d), nominated members: Anuradha Thakur and Sanjay Lohiya.
With these appointments, five directors are shown under section 8(1)(c). The page does not give appointment dates or terms for individual members.
How the Central Board is structured
RBI's organisation page describes the Central Board as responsible for the "general superintendence and direction of the Bank's affairs". Its structure, as set out there, is:
- Official directors: the Governor and not more than four Deputy Governors.
- Non-official directors nominated by the Government: ten directors from various fields and two government officials.
- Local board directors: four directors, one each from the four local boards.
The same page states that directors are appointed or nominated for four years, which matches the tenure in the August 2026 press release. It also notes that the Board for Financial Supervision was set up in November 1994 as a committee of the Central Board to strengthen supervision of financial institutions. Directors receive a sitting fee of ₹60,000 for each Central Board meeting and ₹30,000 for each meeting of the Committee of the Central Board, along with a daily halting allowance of ₹3,750 and travel and accommodation expenses, as listed on that page.
Does this change any rule for banks?
No. The announcement concerns the composition of RBI's Board, not monetary policy or any prudential, lending, deposit, foreign exchange or compliance requirement. The press release prescribes no action for banks, NBFCs or other regulated entities. Changes to regulatory obligations come only through RBI circulars, directions and notifications.
For professionals following RBI governance, the practical point is that the three new directors will take part in the Central Board's work for a term running up to August 2030 unless the Government orders otherwise.
Updated on 27 September 2026: added a tenure table, the section 8(1)(c) category and current Board list from RBI's directors page, and the Board's structure and functions from RBI's organisation page.
