Cognizable offences only on complaint: SFIO officer authorized to file and conduct prosecutions under the Companies Act.
Offences under the Companies Act are cognizable only on complaint by the Registrar, a shareholder, or the Government, and the Central Government authorizes an officer of the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) to file and conduct prosecutions under the Act; the officer named is Smt. Sunita V. Langstieh, Senior Assistant Director.

Apostille requirement: foreign companies and non resident founders must apostillise and notarise documents for Indian registration.
Rule 16 is amended to add sub-rules requiring that documents for companies incorporated in Hague Apostille Convention countries be certified by the government official custodian and apostillised, that lists of directors and authorised Indian resident agents be notarised and apostillised, and that signatures, addresses and identity proofs of foreign nationals be notarised in their country of origin and apostillised under the Convention.

Import policy change: medium density fibre board reclassified from restricted to free import status under foreign trade rules.
Import policy for Medium Density Fibre Board (MDF) under the specified ITC (HS) Exim codes is reclassified from Restricted to Free, effective as stated in the notification, thereby removing the prior import restriction and placing the listed MDF tariff items under an unrestricted import regime.

Anti-dumping duty on Sulphur Black imports from China imposes differentiated rates by producer-exporter combinations.
The Central Government imposes anti-dumping duty on Sulphur Black (heading 3204) originating in or exported from the People's Republic of China based on designated authority findings of dumped imports, substantial dumping margins and resulting material injury to domestic industry. Differentiated duties payable in Indian currency are prescribed as percentages of CIF value for specified producer-exporter combinations, with the duty effective from the provisional imposition date and valuation and exchange-rate rules governed by section 14 of the Customs Act and Government exchange-rate notifications.

Special Economic Zone expansion adds specified land parcels to an IT/ITES SEZ, with formal notification and later de notification.
The Central Government, exercising the second proviso to sub section (1) of Section 4 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 and in pursuance of rule 8 of the SEZ Rules, 2006, hereby notifies an additional area at Mugalivakkam and Manapakkam Villages to be included as part of the sector specific SEZ for information technology and IT enabled services, identifying the relevant survey numbers and hectare areas in the accompanying table, following Board of Approval approval under sub section (10) of Section 3 and satisfaction of sub section (8) requirements.

Import prohibition on milk products from China extended; chocolates and confectionery containing milk are banned for six months.
The government extends the prohibition on import of milk and milk products from China for a further six months and adds an Import Licensing Note prohibiting imports from China of chocolates, chocolate products, candies, confectionery and food preparations containing milk or milk solids for six months, with transitional arrangements under the Foreign Trade Policy excluded for this period.

Export conditions for natural honey: only wholly obtained Indian-origin honey allowed and no blending for exports to USA and EU.
Amendment inserts a Schedule II entry classifying Natural Honey as a free export subject to conditions: exports to USA and European Union are allowed only if the honey is wholly obtained Indian origin and no blending with honey from any other country is permitted.

Prohibition on rough diamond trade with Venezuela: imports and exports barred and Kimberley Process certificates not accepted or issued.
The Foreign Trade Policy amendment prohibits import and export of rough diamonds with Venezuela due to its voluntary separation from the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS). Specified HS-coded rough diamonds to/from Venezuela are barred and no Kimberley Process Certificate will be accepted, endorsed, or issued for such trade, creating a regulatory restriction on related customs, licensing, and compliance activity.

Territorial scope amendment: Guwahati inserted and district groupings revised altering notification regional coverage.
Amendment revises the notification's territorial coverage by inserting Guwahati after Shillong in Tables I and III and by substituting and adding district groupings in Table II, including a new Guwahati entry listing specific districts of Assam, specified districts of Arunachal Pradesh (with stated exclusions) and certain districts of Meghalaya, and replacing another serial entry to redefine the States and districts covered under the notification.

Auditor information filing: standardized electronic notification required, mandatory fields and digital signature ensure registrar filing.
The substituted Form 23B mandates auditors to electronically notify the Registrar using a standardized return that requires mandatory fields-company identity, auditor identity and contact, tax and membership numbers, appointment acceptance and dates, period of accounts, and whether appointment complies with statutory limits-and to attach the company intimation. The auditor must verify and declare the information as correct, sign digitally, state professional status, and the Registrar will file the form on the basis of the auditor's statement of correctness.

