REGULATORY
Government Proposes Protection For Metaverse Designs, Virtual Products Under Designs Act
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has proposed bringing metaverse-based and other virtual designs within the scope of India's design protection law under amendments to the Designs Act, 2000. The proposal forms part of a concept note issued by the department on Friday and placed in the public domain for stakeholder consultation. DPIIT has invited comments within 30 days The concept note states that the Designs Act...
Road Transport Ministry Revises Highway Contracts, Bars Arbitration For ₹10 Crore-Plus Disputes
Disputes valued at Rs 10 crore or more, as well as declaratory and non-monetary disputes, under national highway contracts will no longer be referred to arbitration, under a circular issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on January 12, 2026. Such disputes will instead be dealt with through conciliation, without barring the parties from approaching civil courts. The circular updates the dispute resolution clauses in standard contracts used for Build-Operate-Transfer (Toll),...
CBIC Grants One-Time Relief To Cross Recessed Screws From 2025 Quality Control Order
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has notified a one-time exemption for cross recessed screws from compliance under the Cross Recessed Screws (Quality Control) Order, 2025 (QCO). In an Instruction dated 17 January 2026, CBIC clarified that import consignments of cross recessed screws with inward entry dates between 1 November 2025 and 12 January 2026 would be exempt from QCO compliance. The exemption follows representations from industry stakeholders seeking relief from...
CBIC Revises Tariff Values For Gold, Silver, Edible Oils And Brass Scrap
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has updated tariff values for edible oils, brass scrap, gold, silver and areca nuts. By a notification issued on 15 January 2026, the CBIC notified revised tariff values effective from 16 January 2026, fixing the tariff value of gold at USD 1,483 per 10 grams and silver at USD 2,950 per kilogram. The CBIC has also notified that there is no change in the tariff value of areca nuts falling under tariff item 080280. Further, revised tariff...
New Tariff Values Set For Imported Gold And Silver
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) issued a notification on 13 January 2026, updating the tariff values for several imported commodities. These changes, which were made under the powers of the Customs Act, 1962, officially came into effect on 14 January 2026.According to the sources, the tariff value for gold has been set at US $1485 per 10 grams. Silver is now valued at US $2724 per kilogram.The notification also clarifies that for many other essential imports, there has...
SEBI Limits Technical Glitch Reporting Norms To Stockbrokers With Over 10,000 Clients
SEBI has revised its technical glitch reporting framework, limiting its applicability to larger stockbrokers and easing compliance for smaller firms. In a circular issued on January 9, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Board of India said the rules apply when failures in electronic trading systems, such as login problems, order placement issues, or app outages, last for five minutes or more during market hours and disrupt trading. The revised framework will apply only to stockbrokers with...
K-RERA To Levy Penalties On Builders For Non-Submission Of Annual Audit Reports For FY 2024–25
The Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority (K-RERA) has issued a circular mandating the imposition of annual penalties on promoters who have failed to submit their annual audit reports for their housing projects for the Financial Year 2024–2025. Despite the regulatory mandate, the authority noted that several projects had bypassed the final deadline of December 31, 2025, even though the initial statutory due date for the FY 2024–25 reports had been extended through earlier circulars on...
CBIC Extends Anti-Dumping Duty On Normal Butanol Imports Till July 12, 2026
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) on Thursday extended the Anti-Dumping Duty (ADD) on imports of normal butanol, or N-butyl alcohol, up to 12th July 2026. Normal Butanol is a widely used industrial alcohol and chemical intermediate.The anti-dumping duty was originally imposed on imports of Normal Butanol or N-Butyl Alcohol originating in or exported from the European Union, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, and the United States of America by way of a dated April 12,...
CBIC Extends Anti-Dumping Duty On Flexible Slabstock Polyol Imports From Saudi Arabia And UAE
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has extended the levy of anti-dumping duty on imports of Flexible Slabstock Polyol originating in or exported from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates up to June 17, 2026, pending completion of sunset review proceedings.The subject goods, namely “Flexible Slabstock Polyol of molecular weight 3000–4000,” fall under tariff sub-heading 3907 29 of the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act, 1975.A flexible slabstock polyol is a key...
HSNS Cess | CBIC's Flyer On Health Se National Security Cess, Monthly Cess Payable By Feb 07, Return Due By March 20
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has issued informative flyers relating to 'Capacity Based Excise Duty' and Health Se National Security Cess (HSNS) payable by manufacturers of Pan Masala, Tobacco from February 01 2026. With the introduction of the Health & National Security Cess and Additional Excise Duties on Pan Masala, Tobacco and Other Allied Products, the GST Compensation Cess will cease to exist. HSNS is levied for the purposes of meeting expenditure on...
Customs Officers Must Wear Body Cameras During Baggage Clearance, Passenger Interactions: CBIC
Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) has mandated Body Worn Cameras for Customs officers posted at International Airports, engaging closely with passengers at baggage clearance counters. To align with global practices, Customs had started to adopt the digital technologies for audio and video recording, to enhance transparency, accountability and professionalism concerning passenger facilitation and intervention. For speeding up passenger flow while maintaining security,...