AI regulation in India: laws & policy (2026)

Legal framework

India AI Governance Guidelines (MeitY, Nov 2025) under the IndiaAI Mission — principle-based ("Seven Sutras"), complemented by the IT Act 2000, IT Rules 2021 (amended 2026 for synthetic media), MeitY advisories, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023

Key points: artificial intelligence in India

1. 01India AI Governance Guidelines (2025) – Seven Sutras

   On 5 Nov 2025, MeitY released the India AI Governance Guidelines under the IndiaAI Mission — a principle-based, voluntary framework built on seven 'Sutras' (Trust, People First, Innovation over Restraint, Fairness & Equity, Accountability, Understandable by Design, and Safety, Resilience & Sustainability). It favours applying existing laws over new AI-specific legislation and recommends creating an AI Governance Group, a Technology & Policy Expert Committee, and an AI Safety Institute.

   pib.gov.in azbpartners.com

2. 02IT Rules Amendment 2026 – deepfakes/SGI labelling

   MeitY notified the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules 2026 on 10 Feb 2026 (G.S.R. 120(E)), in force 20 Feb 2026. Intermediaries and generative-AI tools must label 'Synthetically Generated Information', embed persistent provenance metadata, and comply with a shortened 3-hour takedown window for court/government-flagged unlawful content; non-compliance risks loss of safe harbour under Section 79 of the IT Act.

   mondaq.com freshfields.com meity.gov.in

3. 03MeitY advisories on generative AI (2023–2024)

   MeitY issued advisories in Dec 2023 and on 1 & 15 March 2024 to intermediaries and platforms, requiring measures against bias, discrimination and threats to electoral integrity from AI/GenAI/LLMs, and prohibiting hosting of unlawful content produced by such systems. The 15 March 2024 revision dropped the earlier requirement for explicit government permission before deploying 'under-tested' AI models, opting for a due-diligence/labelling approach instead.

   newsonair.gov.in elplaw.in

4. 04IndiaAI Mission – national AI strategy

   Approved by Cabinet in March 2024 with ₹10,372 crore, the IndiaAI Mission is India's national AI strategy. Its seven pillars include Compute Capacity, Innovation Centre (foundation models), Datasets Platform, Application Development, FutureSkills, Startup Financing, and a 'Safe & Trusted AI' pillar under which the IndiaAI Safety Institute is being set up. It was showcased at scale at the AI Impact Summit hosted in New Delhi in February 2026.

   indiaai.gov.in psa.gov.in

5. 05IndiaAI Safety Institute (AISI)

   Under the 'Safe & Trusted' pillar of the IndiaAI Mission, MeitY is establishing the IndiaAI Safety Institute as a virtual, hub-and-spoke network for risk research, evaluations and standards. Consultations began in October 2024, and in May 2025 the AISI issued a call for partner institutions across academia, industry and R&D bodies. It is expected to coordinate with international AISIs and support projects on bias mitigation, unlearning, explainability and governance testing.

   indiaai.gov.in psa.gov.in

6. 06Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 – AI overlay

   The DPDP Act 2023 governs the processing of digital personal data and directly constrains AI training and deployment: purpose limitation, notice-and-consent, data-principal rights and cross-border transfer controls apply to AI systems processing personal data. DPDP Rules were notified in 2025, with a staggered implementation running through May 2027; publicly available personal data (self-disclosed) and processing for research/statistics enjoy limited exemptions relevant to model training.

   fpf.org iapp.org

7. 07Standalone AI law under discussion

   As of mid-2026, senior MeitY officials and the Minister for Electronics and IT have publicly indicated that a dedicated AI statute is under consideration, with drafting to be initiated in consultation with industry. No bill has yet been introduced in Parliament, so the current regime remains guidelines-plus-existing-laws rather than a comprehensive AI Act.

   legaleraonline.com chambers.com

Timeline of decisions

1. 15 Nov 2025Law
   IT Rules amendment mandates labelling of AI-generated/deepfake content

   MeitY's amendment to the IT (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules, 2021 (notified Oct 22, in force Nov 15) requires platforms to label 'synthetically generated information' with permanent identifiers, with visible labels covering at least 10% of visual content. It is India's first binding rule specifically targeting deepfakes.

