GSTAT bench allocation for technical and judicial members notified, with members directed to join their allotted benches on 21.01.2026.
Allocation of benches to appointed GSTAT members is notified through an office order issued with the approval of the competent authority. The order lists the place of posting for members appointed as Technical Member (Centre), Technical Member (State), and Judicial Member, thereby assigning them to respective bench locations across different cities. All members are requested to join their respective benches on 21.01.2026.

Customs cargo custodianship approval transfers after amalgamation, subject to insurance, recordkeeping, infrastructure, cargo-control and regulatory compliance obligations.
Custodianship of Berth No. 15 for handling bulk cargo is approved in the name of Adani Power Limited following amalgamation of the earlier custodian. The entity is also approved as a Customs Cargo Service Provider for custody and handling of imported and export goods until January 31, 2028, or further orders. It must comply with customs-area cargo handling requirements, maintain prescribed bonds, guarantees and insurance, account for goods, obtain permission for transfers or alterations, display service charges, provide adequate facilities and manpower, and allow removal or handling of goods only with written customs permission.

Chennai Air Cargo will supply time-stamped import/export data for NTRS 2026 to measure air cargo release times.
The Chennai Air Cargo Commissionerate will participate in the National Time Release Study 2026, requiring collection of time-stamped regulatory and logistics data for Bills of Entry and Shipping Bills filed 01.01.2026-07.01.2026, continuing until out-of-charge/let-export or 07.02.2026. Stakeholders must supply complete, consistent data in the prescribed template and formats; manual records where needed; report anomalies same day; and coordinate with PGAs and Customs sections to identify bottlenecks and assess adherence to cargo release benchmarks for air shipments.

Issuance of duplicate securities certificates: threshold raised to Rs. Ten Lakhs, simplified affidavit format, notarisation waived under Rs. Ten Thousand.
The circular raises the simplified documentation threshold for issuance of duplicate securities to Rs. Ten Lakhs, prescribes a standard Affidavit cum Indemnity format and waives notarisation for claims up to Rs. Ten Thousand. Claims over Rs. Ten Lakhs require additional proof (FIR/e FIR/police complaint/court order/plaint) with security details and publication of loss by the listed company; processing timelines run from complete submission or advertisement date. The substituted Para 22.1.1-22.1.4 applies immediately and duplicate certificates will be dematerialised.

Basic Services Demat Account rules updated: certain securities excluded and quarterly eligibility reassessment required.
BSDA rules are amended to exclude Zero Coupon Zero Principal bonds and delisted securities from the threshold for BSDA eligibility; illiquid securities are valued at last closing price. DPs must reassess eligibility quarterly and convert eligible accounts to BSDA unless the beneficial owner provides active authenticated consent to retain a regular demat account through verifiable channels. These amendments replace specified prior paras and come into force on March 31, 2026, with depositories required to amend bye laws and implement systems within prescribed timelines.

National Time Release Study measures EXIM cargo clearance times and seeks stakeholder cooperation to improve release processes.
National Time Release Study, 2026 will measure average end-to-end clearance and release times for import and export goods and use the findings to optimise EXIM cargo release processes. Air Cargo Complex, Mumbai, is a selected study location. Importers, Customs Brokers, trade participants and other stakeholders are requested to participate and cooperate, with an awareness meeting scheduled to support effective conduct of the exercise.

GST regularisation on an as-is basis accepts lower-rate or exempt treatment but excludes refunds and unpaid tax.
GST regularisation on an "as is" or "as is, where is" basis accepts the tax position reflected in filed returns where genuine doubt existed between competing rates or an exemption entry. Payment at the lower competing rate, or nil-rate treatment based on a genuine exemption doubt, is treated as full discharge for the regularised period. Taxpayers who paid at a higher rate cannot claim a refund. The regularisation does not protect cases of complete non-payment where no nil-rate or exemption position forms part of the competing tax treatments.

Gold import authorisations: SBER Bank added for domestic consumption from 25.06.2025 to 31.03.2026.
Amendment to Part B of Appendix 4B authorises Indian Overseas Bank and Union Bank of India to import only gold for FY 2025-26 (01.04.2025-31.03.2026) and adds SBER Bank with a conditional authorisation permitting imports solely for domestic consumption, effective 25.06.2025 until 31.03.2026, issued under paragraphs 1.03 and 2.04 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023.

CIRP form filing: Rs.500 per form per month applies for delayed submissions after 31 Dec 2025, excluding GST.
A portal-based Modification Utility allows Insolvency Professionals to correct submitted CIRP forms via OTP authentication; modifications made before a form's due date do not attract a fee because fee computation starts only after the last due date. For forms due on or before 31 December 2025, submissions after that date require a fee of Rs.500 per form for each calendar month of delay until submission, excluding GST.

Reduction in denomination now permits zero coupon and coupon-bearing debt securities on private placement with fixed maturity.
Issuers may privately place non-convertible debt securities or non-convertible redeemable preference shares at a reduced face value where the instruments either pay periodic coupon/dividend or are zero coupon debt securities, provided they have fixed maturities and no structured obligations; all other NCS Master Circular provisions remain unchanged and the amendment applies to private placement issues proposed for listing from the date of the circular.

AEO-linked custodianship renewal continues only while authorisation remains valid, unsuspended, and compliant with cargo-area regulations.
Custodianship of the Container Freight Station operated by Hind Terminals Private Limited for import and export cargo has been renewed under Regulations 10 and 13 of the Handling of Cargo in Customs Areas Regulations, 2009. The renewal is coextensive with the validity of the operator's AEO certificate and remains subject to compliance with those Regulations. An AEO-LO Customs Cargo Service Provider's custodianship approval continues only while its AEO authorisation remains valid and is not suspended or revoked.

