The Ministry of Finance (Department of Economic Affairs) on 12 June 2026, notified the Foreign Exchange Management (Non-Debt Instruments) (Third Amendment) Rules, 2026 (‘Amendment Rules’), amending the Foreign Exchange Management (Non-Debt Instruments) Rules, 2019 (‘NDI Rules’). The Amendment Rules constitute the third amendment in the FEMA liberalisation cycle for the year 2026, following the first and second amendments, which respectively relaxed restrictions on investments from countries sharing a land border with India and liberalised foreign investment in the insurance sector opening the sector up till 100% under automatic route. The third amendment is yet another attempt to widen the gate for the Indian economy. For years, access to India's listed securities market was reserved specially for a defined class amongst which are foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) and non-resident Indians (NRIs) and overseas citizens of India (OCIs), this time the liberalisation is into the Indian capital markets.
The 2026 Steel import Regulation of the European Union (EU) (‘2026 Regulation’),[1] which came into force on 1 July 2026, is not simply a continuation of earlier Steel Safeguard measures[2] applicable since 2018, but it indicates a decisive shift in the EU’s approach to regulate its steel imports in the coming years. With lowering of tariff-rate quotas (TRQs), higher out-of-quota duties and proposal for stricter origin requirements, the 2026 Regulation goes beyond the WTO’s temporary safeguard regime to a more permanent industrial policy governing steel imports into the EU. In particular, the 2026 Regulation reduces the EU's tariff-free steel quota by ~47%, doubles the out-of-quota duty from 25% to 50%, and introduces a new ‘melt and pour’ traceability requirement.
Various State Benches of the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (‘GSTAT’) have recently become operational, and questions relating to jurisdiction between the Principal Bench and the State Benches have begun to arise in practice. While Section 109 of the CGST Act specifies certain categories of cases to be dealt with exclusively by the Principal Bench, early orders of the Principal Bench indicate that jurisdictional issues are not always straightforward.
The search and seizure powers vested in BIS play a crucial role in ensuring the integrity of products available in the Indian market. The article highlights the legal framework, procedural aspects, and case studies relating to enforcement mechanisms and search & seizure powers of the Bureau of Indian Standards.
The Delhi High Court has recently held that quantitative restrictions imposed under Section 9A of the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992 are not subject to the transitional arrangements outlined in Paragraph 1.05(b) of the Foreign Trade Policy. The article notes that the improbability of relying on pre-existing Irrevocable Commercial Letters of Credit in instances where safeguard investigations are ongoing or anticipated, will lead to greater unpredictability.
This article analyses the judgment, the Supreme Court's observations, and its impact and implications that businesses, typically restricted to service-oriented activities, must take note of.
Reciprocal tariff is a type of tariff where one country imposes a tariff on imports from another country, and in response, the second country imposes a similar tariff on imports from the first country. In this article the author discusses the reciprocal tariffs by the US and what are the impacts and strategies for India.
The article discusses elaborately the issue of ‘appropriate government’ under the labour laws concerning the Central Public Sector Undertakings. Discussing the prevailing controversy, the author notes that the ambiguity or overlapping of jurisdictions is expected to be rectified once the longstanding Labour Codes are implemented.
The article discusses the recent decision of Delhi High Court in the which the court upheld the Controller’s decision to refuse a patent application for not being patentable subject matter as amounting to ‘discovery’ under Section 3(c) of the Indian Patents Act, 1970 and for failing to meet the requirements of sufficiency under Sections 10(4) and 10(5) of the Act.
Applicable rate on restaurant services is based on the ‘declared tariff’ of the hotel. After the changes made by the 55th GST Council meeting, it is important that CBIC issues a clarification for the past period to resolve the ambiguity between ‘declared tariff’ and ‘value of supply’.
To secure funds for certain ventures requiring a substantial upfront capital outlay, companies often resort to issuing shares or incurring debt. However, when these funds are not immediately deployed, companies invest these idle funds in interest-bearing securities. The article discusses the issue of taxability of the interest income generated from these securities.
The Economic Survey 2025 has given a direction for the next wave of reforms in relation to ease of doing business with quantitative parameters to access the effectives of current regulations. Further, the Union Budget 2025 has taken various steps in this direction. The article examines the need for and impact of deregulation in the light of the Economic Survey and Union Budget of 2025.
The article discusses the key aspects of e-commerce guidelines by BIS issued earlier this year and notes some strategic implications for Indian businesses. According to the authors, for India’s e-commerce ecosystem continues to grow, these Guidelines may influence future mandatory regulations, making early compliance a strategic advantage rather than a regulatory obligation.
This article discusses the Government’s initiatives towards the development of the electronic sector and the actions of the Indian Government to protect the Indian producers of electronic goods from unfairly priced imports. It also highlights some actions taken by the developed countries like EU and USA to protect their domestic producers in this sector.
The rights issue is one of the methods to raise share capital by a company. The article analysis the concept of renunciation and disposal of unsubscribed shares with a special focus on non-residents in the light of the recent amendment in the FDI Master Direction on Foreign Investment in India.
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