Research and Articles

As we draw a curtain on the whirlwind that 2025 was for the Indian and global technology, media and telecom sector, regulatory activity in this sector in 2026 is likely to focus most prominently on Artificial Intelligence ("AI"), online gaming, implementation of the DPDPA and deep tech. These areas are expected to see rapid policy changes, tighter compliance requirements and higher enforcement risk, while also creating new opportunities for businesses operating in these segments. How India balances regulation with fostering innovation in these areas will shape its global standing as a trusted digital economy.

Our report on the developments in the sector in 2025 can be accessed here.

Taking Stock – Our Watchlist for 2025

This section discusses the items on our Watch List 2025, their current status and what 2026 may deliver.

1. The Data Protection Rules

In November 2025, the Government of India notified the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, operationalising the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (together, the “Data Protection Framework”), India’s long-awaited personal data protection regime, through a phased implementation extending until May 2027¹. However, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (“Meity”) has indicated in recent closed-door meetings that India may fast-track the Data Protection Framework rollout, requiring Big Tech and other large-scale data-handling companies to comply earlier than expected (potentially shortening timelines from around 18 months to 12 months or less)².

Although legally established, the Data Protection Board (“the Board”) is still in the process of being constituted with an appointed Chairperson and Members and therefore not yet fully functional in an enforcement capacity. The year 2026 is expected to bring greater clarity on the constitution and operationalisation of the Board, which will be critical to the commencement of adjudicatory and enforcement action under the data protection framework. Further, the Consent Manager framework is scheduled to come into force in November 2026, which introduces a new category of registered intermediaries authorised to enable Data Principals to give, manage, review and withdraw consent through interoperable, verifiable and auditable platforms under the oversight of the Board. While this framework will eventually form a core pillar of India’s consent-centric Data Protection Framework, it also creates new commercial opportunities for technology providers, platform operators and data infrastructure players to develop consent management solutions. This year is therefore likely to function as a market-shaping phase, laying the groundwork for ecosystem readiness ahead of the full enforcement of Data Protection Framework in 2027.

2. OTT Content Regulations:

As noted in the previous watchlist, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (“MIB”) was reportedly working on new regulations to govern OTT content prior to release, including proposals to curb profanity, blur explicit scenes, and encourage alternative portrayals of intimate content. However, there were no material public updates, notifications or formal regulatory changes announced by the MIB in 2025.

3. Indian Government Considers AI Safety Centre:

The IndiaAI Safety Institute was announced by the Government of India in early 2025³ as a key initiative under the IndiaAI Mission. The IndiaAI Safety Institute is conceived as a hub-and-spoke network of partner organisations, including academic institutions, startups, industry groups, R&D bodies and government ministries. These partners establish dedicated cells that collaborate on safety-focused research and development projects. The core mission of the IndiaAI Safety Institute is to ensure that AI systems developed and used in India are safe, secure, inclusive, trustworthy and aligned with Indian contexts and values. Its main activities include (i) driving R&D on indigenous tools and technologies to identify and mitigate AI risks, (ii) developing India-specific frameworks,(iii) guidelines and best practices for AI governance, (iv) training and awareness programmes, (v) strengthening preparedness for next-generation AI systems⁴.

In 2026, the IndiaAI Safety Institute is expected to move beyond planning to implementation and monitoring of safety-focused efforts, including by acting as a central node in operationalising the India AI Governance Guidelines⁵.

4. Announcement of National Centre of Excellence for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality industry:

Following the establishment of the National Centre of Excellence (“NCOE”) for the animation, visual effect gaming, comics and extended reality (“AVGC-XR”) industry, the NCOE has been operationalised as the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (“IICT”) in Mumbai⁶. The IICT has entered into strategic partnerships with global players⁷ for curriculum and talent development The Maharashtra government has also approved a comprehensive AVGC-XR policy 2025⁸, seeking to attract investment and generate employment in high-tech creative fields.

5. Delhi High Court to hear challenges to the IT Rules:

As noted in our 2025 watch list, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“IT Rules”) continued to face constitutional challenges before the Delhi High Court following the transfer of proceedings from the Supreme Court. At the last substantive hearing in October 2024, the Delhi High Court segregated the challenges issue-wise and indicated that challenges to Part III of the IT Rules (relating to OTT platforms) would be heard first. There was no substantial progress on these challenges during 2025, and the matters remained pending without final adjudication. Hearings are now expected to be taken up in 2026, with Part III challenges likely to be addressed first.