Import of restricted IT hardware: IMS applications open 22 Dec 2025-15 Dec 2026; authorisations valid to 31 Dec 2026.
Import of IT hardware under HSN 8471 is restricted and requires an Import Management System (IMS) authorisation obtained via the DGFT website. The IMS portal is open from 22 December 2025 to 15 December 2026; authorisations granted under IMS are valid until 31 December 2026. Importers may submit multiple applications and seek amendments to authorisations online. MeitY may undertake a mid term review to update inputs, and DGFT may amend, suspend or withdraw IMS procedures based on policy needs or government directions.

Gold TRQ allocation under India UAE CEPA limited to Micro and Small Enterprises via competitive e auction for FY2025-26.
DGFT will allocate the gold Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) under India UAE CEPA for FY 2025-26 by competitive e auction on the MSTC platform, with an initial 30 MT available and EFC authority to extend by 50%. This round is restricted to Micro and Small Enterprises meeting Annexure IV eligibility; per bidder caps are 10 kg (Micro) and 25 kg (Small). Bidders must register, submit technical documents, a participation fee and INR 100,000 bid security, use a Class III DSC, and file TRQ applications and payment within 15 days of allocation to be declared successful. DGFT reserves broad discretion to amend, cancel or verify bids and to forfeit securities for non payment or fraudulent practices.

Revised SIONs update input-output norms and licensing rules for chemical and allied export products, effective immediately.
Revision implements amended Standard Input Output Norms (SIONs) for specified Chemical and Allied Product entries and updates a General Note for all export product groups, effective immediately. The SIONs prescribe input types and quantitative input-output ratios, include rules for mixed consignments and product variants, and require exporters to correlate licence inputs with shipping bill descriptions. Annexure-B sets procedural rules prioritising specific norms over generic norms, election among alternative inputs, accounting bases (net-to-net or net plus wastage), value-limited import caps for certain inputs, and validity and regularisation requirements for time-limited norms.

Transshipment permission to SpiceJet Limited allows domestic air movement of EXIM cargo under bond and liability conditions.
Grant of Transshipment Permission to M/s SpiceJet Limited authorises export/import transshipment of EXIM cargo from ACC Kolkata to other customs notified airports under section 45(1) read with section 54(3) of the Customs Act, 1962, contingent on execution of specified export and import bonds and bank guarantees. SpiceJet bears liability for shortage or pilferage-export losses measured by value of goods plus interest, penalty and cess and import losses measured by Customs duty, cess, surcharge and other levies with interest and penalty. Permission is time limited and renewable subject to compliance with statutory provisions and circulars.

GST appeal filing protocol withdrawn as staggered portal filing is dispensed with, preserving earlier filings.
Withdrawal of the staggered filing protocol for GST Appellate Tribunal appeals. The order dispenses with the earlier phased filing arrangement in view of portal capabilities, with effect from 18-12-2025, while preserving the validity of appeals filed under the prior order before that date and without prejudice to the Tribunal's powers under the GST law.

Audit file preservation and submission rules require complete archival, evidentiary integrity, and timely production to the regulator.
Audit firms of Public Interest Entities must maintain complete audit documentation, assemble final audit files ordinarily within 60 days of the auditor's report, retain them ordinarily for at least seven years, and preserve them longer where legal or regulatory proceedings continue. Audit files requisitioned by the regulator must be submitted in complete form within seven days, and any extension request must be supported by documentary details and relevant audit records. Format conversions or post-archival alterations that impair evidentiary value are inconsistent with the standards.

Securitised Debt Instruments: trustees must file half yearly standardized disclosures on pool performance and credit metrics.
Trustees of special purpose distinct entities must submit half yearly disclosures for listed SDIs within 30 days from the end of March and September, effective March 31, 2026. Disclosures follow prescribed formats: Annexure I for loan/listed debt/credit facility exposures and Annexure II for other exposures. Required items include maturity characteristics, Minimum Retention Requirement and its composition, credit quality and delinquency distributions, security cover, rating distribution and weighted average rating, default and recovery metrics, prepayment behaviour, expected credit loss movements, utilisation of credit enhancement and liquidity facilities, amendments to underlying documentation and Minimum Holding Period details; Annexure III provides illustrative computations.

Import documentation for faceless assessment: upload complete supporting documents, tag IRNs, and ensure accurate self-assessment.
Importers must self-assess under Section 17 and upload legible, linked supporting documents in e-Sanchit at Bill of Entry filing, including transaction-value evidence, classification certificates, product literature and mandatory licences; queries should be answered exhaustively with IRN references. Specific declarations for chemicals, correct UQC, justification for anti-dumping applicability, and reasons for provisional assessment under Section 18 are required. A non-exhaustive list of typical documents (purchase orders, freight invoice, catalogue, COO, CDSCO/FSSAI/BIS/LMPC certificates, EPR authorisations, DGFT licences) is provided.

Customs cargo custodianship extension requires insurance, accountable handling, secure infrastructure, recordkeeping, and prior approval for transfers or outsourcing.
Custodianship of imported cargo and appointment as a Customs Cargo Service Provider are extended for five years or until further orders, subject to the Customs Act and cargo-handling regulations. The Custodian/CCSP must maintain prescribed bonds, guarantees and insurance; comply with customs requirements; account for goods and duty on pilfered or unaccounted imported goods; provide adequate facilities and manpower; keep handling records; obtain permission for removal of goods, transfer of premises, outsourcing, or structural alterations; and display service charges. Approval is subject to cancellation for contravention of applicable requirements.