Version 2.0 of the AEO web application enables registration, annexure uploads, real-time application monitoring, online deficiency responses, and digital certification for AEO T2 and T3 applicants. Physical documents must be submitted to the jurisdictional AEO Cell before portal registration and uploads. Existing AEO T1 status holders applying for T2 may use existing credentials. Physical filing without registration is transitional until 31 July 2021; portal registration is mandatory for AEO T2 and T3 certification from 1 August 2021. Earlier applications may continue manually unless migrated without delaying certification.

After a correct and complete EGM is filed, ICES will transmit drawback shipping bills to RMS. RMS treatment will determine whether a shipping bill is facilitated for drawback processing without intervention or routed to the proper Customs officer for further action. Shipping bills selected for officer intervention will remain subject to the necessary drawback checks. The existing procedure for crediting duty drawback amounts to exporters' accounts remains unchanged.

Goods re-imported after export for repairs attract IGST and applicable compensation cess on the fair repair cost, including materials, and insurance and freight for both journeys. Customs concessions exempt duties only to the extent they exceed amounts calculated on that repair-related value. Clarificatory amendments preserve IGST leviability on such re-imports as it stood before amendment.

Delhi GST reverse-charge liability provisions are amended by limiting the recipient class at serial number 4: "Any person" excludes a body corporate. At serial number 5AB, "Any registered person" excludes a person who has opted to pay tax under the composition levy. The exclusions refine the classes of recipients covered by the respective reverse-charge entries.

Voluntary Aadhaar authentication may be used to verify user details in Shram Suvidha Portal modules through Yes/No and/or eKYC authentication facilities. The Ministry of Labour and Employment must obtain the Aadhaar number holder's consent before authentication. Aadhaar authentication cannot be compulsory: users must be informed of alternative identification methods, including Voter ID Card, PAN Card, Driving License, and Passport, and no service may be denied for refusal or inability to authenticate through Aadhaar.

Enforcement Directorate searches form part of a money-laundering investigation into alleged hybrid ganja smuggling from Thailand. A case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act concerns suspected laundering of drug-trafficking proceeds and transfer of funds to Thailand through illegal channels. The inquiry also examines possible foreign-exchange violations and an alleged arrangement involving carriers, visas and funds for transporting narcotic substances.

Foreign-currency deposit mobilisation strengthened foreign-exchange liquidity and supported rupee appreciation. FCNR(B) deposits, together with overseas foreign-currency borrowings and external commercial borrowings, increased aggregate foreign-currency resources. Bank swaps of such deposits with the central bank may create surplus banking-system liquidity and a sterilisation challenge, while oil prices, global yields, dollar movements and foreign equity inflows remain relevant currency-market factors.

Section 74(2) requires a show-cause notice to be issued at least six months before the outer deadline for an order under Section 74(10). For FY 2020-21, a notice issued on 31 August 2026 may be challenged for missing the six-month deadline of 28 August 2026. The objection concerns non-compliance with the statutory timing condition, not expiry of the order limitation period. Its effect remains uncertain because the mandatory or directory character of this requirement is unsettled. Actual issuance, portal-upload, DIN generation and communication dates require verification.

Money laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act concerns alleged diversion of bank loans obtained by Kohinoor Power for a power plant in Jharkhand. The loan proceeds were allegedly transferred to other group entities and used personally. Searches were conducted at eleven premises associated with the group's promoters, directors and auditors. The company entered liquidation proceedings before the National Company Law Tribunal, with limited recovery for creditors.

Sea Cargo Manifest and Transshipment Regulations substitute the entry in column (3) against serial number 6 of the table following Form XII with "31.10.2026". The amendment took effect on 1 September 2026, its Official Gazette publication date. The operative amendment is limited to replacing that specified table entry.

Remaining raw sugar tariff-rate quota of 2,02,550 MT is open to eligible millers and refiners through online applications for seven days. Applications submitted by 5:30 PM form a daily batch for processing on the following working day; later submissions move to the next day's batch. Allocation is subject to scrutiny, eligibility, self-declaration and available quota, and is made for each daily batch in order of aggregate demand. If a batch would exhaust the remaining quota, all applicants in that batch receive pro-rata allocations according to quantities sought. Applications submitted after full exhaustion are not considered. Portal timestamps govern batch placement, and prior scheme conditions continue to apply.