   Law.asia

2. 5 Nov 2025Guidance · official
   India AI Governance Guidelines released

   MeitY published the India AI Governance Guidelines under the IndiaAI Mission, opting for a 'light-touch', sector-led, pro-innovation framework built on seven principles (Sutras) and an AI Governance Group rather than a standalone AI law. This defines India's current regulatory posture.

   PIB / MeitY

3. 30 Jan 2025Guidance · official
   IndiaAI Safety Institute announced

   IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the IndiaAI Safety Institute, incubated under the IndiaAI Mission on a hub-and-spoke model, to advance research on safe and trusted AI contextualized to Indian datasets and languages, positioning India in the global AI-safety network.

   Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser

4. 6 Jan 2025Guidance · official
   Subcommittee Report on AI Governance Guidelines Development released

   A MeitY/PSA subcommittee released its report recommending a principle-based, voluntary-plus-sectoral approach and creation of an inter-ministerial AI coordination body and technical secretariat. It was opened for public consultation and directly shaped the November 2025 Guidelines.

   IndiaAI / MeitY

5. 15 Mar 2024Guidance · official
   MeitY revises AI advisory, drops licensing, focuses on deepfake labelling

   A revised advisory removed the controversial requirement for prior government approval to deploy 'under-tested' AI models and instead emphasized labelling of AI-generated content and clear identification of deepfakes/misinformation, applying to all intermediaries.

   MeitY

6. 7 Mar 2024Decision · official
   Cabinet approves IndiaAI Mission (Rs 10,372 crore)

   The Union Cabinet approved the national IndiaAI Mission with a ~Rs 10,371.92 crore outlay covering compute (10,000+ GPUs), indigenous foundation models, datasets, skilling and a 'Safe & Trusted AI' pillar, the foundation of India's state-led AI ecosystem strategy.

   PIB / Cabinet

7. 1 Mar 2024Guidance · official
   MeitY's first AI advisory requiring approval for AI models

   MeitY directed intermediaries to label untested AI models and obtain explicit prior government approval before deploying them in India, a move triggered by deepfake concerns ahead of the 2024 elections that drew industry backlash and was quickly revised.

   MeitY

8. 1 Feb 2021Guidance · official
   NITI Aayog 'Principles for Responsible AI'

   NITI Aayog published its Responsible AI approach document setting out seven principles, safety, equality, inclusivity, privacy, transparency, accountability and protection of human values, that became the ethical baseline cited in later governance frameworks.

   NITI Aayog

Sources

1. 1.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2228315&reg=48&lang=2
2. 2.indiaai.gov.in/
3. 3.psa.gov.in/mission/artificial-intelligence/34
4. 4.meity.gov.in/static/uploads/2025/10/065b6deb585441b5ccdf8be42502a49c.pdf
5. 5.newsonair.gov.in/meity-issues-advisory-on-ai-for-intermediaries
6. 6.mondaq.com/india/new-technology/1760554/it-rules-2026-deepfake-regulation-three-
7. 7.freshfields.com/en/our-thinking/blogs/technology-quotient/india-targets-deepfakes-and
8. 8.azbpartners.com/bank/meity-releases-guidelines-on-ai-governance-the-way-ahead-and-roa
9. 9.chambers.com/articles/meity-unveils-india-s-approach-towards-regulating-artificial
10. 10.fpf.org/blog/five-ways-in-which-the-dpdpa-could-shape-the-development-of-ai-i
11. 11.iapp.org/news/a/notes-from-the-asia-pacific-region-india-releases-dpdpa-rules-
12. 12.indiaai.gov.in/news/meity-hosts-consultation-for-establishing-india-ai-safety-instit
13. 13.psa.gov.in/CMS/web/sites/default/files/publication/India%20Takes%20the%20Lead%20
14. 14.elplaw.in/leadership/navigating-ai-regulation-in-india-unpacking-the-meity-advi
15. 15.legaleraonline.com/ai/meitys-new-ai-rulebook-signals-a-regulatory-shift-indias-tech-indu