Prohibition of fraudulent and unfair trade practices: regulations strengthen market conduct standards and enforcement framework.
Prohibition of fraudulent and unfair trade practices establishes a regulatory ban on manipulative, deceptive or unfair conduct affecting market integrity, defines prohibited behaviours, imposes obligations on market participants, and creates a framework for detection and regulatory response empowering the securities regulator to identify, investigate and address market abuse.

Investor Education and Protection Fund committee reconstituted; Joint Secretary and Financial Adviser appointed as member under statutory authority.
The Central Government amends Notification S.O. 1280(E) dated 28.12.2001 by substituting serial No. 2 to designate the Joint Secretary and Financial Adviser, Department of Company Affairs as a member of the committee administering the Investor Education and Protection Fund, issued under statutory authority and notified as S.O. 815(E) dated 17.07.2003.

Export restrictions on juvenile lobsters: undersized specimens barred under amended ITC(HS) classification, conditional exemptions retained.
Amendment to ITC(HS) Schedule 2, Table B adds a new sub heading for lobsters prescribing species specific minimum whole and tail weights and defining consignments as "undersized" if any piece falls below those weights; exports are free except where the undersized conditions apply, in which case exports of such undersized/juvenile lobsters are prohibited, while consignments meeting size requirements may be exported subject to conditionalities.

Customs exemption for agro chemical R&D imports: duty relief subject to export linked eligibility, installation, certification, and non transfer conditions.
Exemption from basic and additional customs duties is granted for specified research and scientific equipment imported for use by Agro Chemical Sector Units that meet export turnover and registered R&D wing requirements. Condition No. 53A requires imports to be for R&D, to remain within a capped value relative to prior year FOB exports, to be supported by a Joint DGFT export certificate, to be installed within six months with excise certification at the port, and to remain non transferable for a seven year retention period from installation. Eligible items are listed in List 28A.

Customs exemption amendments expand textile machinery categories, refining which production equipment qualifies for import duty relief.
Amendments to a customs exemption notification revise Annexure Lists by omitting certain items, substituting descriptions for specified entries, and inserting new machinery categories for the textile sector, including dyeing equipment and machinery for denim and non-wovens production, thereby refining the classes of imported textile machinery eligible for exemption.

Approval under section 10(23G) for an infrastructure enterprise, conditional on compliance and subject to withdrawal for defaults.
Approval is granted to M/s Noida Toll Bridge Company Limited as an approved industrial undertaking for income-tax exemption in respect of its Delhi-Noida Bridge infrastructure project for specified assessment years, subject to compliance with the exemption provision and related rule, maintenance of books of account, accountant's audit and furnishing of the prescribed audit report; the Central Government may withdraw approval on cessation of the facility or failure to maintain or audit accounts or to furnish the audit report.

Approval under section 10(23G) grants tax-exempt status to BIAL for specified assessment years subject to compliance.
Approval is granted to M/s Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) as an approved enterprise under section 10(23G) read with rule 2E for its Devanahalli international airport project, subject to conformity with those provisions. The approval is conditional on maintaining books of account, obtaining an audit by an accountant and furnishing the required audit report under rule 2E, and is liable to withdrawal if the undertaking ceases to carry on an infrastructure facility or fails to comply with the audit and reporting requirements.

Tax exemption approval under section 10(23G) subject to compliance, audit and withdrawal conditions for infrastructure project.
Approval under section 10(23G) was granted to M/s L&T Western India Toll Bridge Limited for its two lane Watrak bridge project under Build, Operate and Transfer for specified assessment years, subject to compliance with section 10(23G) and rule 2E. The approval requires maintenance of books, audit by an accountant and submission of the audit report as per sub rule (7) of rule 2E, and may be withdrawn if the undertaking ceases the infrastructure activity or fails to meet the accounting and audit obligations.

Provisional anti-dumping duty imposed on ammonium nitrate imports from Russia and Iran, applying specified per tonne rates and rules.
Provisional anti-dumping duty is imposed on ammonium nitrate (tariff item 3102 30 00) from Russia and Iran following preliminary findings of dumping, material injury to the domestic industry, cumulative causation, and threat of imminent injury. The duty is calculated as the difference between specified per-unit amounts set in the notification and the landed value of imports; separate per-tonne amounts in US Dollars are specified for melt, high-density prills (>0.85 g/ml) and low-density prills ( 0.85 g/ml) across listed origin/export combinations. The duty is effective until 13 January 2004 and payable in Indian currency, with landed value and exchange-rate rules as defined.