6.  Priority Areas Identified by Parliamentary Standing Committees in 2025:

1. Review of Mechanism to Curb Fake News: The Parliamentary Committee on Communications and Information Technology (“Standing Committee on IT”) released a report on review of mechanism to curb fake news, with recommendations to define “fake news”, strengthen regulatory coordination and fact-check units, set up an independent, centralized monitoring authority, encourage TV channels to be brought under the existing self-regulatory mechanism among multiple others.⁹

2. Impact of AI and Related Issues: The Standing Committee on IT held multiple meetings to discuss the ‘Impact of emergence of Artificial Intelligence and related issues’ with stakeholders from representatives of various ministries. Discussions related to considerations recommendations were also held, with key developments including: (i) recommendation for coordination among States and Union Territories to establish IndiaAI Data Labs, (ii) establishment of IndiaAI Dataset Platform (AIKosh) as a unified, for integrating government and non-government datasets to support AI innovation.¹⁰ The report may be presented in the Parliament budget session.¹¹

3. Regulation and Monitoring of Digital and Cybercrimes: Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs (“Standing Committee on HA”) also released a report on “Cyber Crime - Ramifications, Protection and Prevention”. The report discussed regulation of deepfakes and other synthetically generated information (which eventually crystallized in the form of draft amendment to IT Rules, 2021 as discussed above in point 5, revamping grievance redressal mechanisms to be more user friendly and transparent, enhanced coordination between Governmental regulators, technology platforms, recommendation for deeper integration between existing systems such as law enforcement data bases and Sanchar Saathi portal¹². The report also recommends Computer Emergency Response Team of India (“CERT-In”) to adopt an AI-driver Cyber Threat Intelligence Platform to enable quick identification and handling of cyber threats, conduct cybersecurity drills with sectoral regulators etc.¹³

4. Digital and OTT Platform Regulation: For digital platform regulation and OTT content, the Standing Committee on HA recommends establishment of an expert panel comprising child development specialists, educators, legal experts, social scientists and community representatives to monitor new OTT releases, a Post Release Review Panel which will review flagged content based on user complaints and then devise norms and guidelines, suggest penalties for infringement of these norms etc.

On the Horizon

This section discusses further upcoming developments and trends expected in 2026.

Online Gaming

1. Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act and Judicial Challenges

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025¹³ (“Online Gaming Act”)was notified in August 2025 and the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2025¹⁴ (“Online Gaming Rules”) were subsequently published for consultation until October 31, 2025. The Online Gaming Act bans online money games¹⁵ (irrespective of whether they are skill-based or chance based) and seek to regulate ‘E-sports’ and ‘Online Social Games’. The Online Gaming Rules are expected to be finalised and published in 2026, operationalizing the Online Gaming Act.

Judicial Challenges  

The Online Gaming Act is currently under challenge before the Supreme Court of India on grounds that it is violative of the right to equality, right to practice profession or business, right to life and personal liberty, and that the law lacks legislative competence since it fails to differentiate between games of skill and chance.¹⁴ The matter has been tagged along with other cases seeking for a ban of illegal online gambling and offshore betting apps.¹⁵ Recently, the Supreme Court has referred the matter to a three-judge bench and hearings are likely to start in January 2026. Accordingly, 2026 is expected to see significant developments both in the judicial scrutiny of the Online Gaming Act and in the finalization and enforcement of the Online Gaming Rules.

Our detailed analysis of the new Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 is available here and draft Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2025 is available here, and a link to our webinar on the subject is accessible here.

2. Legality of Opinion Trading Applications

Previously, several PILs contesting the legality of opinion trading apps (e.g., Probo, MPL Opinio) that allowed users to wager money on prediction outcomes (e.g., sports, elections, crypto prices) were filed across different high courts in the country. In 2025, the Supreme Court has transferred all relevant PILs from High Courts (Bombay, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, etc.) to itself for uniform adjudication, and we may expect some developments as the matter progresses before the Supreme Court in 2026.

3. Tax Treatment of Online Gaming

In 2025, the Supreme Court reserved its judgement on the taxation of online money gaming under the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 (i.e., whether online money gaming should be classified and taxed as an ‘online game of skill’ or ‘betting and gambling’). Should the Supreme Court deliver its judgement in 2026, it could materially affect tax implications for online gaming companies in India.

Intellectual Property

4. Draft Guidelines for the Use of Geographical Indications and the GI Logo

On November 18, 2025, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (“DPIIT”) released draft Guidelines for the Use of Geographical Indications and the Geographical Indications Logo¹⁶ (“Draft Guidelines”) inviting public comments. The Draft Guidelines proposes to introduce a standardized official Geographical Indicator (“GI”) logo intended to signify authenticity, origin and cultural association in respect of GI-registered goods. Earlier, GI-related indications and branding were effectively limited to registered proprietors and authorized users. The Draft Guidelines expand this pool to also include intermediaries, such as traders, exporters, distributors, retailers and e-commerce platforms, allowing them to lawfully use the official GI logo and tagline when dealing in genuine GI goods. In 2026, the DPIIT is likely to notify the final guidelines, formally introducing a standardized official GI logo. This will enable broader lawful use by proprietors, authorized users, and intermediaries, leading to greater market visibility of GI goods and more structured compliance and enforcement around GI branding.

