Action needed
20stories
October 2026
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CustomsScreen protectors for smartphones added to the Compulsory Registration Order, 2021 from 1 April 2027: CBIC Instruction 20/2026-Customs
IS 19348:2025 from 1 April 2027Action neededCBIC has asked all Customs field formations to take note of MeitY’s Gazette Notification S.O. 5190(E) dated 21 September 2026, which adds “Screen Protectors for smartphones” at Sl. No. 66 of the Schedule to the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirement for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021. The Order applies to these goods, for conformity with IS 19348:2025, with effect from 1 April 2027.
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CustomsImport permit is now a must for importing insecticides for non-insecticidal use
Import permit is now a mustAction neededThe Insecticides Third Amendment Rules, 2026 wrote the import-permit requirement into the Insecticides Rules, 1971. CBIC has asked customs officers to enforce it, and it names acrylonitrile.
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SEBIStock brokers must display SEBI’s investor awareness messages on websites from 5 October and on trading apps from 1 November 2026
Websites from 5 Oct 2026Action neededUnder Project Jagrook, SEBI has directed all stock brokers to prominently display the investor awareness messages it shares. Websites must carry them from 5 October 2026 and on the landing page from 1 November 2026. On trading apps the display is voluntary till 31 October and mandatory from 1 November 2026, on alternate days with the Risk disclosures.
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FEMA & RBINRD-CSR return on non-resident deposits to be filed on RBI’s CIMS Sankalan portal as return R012; 2013 XBRL circular superseded
File by 10th of next monthAction neededRBI has issued a fresh circular on the monthly Non-Resident Deposits – Comprehensive Single Return (NRD-CSR). The return, code R012, is filed on the CIMS Sankalan portal through one of three channels, on or before the 10th of the following month. The circular supersedes A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 19 of 7 August 2013, which provided for filing on the XBRL platform.
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CustomsImport permit now a statutory requirement for insecticides imported for non-insecticidal use, including acrylonitrile: CBIC Instruction 18/2026-Customs
Form IA, fee ₹5,000Action neededCBIC has told Customs field formations that an import permit from the Registration Committee is a statutory requirement for importing any substance in the Schedule to the Insecticides Act, 1968 for non-insecticidal use. The requirement comes from the Insecticides Third (Amendment) Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 597(E) of 8 July 2026): application in Form IA with a fee of ₹5,000.
September 2026
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InsolvencyIBBI starts charging ₹500 a month for late liquidation forms due on or before 30 September 2026
₹500 a monthAction neededBy Circular IBBI/LIQ/107/2026, each liquidation form that was due on or before 30 September 2026 and is submitted after its due date must carry a fee of ₹500 plus GST for every month of delay.
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CustomsTextile exporters must declare a flame-retardant qualifier in the shipping bill from 1 November 2026
1 November 2026Action neededCircular 42/2026-Customs makes two qualifiers mandatory for listed fabric tariff items of Chapters 52, 55 and 60 — FR001 for flame retardant fabric and FR009 for other fabric — so that FR products can be identified for the PLI Scheme for Textiles.
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GSTNew DSC token issued on or after 21 September 2026? Upgrade to emSigner 3.3 for the GST portal
emSigner 3.3Action neededGSTN has released emSigner version 3.3 for tokens issued on or after 21 September 2026. Older versions will not work with the new tokens; existing working DSCs need no change.
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Income TaxForm No. 98 for declarations in Form No. 97: Income Tax Department lays down registration and filing procedure
Form 98 by 31 OctoberAction neededDGIT (Systems) has notified how a reporting person registers on the Reporting Portal, gets an ITDREIN and files, corrects or deletes the statement in Form No. 98 under rule 160 of the Income-tax Rules, 2026.
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InsolvencyNCLAT Principal Bench: mentioning, adjournment and extension-of-time requests only by e-mail in Forms A to D, by 3 PM the previous working day
Forms A–D, by 3:00 PMAction neededBy Circular No. 113/2026 dated 10 September 2026, NCLAT has prescribed forms for four kinds of requests before its Principal Bench, New Delhi. Under the accompanying SOP they are to be sent only by e-mail to principalbench.mentioning@nclat.gov.in by 3:00 PM on the preceding working day. Requests not in the prescribed format will not ordinarily be processed.
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Company LawNCLT filing practice: pleadings to be printed on both sides; documents filed on the Bench’s direction must carry the order
Annex the Compliance OrderAction neededTwo NCLT circulars change how papers are filed before all Benches. From 3 September 2026 all pleadings are to be printed back-to-back. And by the circular of 25 August 2026, a document filed on the Bench’s direction must annex that order; a document filed without any direction will not be processed by the Registry.