Sea Cargo Manifest and Transhipment Regulations, 2018 become operational in phases across ports from 1 September to 15 October 2026. Stakeholders must file the prescribed electronic messages through the Customs Automated System to support cargo clearance. SEZ units may use the transition period to onboard the SCMTR framework. Field formations must issue public notices, conduct stakeholder outreach, and coordinate resolution of system-related issues with DG System; policy issues must be referred to CBIC. No penal action is to be taken during the implementation phase.

Omission of rule 96(10) of the CGST Rules without a saving clause applies to all proceedings pending on the date of omission, preventing the rule's restrictions from governing those matters. Section 6 of the General Clauses Act does not preserve pending proceedings after omission of a rule; their continuation requires an express saving provision or a statutory legal device. Unlike the Central Excise and Customs laws, GST law contains no comparable saving clause. CBIC may accept the Supreme Court's stated position.

The auto component industry is encouraged to expand globally through reciprocal market access, overseas manufacturing, international investment and trade partnerships. Supply-chain resilience is to be strengthened through indigenisation of vulnerable products, access to critical minerals, and domestic capacity in auto components, speciality steel, technical textiles and semiconductors. Priority is also given to high-value integrated solutions, artificial intelligence-enabled quality control, vehicle safety and industrial parks offering manufacturing infrastructure. Vehicle scrappage requires coordinated government incentives and fair industry valuation to support replacement demand for new-age vehicles.

IP BRICS Heads adopted Updated Operational Guidelines to direct result-oriented intellectual property cooperation, promote cross-border innovation, and reinforce joint engagement in global IP standards. Priority areas include protection of traditional knowledge and traditional systems of medicine, reinforced patent examination cooperation, exchange of search results, patent analytics, and geographical indication protection and commercialisation. Coordination mechanisms and periodic progress reviews are emphasised for effective implementation and continuity of cooperation.

India's long-term foreign-currency and local-currency issuer ratings were upgraded from 'BBB+' to 'A-', with a Stable Outlook, reflecting resilient economic growth, improved fiscal expenditure quality, strengthened financial-sector soundness, and a robust external position. Fiscal improvement is linked to greater capital expenditure and lower fiscal deficit. Financial resilience is supported by improved banking and non-banking sector asset quality and capital adequacy. External strength arises from a contained current account deficit, services surplus, and foreign-exchange reserves exceeding short-term external debt.

Public Sector General Insurance Companies were advised to focus on profitable business lines, reduce the Incurred Claim Ratio, and accelerate technology use and digitalisation while optimising related expenditure. They are to improve insurance penetration, density, outreach and customer awareness, particularly in underserved segments, while reducing protection gaps. A robust, standardised KPI framework should enable comparable financial and non-financial performance assessment and be reviewed quarterly. Customer grievances require expeditious and quality redressal.

GIFT-IFSC's IBUs mobilised foreign-currency liquidity under the RBI's FCNR(B) deposit swap facility, with 20 IBUs sanctioning USD 54.02 billion and disbursing approximately USD 52.82 billion as at 31 August 2026. Between April and August 2026, IBUs disbursed USD 11.62 billion in External Commercial Borrowings, while Indian banks raised USD 11.12 billion through bond listings on IFSC exchanges. These activities support cross-border financing, international capital-market access and foreign-exchange inflows.

CBDT authorisation permits uploading AEOI information received under agreements covered by sections 90 and 90A into the Annual Information Statement in Form 26AS. Information for calendar years 2022 to 2024 held on 8 July 2026 is subject to a ninety-day upload period, while 2025 information is to be uploaded within ninety days from the end of its month of receipt. The commentary highlights uncertainty for pre-authorisation 2025 data, calendar-year reporting, and the absence of an express timeline for information from 1 January 2026.

GST job work is a supply of services where a job worker processes goods belonging to a registered principal without acquiring ownership. Goods move under delivery challans and e-way bills, while the principal reports prescribed job-work return details. Return transit documents must show the composite consignment value, comprising the original goods value, processing charges and incorporated materials; GST is charged separately on the job worker's service invoice. Failure to return or directly supply inputs or capital goods within prescribed periods triggers deemed taxable supply from the original dispatch date, with tax reporting, payment and applicable interest.