DGFT Invites Suggestions From The Industry To Formulate The Forthcoming Foreign Trade Policy

The Central Boilers Board (“CBB”), under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (“DPIIT”), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has notified the Indian Boiler Regulations, 2026 (“IBR 2026”) under the Boilers Act, 2025.

The Reserve Bank of India has introduced comprehensive new regulations consolidating the entire export-import framework, set to take effect from October 2026.

The 2026 Regulations are primarily principle-based and are intended to promote ease of doing business, especially for small exporters and importers. They are also intended to empower Authorised Dealers (‘AD’) to provide quicker and more efficient service to their customers.

The European Union has adopted its largest-ever sanctions package against Russia's military-industrial complex, listing 1,569 entities and individuals. This unprecedented expansion of EU sanctions has significant implications for businesses worldwide, particularly those in third countries like India that have been increasingly targeted in recent packages. Understanding these measures and their extraterritorial reach is crucial for companies engaged in international trade.

India and the European Union (EU) concluded talks on the much-awaited Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on 27 January 2026, following 14 rounds of negotiations relaunched in 2022. The conclusion was jointly announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, with the latter describing the agreement reached as the “mother of all deals”.India and the European Union (EU) concluded talks on the much-awaited Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on 27 January 2026, following 14 rounds of negotiations relaunched in 2022. The conclusion was jointly announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, with the latter describing the agreement reached as the “mother of all deals”.

The European Union's 2026 Steel import Regulation marks a fundamental shift from temporary trade safeguards to permanent industrial policy, dramatically reducing tariff-free quotas by 47%, doubling out-of-quota duties to 50%, and introducing stringent 'melt and pour' traceability requirements. This transformation raises critical questions about whether traditional distinctions between trade remedies and industrial policy are disappearing, with significant implications for major steel exporters like India.

The India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, which was signed on 27th April 2026, will enter into force on 20th October 2026. With effect from such date, tariffs on textiles, apparel, leather, footwear, engineering goods, and processed foods, exported from India to New Zealand will be eliminated.

On 2nd May 2025, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, through its Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), issued a significant notification prohibiting the import...

India and the European Union have concluded negotiations on a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, with the EU offering preferential tariff access to 97% of tariff lines for Indian exports while India provides access...

The Hague convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters was signed on 15 November 1965.

Adhering to the principles of "due processes", Indian judicial and regulatory authorities have been taking steps to reduce delays in adjudicatory processes.

On 25 August 2026, the Ministry of Labour and Employment issued two notifications (Notifications) under the Code on Wages, 2019 (Wage Code), thereby operationalising specified provisions relating to payment of statutory bonus for establishments for which the appropriate government is the Central Government. The Wage Code consolidates the legislative framework governing wages and related employee entitlements, including the regime previously governed by the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965.

The Supreme Court in Vanashakti v Union of India, 2025 SCC OnLine SC 1703 held that Environmental Clearance (EC) is necessary for all large scale building and construction projects including educational institutions under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006 (EIA Notification).

The Hon’ble Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) in Jyoti Sareen vs. UOI & Others (CWP No. 15791-2024 (O&M)) (Order) held the retrospective amendments carried out vide the Finance Act, 2026, with respect to the powers of the Jurisdictional Assessing Officer (JAO) to issue a reopening notice under section 148 (Reopening Notice) of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (IT Act), as unconstitutional, being violative of the ‘doctrine of separation of powers’ and thus violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India.

In Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited v Trupti Sanjay Mehta and Others, 2026 INSC 943 (Kotak Mahindra), the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India considered whether a bank as defined under Section 2(1)(c) of the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 (SARFAESI Act) could invoke the provisions of the SARFAESI Act to recover a secured debt acquired from an entity which was not covered under the ambit of the SARFAESI Act at the time of disbursement of the loan.

The Maharashtra Stamp (Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2026 (Bill) introduced in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on 7 July 2026 proposes a significant reform to the stamp duty treatment of guarantees under the Maharashtra Stamp Act, 1958 (Maharashtra Stamp Act).

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) issued a consultation paper on 23 July 2026 (Consultation Paper). The Consultation Paper proposes a comprehensive review of the SEBI (Portfolio Managers) Regulations, 2020 (PMS Regulations).

On 20 July 2026, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) notified the Telecommunications (Authorisation for Telecommunication Network) Rules, 2026 (Rules). The Rules operationalise Section 3(1)(b) of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and establish a framework for six categories of telecommunication network authorisations: infrastructure provider (IP) (formerly, IP-I), digital connectivity infrastructure provider (DCIP), internet exchange point (IXP) provider, satellite earth station gateway (SESG) provider, cloud-hosted telecommunication network (CTN) provider and mobile number portability (MNP) provider.

On 29 September 2026, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) released the Guidelines for Responsible Labelling of Synthetically Generated Content in Advertising (Guidelines), following consultation on the draft guidelines issued in May 2026. The Guidelines set out labelling requirements for synthetic content in advertisements and identify prohibited use cases. The Guidelines come into effect three months after the date of publication (i.e., 29 December 2026).

On 9 September 2026, the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, notified the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026 (2026 Amendment), amending the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules 2020 (E-Commerce Rules).