Industrial Park eligibility criteria revised to require specific area allocations, unit counts, ownership and activity conditions for scheme benefits.
Amendment to FORM IPS I substitutes para 2.III to require details of industrial activity and substitutes para 3.VI to require Yes/No confirmation that the industrial park meets specified eligibility criteria: commencement within the scheme window; at least seventy five per cent allocable area for industrial units; not more than ten per cent for commercial activity; minimum thirty industrial units with aggregation of associated enterprises; minimum constructed floor area of 15,000 square metres; no unit occupying over twenty five per cent of allocable area with associated enterprises; single undertaking ownership; and that units undertake only scheme defined industrial activities. The amendment is effective on publication in the Official Gazette.

Tariff classification correction: replaces tariff item 2711 29 00 with Heading 2711 in excise notification.
The Department issues a corrigendum to Notification No. 43/2008 Central Excise (N.T.) directing that the reference to "tariff item 2711 29 00" be corrected to read "Heading 2711", specifying the exact textual amendment to the published notification.

Tariff classification correction: notification amends tariff reference to the correct heading for central excise goods.
Correction to Notification No. 44/2008 Central Excise (N.T.): in the published Gazette text, replace the phrase "tariff item 2711 29 00" with Heading 2711, amending the classificatory reference at the specified location in the notification.

Exchange rate determination for customs valuation sets official currency conversion rates for import and export transactions.
Determination of exchange rates under Section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962 prescribing specific rupee conversion rates for listed foreign currencies effective 1 December 2008, superseding the prior notification of 29 October 2008. Two schedules are provided: Schedule I sets per unit rupee equivalents for major currencies with separate imported and export columns; Schedule II sets the rupee equivalent for 100 units of Japanese yen, with distinct rates for imported and export goods. These rates apply to customs valuation for import and export transactions from the effective date.

Import policy change alters tariff-line classifications, making specific timber and yarn products subject to revised import controls.
Amendment to Schedule I (Imports) revises HS classifications and import treatment for specified tariff lines: it reclassifies certain previously free Exim codes to Restricted, substitutes detailed headings and sub-headings for Chapter 44 to set import status for MDF, hardboard and insulation board lines as either Free or Restricted, and replaces entries for selected Chapter 54 yarn and filament items to assign Restricted or Free status to specified yarn types.

Import policy restriction: specific ITC(HS) items reclassified to restricted status, triggering controlled import licensing.
Amendment revises Schedule I (Imports) of the ITC(HS) by reclassifying Hot Rolled Coils (7208) and three other specified Exim headings from free to restricted import status, bringing those items within the restricted import regime and subjecting them to applicable licensing and control procedures under the Foreign Trade Policy; the change is issued in the public interest by the competent trade authority.

Drawback rule scope narrowed to specific tariff headings, excluding prior chapter-based reference in notifications
Substitutes the phrase "falling within Chapter 72 or heading 1006 or 2523" with "falling within heading 1006 or 2523" in rule 3(1) second proviso clause (v), rule 6(4) and rule 7(5) of the Customs, Central Excise Duties and Service Tax Drawback Rules, 1995, thereby restricting drawback scope to the specified headings.

Anti-dumping duty on compact fluorescent lamps imposed to offset dumped imports, applied per unit under customs tariff rules.
Provisional anti dumping duties are imposed on imports of Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) according to a duty table that specifies per piece amounts by product specification, country of origin and export, and producer/exporter where applicable; the duty equals the difference between the specified amount and the landed value, with "landed value" defined as the assessable value under the Customs Act excluding certain tariff duties.

Duty Credit Entitlement scheme: customs notifications amended to add Haldia and Dabolim as specified locations.
The Central Government amends specified customs notifications under the Export Promotion-Duty Credit Entitlement Certificate Scheme by substituting the phrases "Vadimar and Haldia (Halida Dock Complex of Kolkata Port)" for "and Vadimar" and "Indore and Dabolim (Goa)" for "and Indore" in the opening-paragraph conditions of each listed principal notification.

Customs exemption for Special Protection Group requires Cabinet Secretariat certificate to qualify for operational imports.
Exemption is confined to goods imported for use by the Special Protection Group for operational purposes and is conditional on the importer producing a certificate from an officer in the Cabinet Secretariat not below the rank of Under Secretary to the Government of India certifying that the goods are intended for that operational purpose.