Sansa Law Desk

India does not yet have a standalone cryptocurrency legislation, but virtual digital assets are now subject to a multi-layered regulatory regime spanning the Income-tax Act, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, and an evolving Securities and Exchange Board of India framework. Understanding these overlapping obligations is essential for exchanges, brokers, and individual investors who hold or trade in cryptocurrencies and other digital tokens. Taxation of Virtual Digital A

India's Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 imposes one of the strictest bail regimes in the country's criminal law. Section 37 of the Act creates a specific bar on bail in cases involving commercial quantities of narcotics and certain other offences, and the Supreme Court has consistently held, across a series of 2025 and 2026 decisions, that neither prolonged incarceration nor inordinate delay in trial can override the twin conditions mandated by the sectio

The Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002, commonly known as the SARFAESI Act, remains the primary tool available to secured creditors, including banks and non-banking financial companies, for recovering non-performing assets without approaching a civil court. A series of Supreme Court rulings between 2023 and 2026 have significantly shaped the boundaries of this power, clarifying the rights of both lenders and bo

The Supreme Court resolved a significant conflict between two major enforcement statutes in February 2026. In S. Rajendran v. The Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax (Benami Prohibition), reported as 2026 INSC 187 and decided on 24 February 2026, the Court held that an attachment order passed under the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, 1988 cannot be challenged before the National Company Law Tribunal or the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal under the Insol

India's Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognizance of a growing problem in the country's judicial system: the citation of fictitious case laws generated by artificial intelligence tools. On 27 February 2026, a bench of Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe issued notices to the Attorney General, the Solicitor General of India, and the Bar Council of India, following the discovery that a trial court in Andhra Pradesh had based a judicial order on four fabricated judg

On 20 March 2026, the Central Board of Direct Taxes notified the Income-tax Rules, 2026 vide Notification No. G.S.R. 198(E), issued under Section 533 of the Income-tax Act, 2025. Both the Act and the Rules come into force on 1 April 2026, consolidating and replacing the old Income-tax Act, 1961 and the Income-tax Rules, 1962. With less than two weeks remaining before the changeover, taxpayers, businesses, and practitioners need to understand what the new procedural framework

When the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, came into force on July 1, 2024, it replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (CrPC), fundamentally altering the procedural framework within which criminal cases are investigated, prosecuted, and tried in India. The BNSS is one of three new criminal laws enacted by Parliament in 2023, alongside the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (replacing the IPC) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (replacing the Evidence Act). This art

India has committed to achieving 500 gigawatts of non-fossil fuel based electricity capacity by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2070. A critical pillar of this ambition is the Green Energy Open Access (GEOA) framework, introduced under the Electricity (Promoting Renewable Energy Through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2022, notified by the Ministry of Power. These rules fundamentally changed the access rights of electricity consumers to renewable energy, making it significant

The Competition (Amendment) Act, 2023, signed into law on April 11, 2023, represents the most significant reform of India's competition law framework since the Competition Act, 2002, came into force. The amendment overhauled merger control thresholds, introduced a deal value threshold, created a framework for settlements and commitments, strengthened the leniency programme, and addressed gun-jumping violations more forcefully. For businesses operating in India, particularly t

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) have emerged as important asset classes in India's capital market. Introduced through SEBI regulations first issued in 2014 and 2016 respectively, and subsequently refined through several amendments, these instruments allow retail and institutional investors to participate in large-scale real estate and infrastructure assets that were previously accessible only to institutional capital. India

India's Foreign Trade Policy 2023 (FTP 2023) came into effect on April 1, 2023, replacing the previous FTP 2015-20. Unlike its predecessor, the FTP 2023 is not time-bound and will operate on a continuous basis, with amendments made as circumstances require. It is anchored by India's ambition to achieve two trillion US dollars of total exports by 2030. For businesses engaged in cross-border trade, understanding the legal framework, the available schemes, and the compliance obl

Over one lakh crore rupees is estimated to lie unclaimed in Indian bank accounts, insurance policies, and post office funds, most of it belonging to deceased account holders whose legal heirs are unaware of these assets. This systemic failure in India's financial system has prompted the Supreme Court of India to intervene, directing the Centre and the Reserve Bank of India to formulate a comprehensive policy to ensure that families of deceased depositors can be informed about

The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is one of the oldest and most contested questions in Indian constitutional law. Article 44 of the Constitution directs the State to endeavour to secure a uniform civil code for citizens throughout the territory of India, placing it among the Directive Principles of State Policy. Uttarakhand became the first state to enact and implement a UCC in January 2025. By early 2026, the state had enacted an amending ordinance to refine its operation, and ot

Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) and its International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) have emerged as India's most significant experiment in creating an international financial hub within national borders. Regulated by the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), GIFT IFSC is designed to attract global financial services activity, provide a gateway for cross-border capital flows, and offer a unique jurisdiction combining the advantages o

In December 2025, the Indian government introduced one of the most ambitious pieces of financial legislation in decades: the Securities Markets Code, 2025. This single statute proposes to consolidate and replace the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (SEBI Act), the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 (SCRA), and the Depositories Act, 1996. The Code, currently moving through Parliament, is designed to create a unified, modern, and principled legal framew