The Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA), under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (MoCAF&PD), has notified the “Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026”.
The rules mandate Indian Standard Time (IST) as the sole and compulsory time reference for all legal, administrative, commercial, and official purposes in India. The regulations will come into effect 180 days after their publication in the Official Gazette.