Platform and Content Regulation

5. Notification of SGI Amendments

In October 2024, Meity had proposed amendments to Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“IT Rules, 2021”)¹⁷ to curb the growing misuse of synthetically generated information (“SGI Amendments”). The proposed SGI Amendments were aimed at strengthening an intermediary’s due diligence obligations, particularly for social media intermediaries (“SMI”) and significant SMIs (“SSMIs”) to address the risks posed by synthetic media and deepfakes. The proposed SGI Amendments were open for public comments and feedback still November 13, 2025¹⁸.

The proposed amendments have received a mixed response from the industry, several industry associations have raised concerns about the disproportionate obligations on intermediaries, ambiguous definitions and overreaching labelling requirements. Meity is currently finalising the proposed SGI amendments¹⁹, which may have significant implications on how content it hosted and regulated on platforms. Revised SGI Amendments may prove to be a powerful tool in combating the fraudulent use of generative artificial intelligence, such as creation of celebrity deepfakes for misleading promotions and fraud as witnessed in several instances in the past year.

Our analysis on the draft SGI amendments can be accessed here.  

6. SAHYOG Appeal

In March 2025, X Corp. had filed a writ petition in the Karnataka High Court challenging the legality of the SAHYOG portal. X Corp alleged the creation of the SAHYOG Portal as an unlawful exercise to circumvent the safeguards against content takedown under Section 69 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 read with Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009 (“Website Blocking Rules”) by establishing a parallel takedown procedure.

In September 2025, by way of a single bench judgement, Karnataka High Court eventually upheld the validity of the portal, calling it an instrument of public good, meant to enable cooperation between law enforcement and intermediaries in context of takedown of unlawful content. Soon after the judgement, X Corp had indicated its intention to appeal the judgement²⁰, which was filed in the KHC in November²¹. The appeal may have significant implications on questions of government censorship, content takedown and free speech.

7. Upcoming Regulations for User Generated Content

During the hearings in the case, Ranveer Allahabadia & Ors. V. Union of India, Government submitted that MIB would draft guidelines for User Generated Content (“UGC”) regulation (“Guidelines”), which would be released for public and stakeholder consultation. It was suggested that a review committee would be constituted, comprising of technology experts, a judicial member, and a media/journalism representative to examine the draft Regulations prior to public consultation. The case hearing saw additional submissions around possible amendments in the IT Rules, 2021 to include the definition of “obscene digital content”, replicating the Cable TV Programme code to be suited for digital medium etc.

8. Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2024

As per reports from October 2024, the industry was given to understand that the work on draft of Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2024 (“Broadcasting Bill”) was suspended²².

However, in December 2025, while addressing questions in the Rajya Sabha during the winter session, Dr. L. Murugan, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, confirmed that the government has examined the stakeholder suggestions on the first draft Broadcasting Bill, published in 2023. The parliamentary response, however, did not confirm or deny whether a fresh draft will be issued. This development indicates that progress is underway for the Broadcasting Bill, with a possible revised version being finalized or tabled.

Blockchain, Crypto and Tokenisation

As India tops the Chainalysis’ 2025 Global Crypto Adoption index²³ for actual crypto uses, 2026 seems to have tightened the grip around compliance for virtual digital asset service providers (“VDASP”).

9. Amendments to Income Tax Act, 1961  

Finance Act, 2025 amended Income Tax Act, 1961 to include virtual digital assets (“VDAs”) in the scope of assets which may constitute undisclosed income if such assets represent, either wholly or partly, income or property which has not been disclosed for the purposes of the Income Tax Act, 1961²⁴. It further introduced obligation on a ‘reporting entity’ to furnish information regarding transactions in crypto assets²⁵. It also included the definition of crypto assets within the ambit of VDAs²⁶. These amendments will become operational in 2026. These amendments reflect tightened compliance requirements, specially considering recent reports citing that the Income Tax department has found data mismatch in more than 4,500 cases involving VDA transactions²⁷.