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CustomsImporting cosmetics, drugs or medical devices: Customs to check CDSCO documents before out-of-charge — upload them on e-SANCHIT
7 checklistsAction neededCircular 40/2026-Customs circulates seven CDSCO checklists of licences, permissions and registration certificates that the Customs officer is to verify before releasing such imports, while their integration under SWIFT 2.0 is in process.
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CustomsSea Cargo Manifest and Transhipment Regulations, 2018 go live port by port from 1 September 2026; no penal action in the roll-out phase — CBIC Circular 38/2026-Customs
SCMTR: all ports by 15 OctAction neededCBIC has made the Sea Cargo Manifest and Transhipment Regulations, 2018 operational from 1 September 2026 in a phased manner. Goa and Bombay started on 1 September; Chennai follows on 9 October, and Nhava Sheva and all remaining ports on 15 October 2026. No penal action is to be taken during the implementation phase.
August 2026
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SEBISEBI aligns its Cyber Incident Reporting Portal with the FIRE format: portal to take incident reports in stages, from first report to closure
Cyber reports in FIRE formatAction neededSEBI has aligned its Incident Reporting Portal with the Format for Incident Reporting Exchange (FIRE) developed by the Financial Stability Board. Regulated entities report cyber incidents through the Cyber Incident Reporting Portal at siportal.sebi.gov.in, which will facilitate reporting in stages from initial report to final closure. The existing timelines — email within 6 hours and portal within 24 hours — are restated.
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Income TaxIncome Tax Department verifies suspicious foreign remittances; 36 professionals who issued Form 15CB covered
394 entitiesAction neededA nationwide verification launched on 18 August 2026 covers about 394 entities and 36 professionals. CBDT has asked Accountants to exercise due care before certifying remittances in Form 15CB / Form 146.
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Startup & MSMEMSMED (Amendment) Act, 2026: 90-day mediation and award timelines, 75% pre-deposit to challenge awards, CPSEs to settle MSME invoices on TReDS — commencement yet to be notified
MSMED Act amended: No. 16 of 2026Action neededThe Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Act, 2026 (No. 16 of 2026) received the President’s assent on 13 August 2026. It sets time limits for delayed-payment disputes, lets awards be recovered as arrears of land revenue, requires Central PSEs to settle MSME invoices through TReDS and replaces penal provisions with graded penalties. It comes into force on dates the Central Government notifies.
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FEMA & RBIIFSCA to all regulated entities: hold a valid SEZ Letter of Approval and IFSCA registration at all times, or face penalty, suspension or cancellation
LoA renewal: 2 months beforeAction neededIFSCA has directed every regulated entity in the IFSC to hold a valid and subsisting Letter of Approval under the SEZ Act, 2005 and the applicable IFSCA registration, licence or authorisation at all times, and not to do business without them. It notes that some entities are operating without these. The circular supersedes the direction of 3 April 2025.
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Foreign TradeWheat export quota holders asked for CA-certified utilisation and requests for extra or surrendered quantity by 31 August 2026: DGFT Trade Notice 18/2026-27
Details by 31 August 2026Action neededDGFT is reviewing how much of the wheat export quota allocated under Public Notices 49/2025-26 and 05/2026-27 has been used. Authorisation holders for HS codes 10011900 and 10019910 had to send a Chartered Accountant’s utilisation certificate and any request for additional or surrendered quantity by 31 August 2026. Quota used below 50% may go to a common pool.
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Foreign TradeEODC under Advance Authorisation and EPCG: only voluntary duty payments shown on the DGFT portal from Customs/ICEGATE data will be recognised — Trade Notice 15/2026-27
Payments from 1 August 2026Action neededDGFT has integrated licence-wise voluntary duty payment data from Customs/ICEGATE with its online system. For EODC applications under the Advance Authorisation and EPCG schemes, only the payment details reflected on the DGFT portal will be recognised. Authorisation holders must enter the correct licence number and IEC in ICEGATE and verify payments made on or after 1 August 2026.
May 2026
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GSTGST refund of accumulated ITC: Annexure-B must now be filed through the portal’s offline utility
Annexure-B in ExcelAction neededThe GST portal advisory of 18 May 2026 replaces the PDF Annexure-B with a standard Excel offline utility for refunds of accumulated input tax credit — exports and SEZ supplies without tax, inverted tax structure, and export of electricity. Invoices are reported HSN/SAC-wise and checked against GSTR-2B.
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