Property Law

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026, which came into force on May 15, 2026, has amended Section 68 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA), removing the imprisonment provision for homebuyers who fail to comply with orders of the Real Estate Appellate Tribunal. The amendment replaces what was previously a criminal penalty, comprising imprisonment of up to one year along with a fine of up to ten per cent of the property cost, with a pure

The Government of India has announced a three-year, 100 per cent fee waiver for all sports-related intellectual property registrations, effective from March 2026. This initiative covers trademark registrations, patent filings, design registrations, and copyright registrations related to the sports sector. The waiver is intended to encourage innovation and brand development in Indian sports, reduce the cost burden on athletes, sports startups, equipment manufacturers, and spor

A growing legal conflict between India's Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, and the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, has reached the forefront of environmental and tribal rights jurisprudence. The core question is whether housing construction for tribal communities under government welfare schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY-Gramin) on forest land amounts to a violation of forest conservation laws, even where the communities hold rights recognised under the FRA. Rec

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA) has undergone a significant upgrade with the launch of what the industry refers to as RERA 2.0 in March 2026. This upgraded framework does not involve a new statute but rather a comprehensive set of enhanced enforcement measures, digital transparency tools, and stricter compliance mechanisms introduced through regulatory circulars and state-level rule amendments. The key changes include mandatory third-party audits

In Jyoti Sharma v. Vishnu Goyal, decided in January 2026, the Supreme Court of India delivered a categorical ruling that a tenant can never become the owner of a rented property through adverse possession, regardless of how long the tenant has occupied the property. The bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and K. Vinod Chandran held that a tenant's possession is inherently permissive, deriving from the landlord's consent, and therefore can never satisfy the requirement of hostil

The India New Zealand Free Trade Agreement signed on 27 April 2026 is not merely a bilateral trade deal. It is a strategic move within India's broader Indo-Pacific trade architecture. Understood in the context of India's recent FTA activity, its relationship with multilateral trade frameworks, and the geopolitical dynamics of the region, this agreement carries significance well beyond the tariff schedules and quota allocations that constitute its operational content. India's

Tariff reductions in any free trade agreement are only as effective as the rules that govern their application. The India New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, signed on 27 April 2026, includes detailed provisions on rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, technical barriers to trade (TBT), and customs procedures. These provisions determine whether the tariff concessions negotiated by both countries translate into actual trade flows or remain theoretical benef

The India New Zealand Free Trade Agreement signed on 27 April 2026 has triggered significant concern among apple growers in Himachal Pradesh, India's leading apple-producing state. The FTA grants New Zealand preferential access to the Indian apple market through a tariff rate quota system, and the import window directly overlaps with Himachal Pradesh's domestic marketing season. For a state where apple cultivation sustains approximately 2.5 lakh families and contributes rough

While tariff reductions on goods have dominated the headlines around the India New Zealand Free Trade Agreement signed on 27 April 2026, one of the most significant chapters of this agreement concerns trade in services. India has made commitments on enhanced market access across 118 service sectors and has offered Most Favoured Nation treatment on approximately 139 sub-sectors. These commitments go substantially beyond India's existing obligations under the World Trade Organi

The India New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, signed on 27 April 2026 in New Delhi, covers 95 percent of New Zealand's exports to India with tariff reductions or eliminations. But one category is conspicuously absent from the deal: core dairy products. Milk, cheese, and butter remain entirely outside the scope of this agreement. This is the first time in its history that New Zealand has signed a free trade agreement that completely excludes its flagship dairy sector. India's Da

Agriculture was the most sensitive area in the India-New Zealand FTA negotiations. India needed to protect its domestic farming communities, while New Zealand, one of the world's most efficient agricultural exporters, sought meaningful market access for its key products. The solution adopted in the agreement signed on April 27, 2026 is a Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) system for three specific products: apples, kiwifruit, and Manuka honey. This system allows a defined quantity of im

One of the most significant provisions of the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement signed on April 27, 2026, is New Zealand's commitment to facilitate USD 20 billion in private sector investment into India over 15 years. This investment commitment is aligned with the Make in India initiative and is backed by an institutional mechanism: India will establish a dedicated New Zealand Investment Desk to assist New Zealand investors across the full investment lifecycle, from init

Under the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement signed on April 27, 2026, New Zealand will provide zero-duty access for 100 percent of India's exports from the day the agreement comes into force. This means every Indian product exported to New Zealand, across all tariff lines, will enter the country without paying any customs duty. For Indian manufacturers and exporters, this eliminates tariffs of up to 10 percent that previously applied to key product categories. The compre

India and New Zealand formally signed a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement on April 27, 2026 in New Delhi. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal signed on behalf of India, while Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay represented New Zealand. The agreement, spanning 20 chapters, concludes negotiations that were first launched in 2010, stalled in 2015 after nine rounds, and were revived in March 2025. From revival to conclusion, the deal took just nine months, making i

The Transfer of Property Act, 1882, remains the foundational legislation governing immovable property transactions in India. This Act provides the legal framework for sales, mortgages, leases, and gifts of immovable property. Understanding its key provisions is essential for property buyers, sellers, lenders, borrowers, and estate planners. This comprehensive guide examines the critical sections and practical implications of property transfers in Indian law. Sale of Immovabl