Timeline of AI law in India

IFF calls for withdrawal

The Internet Freedom Foundation says the advisory has no legal basis and alters the Rule 3(1)(b)(v) standard.

Consultation paper promised

Ashwini Vaishnaw says the time for AI regulation has come and that MeitY will release a regulation-focused consultation paper within a month.

Enhanced-diligence advisory issued

MeitY asks social media intermediaries to prioritise government complaints and label manipulated, synthetic or misleading content; MediaNama publishes the text.

Court action over AI political videos in Punjab

A Chandigarh civil court orders three Facebook pages suspended over AI-generated videos of a Congress politician ahead of the 2027 Punjab polls.

AI incident-reporting plan reported

Economic Times reports that MeitY plans to revise the norms, timeframe and content of AI incident reporting.

AI expert committee announced

The DCGI says CDSCO has formed an expert committee on AI; no formal order has been published.

CDSCO AI expert committee announced

The DCGI says an expert committee on AI has been formed; no formal order has been published.

Supreme Court sets aside customs penalty tainted by AI hallucination

In Vijay Ghanshyam Gadiya v. Union of India the Supreme Court revives proceedings against a trader after finding the adjudicating officer relied on non-existent or fake-cited case law.

SpicyIP critique, Part I

A commentary asks whether human oversight can neutralise AI's influence on patent examination.

Faiz Enterprise judgment

The High Court directs scrupulous compliance with the instructions on pain of contempt and sets aside the impugned GST orders for fresh decision.

State Tax Department issues AI instructions

The Additional Commissioner of State Tax issues statewide instructions on verifying AI-assisted material, later incorporated in the High Court's order.

High Court notes AI-generated case laws in a GST order

In Special Civil Application No. 10123 of 2026 the Bench observes that a State Tax Officer appears to have relied exclusively on AI-generated case laws.

Guidelines on the Patent Office's use of AI

The Patent Office publishes guidelines on the use of AI tools in patent examination.

AI-use guidelines published

The Patent Office publishes its Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Patent Examination Procedures.

Lok Sabha reply on AI data-centre standards

The Government cites BIS LITD 31 standards on data-centre power, carbon, cooling and water efficiency.

Lok Sabha reply

The Government says CDSCO has not adopted AI for regulatory approvals.

Parliamentary reply on CDSCO and AI

The Government tells the Lok Sabha that CDSCO has not adopted AI for regulatory approvals.

Release reported

BioSpectrum reports the release of the guidance.

Final guidance issued

CDSCO issues the Guidance Document on Medical Device Software under MDR 2017, which explicitly covers AI/ML software.

Stakeholder discussions announced

Secretary S. Krishnan says MeitY will start discussions with stakeholders on a separate law for AI regulation.

Vaishnaw on a new AI law

The IT Minister says in a PTI interview that there is a requirement for a new law.

Kerala High Court invites comments on the draft

A Practice Direction listed on the High Court's website invites comments and suggestions on the draft "Regulations for Use of AI in Courts 2026".

Supreme Court publishes draft national regulations

The draft Regulations for Use of AI in Courts, 2026, which would override High Court policies where inconsistent, are published for comment.

Supreme Court publishes draft national AI regulations

The Supreme Court's AI Committee issues draft Regulations for Use of Artificial Intelligence in Courts, 2026, with comments invited until 20 June 2026.

Self-declarations due

Certification bodies submit a self-declaration and transition plan.

CERT-In Blueprint on AI-assisted exploitation

CERT-In publishes Version 1.0 of its Blueprint, recommending AIBOMs and AI governance controls.

Transition policy issued

NABCB issues its policy on transition to ISO/IEC 42006:2025 (AIMS), effective the same day.

Advisories-as-law debate

At a MediaNama discussion on draft Rule 3(4), a lawyer cites the March 2024 advisory as the reason advisories should stay non-binding.

Requirements reiterated

The ECI reiterates labelling, creator-disclosure and three-hour action requirements and reports action on over 11,000 posts or URLs.

Reiterated for 2026 assembly polls

The ECI reiterates labelling and three-hour action requirements during the Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and West Bengal elections.

AIGEG constituted

MeitY's AI Governance and Economic Group is formed without ICMR among its members.

Punjab and Haryana High Court letter

The High Court administration tells District and Sessions Judges that judicial officers must not use AI tools for writing judgments or legal research.

Punjab and Haryana High Court restricts AI

District judges in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh are told not to use ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot or similar tools for writing judgments or legal research.

Gujarat High Court policy reported

Bar & Bench reports the High Court's Policy on Use of Artificial Intelligence in Judicial and Court Administration, barring AI from adjudication and fixing personal liability.

Gujarat High Court AI policy reported

Gujarat bars AI from adjudication and from drafting of orders by judges and staff, and fixes personal liability for AI-assisted outputs.

NABCB 220 revised

NABCB 220 is revised to align the AIMS accreditation criteria with ISO/IEC 42006:2025.

Draft Rule 3(4) published

MeitY proposes making compliance with its advisories part of safe-harbour due diligence.

2026 Assembly polls announced

Elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and West Bengal announced.

Supreme Court calls AI-generated citations misconduct

In Gummadi Usha Rani the Supreme Court declares that a decision based on non-existent AI-generated judgments is misconduct.

Binding rules in force

The IT Rules amendment of 10 February 2026 takes effect.

Synthetic-content rules in force

The IT Rules amendment defines synthetically generated information and imposes labelling duties.

MeitY notifies synthetic-content rules

IT Rules amended to regulate synthetically generated information; in force 20 February 2026.

Rules codify labelling duties

G.S.R. 120(E) makes labelling and provenance metadata for synthetic content binding on intermediaries from 20 February 2026.

PSA techno-legal white paper

The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser publishes a white paper that rejects a standalone AI law and proposes a 'law-plus' model.

X adds technical measures

X says Grok will not edit images of real people into revealing clothing and expands geoblocking.

Image tool limited to paying users

X restricts image generation and editing in replies to premium subscribers.

MeitY finds report inadequate

Government sources say the report lacks details on takedown actions, action against Grok and prevention.

Extended deadline; X replies

MeitY extends the deadline by 48 hours; X submits a detailed reply.

Kalpetta paperless judicial district announced

At an event addressed by the Chief Justice of India, the High Court announces its in-house paperless system for Wayanad's Kalpetta district, with AI case summaries, question-and-answer queries and voice-to-text integrated.

X warns users

X's Safety account and Elon Musk say users who prompt Grok to produce illegal content will face consequences.

MeitY notice to X

MeitY writes to X over Grok, demanding steps against obscene content, a review of Grok and an action-taken report within 72 hours.