Customs exemption amendment expands eligible entities to include the scientific research council under the technology leadership initiative.
The amendment expands the class of entities eligible for the customs exemption by substituting references to "Ministry or Department" with "Council of Scientific and Industrial Research under the New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative Scheme," thereby making that Council eligible for the relief originally available to ministries and departments under Notification No.50/96-Customs.

Insider trading disclosure requirements updated to require prescribed forms for standardized shareholding and transaction reporting.
The amendment to Regulation 13 mandates specified forms for insider-related disclosures: acquisitions at or above a five percent threshold must be reported in Form A; directors' or officers' holdings in Form B; changes by persons holding over five percent in Form C; and directors' or officers' changes in Form D. It inserts Schedule III after Schedule II to prescribe these formats, detailing identity, dates, pre- and post-transaction shareholdings, mode of transaction, trading member and exchange particulars, and buy/sell quantities and values, and makes the formats applicable to sub-regulation (6).

Anti-dumping duty imposed on Titanium dioxide anatase grade imports from China, rates set per producer and payable in Indian currency.
Provisional anti-dumping duties are imposed on Titanium dioxide anatase grade imports originating in the People's Republic of China (tariff item 2823 00 10) after findings of dumping below normal value, material injury to domestic industry, and causal link; specified per-metric-tonne rates in US dollars apply to three named producers and to other producers. The duties are effective until 10 January 2004, payable in Indian currency, with the exchange rate for conversion determined by notifications under the Customs Act and the relevant date being the bill of entry presentation.

Service tax exemption: insurers' taxable services under the Universal Health Insurance Scheme exempted while the exemption remained in force.
Exemption from service tax is granted for taxable services provided by an insurer carrying on General Insurance Business to a policyholder under the Universal Health Insurance Scheme, whereby the Central Government exempts such taxable services from the whole of the service tax leviable under the relevant service tax provisions on grounds of public interest.

Import exemption for ATVs removes specified licensing conditions where vehicles do not require CMVR registration.
An amendment inserts a new import licensing note at the end of Chapter 87 exempting ATVs specifically designed for off the road sports, recreation or certain farm use that do not require registration under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules from the licensing conditions previously prescribed at serial numbers 1 and 2 of the import note.

Anti-dumping duty on Mulberry Raw Silk imposed, covering Chinese-origin imports and transshipments, payable in local currency.
An anti-dumping duty is imposed on Mulberry Raw Silk (not thrown), 2A grade and below (sub-heading 5002 00) originating in, or exported from, the People's Republic of China or exported from China via other countries; the duty equals the difference between a specified foreign-currency amount per kilogram and the landed value of the imported goods, is payable in Indian currency, applies to any producer or exporter identified in the Table, and is calculated using the exchange rate on the bill of entry with grading as per International Silk Association standards.

Interest for non compliance: amended customs rule imposes interest where import-for-jobbing export conditions are breached.
The Central Government amended the customs exemption notification to insert in the proviso to the relevant condition an obligation that payment of specified interest is required from the date of clearance of goods where the conditions governing import for jobbing for export are not complied with, thereby attaching an additional monetary consequence to post-clearance non compliance.

Rescission of notification removes an earlier customs exemption while preserving prior acts and omissions.
Notification No.104/2003, issued under the statutory power in sub section (1) of section 25 of the Customs Act, rescinds the earlier customs notification 117/94 published in the Gazette, on grounds of public interest, and provides that the rescission does not affect things done or omitted to be done before the rescission.

Service tax notification amendment replaces Central Excise officer references with Commissioner of Customs or Commissioner of Customs and Central Excise.
The Central Government amends the service tax notification by substituting references to the Chief Commissioner of Central Excise and the Commissioner of Central Excise in conditions (ii) and (iii) with "Commissioner of Customs or the Commissioner of Customs and Central Excise, as the case may be," thereby redirecting the specified administrative authority to customs-related commissioners.

Extension of supersession of a stock exchange governing board under statutory powers, administrator to continue exercising board functions.
Extension of the supersession of the Governing Board of the U.P. Stock Exchange Association Limited for six months to permit sustained follow-up on corrective measures, completion of elections and reconstitution, and progress on Demutualisation and Corporatisation; the existing Administrator shall continue to exercise all powers and duties of the Governing Board for the extended period under statutory authority.

Salaries and allowances revised: substituted Schedule prescribes posts, pay scales and sanctioned strength effective on Gazette publication.
Amendment replaces the existing Schedule governing officers and employees with a substituted Schedule listing sanctioned posts, their pay scales and sanctioned numbers, effective upon publication in the Official Gazette and made under the enabling provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act.