10. Updated and CFT Guidelines for Reporting Entities Providing Services Related to VDAs

Financial Intelligence Unit – India (“FIU-IND”) released updated ‘AML and CFT Guidelines for Reporting Entities Providing Services Related to Virtual Digital Assets’ in January 2026²⁸. The guidelines explicitly expanded the scope of its applicability to all VDASPs irrespective of their physical location not being India, if they engage in notified activities with Indian users. Earlier, FIU-IND had sent out notices to multiple offshore VDASPs for non-compliance with FIU registration requirement²⁹. It also tightened obligations on VDASPs registered as ‘reporting entities’ to conduct independent annual audits of AML/CFT controls, require KYC to be updated every 6 months, prohibitions on transactions involving Anonymity Enhancing Crypto Tokens (“AECs”), enhanced roles for Designated Director and Principal Officer, more detailed client due diligence measures among other developments.

11. Central Board of Direct Taxes Seeks Industry Feedback on Need for a VDA Focused Legislation

In August 2025, Central Board of Direct Taxes (“CBDT”) sought feedback from the industry stakeholders about the necessity of a focused VDA legislation and the impact of current tax policies on the trade³⁰. The queries, aimed at understanding whether (i) a comprehensive VDA law is required, and which agency should be authorised to administer it; (ii) percentage of trading volumes which has moved offshore; (iii) comparative framework with major jurisdictions; (iv) consequent market impact on liquidity due to 30% flat tax; (v) differential tax-deducted-at-source (“TDS”) treatment for market makers or retail/ institutional transactions; (vi) clarification regarding derivatives and reduced TDS impact and; (vii) suggestions to level the playing field between domestic and offshore VDA exchanges.

12. Standing Committee on Finance Studies the VDA Landscape

In August 2025, the parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance (“Committee”) selected ‘A Study on Virtual Digital Assets (VDAs) and Way Forward’ during the year 2024-2025³¹. Since then, the Committee has held multiple meetings, including discussions with industry representatives, and agencies such as FIU-IND, CBDT, Ministry of Finance on the subject³².

All these developments together signal that discussions and deliberations on the change in extant VDA regulations may be underway in 2026.

13. Developments on Tokenisation

2025 saw a major shift in stakeholder interest in real asset tokenisation in India. Among several developments, parliament member Raghav Chadha prompted a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the need of a new tokenisation bill, which would enable ownership of real-world assets (“RWAs”) through digital tokens³³. A Reserve Bank of India (“RBI”) official spoke about RBI’s plan to launch a pilot on certificate of deposit tokenisation which would enable creation of digital representation of assets like deposits, stocks and bonds stored on blockchain. The Central Bank Digital Currency (“CBDC”) will be used as the underlying layer for this exercise³⁴. We may also see some development from International Financial Service Centres Authority (“IFSCA”) pursuant to their consultation paper on regulatory approach towards RWA tokenisation³⁵. Currently, companies like Terazo and Tokeny have utilised IFSCA’s sandbox opportunity for regulated tokenisation projects³⁶. We can expect to see regulatory clarity in the light of rapid industry movement in 2026, given that RBI officials have acknowledged that risks in asset tokenisation are manageable and it is possible to address them through regulatory guardrails³⁷.

Artificial Intelligence and Deep Tech

14. Regulatory Focus for AI

In this year, AI regulation is likely to focus on more effective enforcement of existing laws, court-determined interpretations and targeted, sector-specific amendments. This approach will aim to address immediate challenges posed by AI while leveraging the existing legal framework.

15. AI Summit to be hosted in 2026

The India AI Impact Summit to be held in February 2026 in New Delhi is expected to be a major global forum for shaping AI policy and governance, with participation from government leaders, technology CEOs and international stakeholders. The Summit is expected to focus on agreement around shared AI norms, potentially spanning seven themes (‘Chakras’), i.e., human capital, inclusion, trust, resilience, science, resources and social good³⁸, and may culminate in a leaders’ declaration or consensus statement on issues ranging from safe and trusted AI to equitable access and responsible deployment of AI technologies.

Beyond high-level policy discussions, the Summit is expected to highlight concrete AI use cases and ecosystem growth, showcasing Indian startups and research initiatives that are moving from adoption to creation. The Indian Government’s preparatory engagements, such as roundtables between the Prime Minister and domestic AI startups³⁹, signal that national AI industrial strategy, public-private partnerships and innovation policy alignment will be key agenda items to watch out for.

16. DPIIT Working Paper on Generative Artificial Intelligence and Copyright

On December 8, 2025, the DPIIT released Part I of its Working Paper on Generative Artificial Intelligence and Copyright⁴⁰, outlining preliminary policy positions on the use of copyright-protected works in the training of generative AI systems and inviting stakeholder feedback. It primarily looks into 1) copyright issues in training data for ai systems, 2) a comparative analysis of other jurisdictions, 3) assessment of regulatory models and 4) a proposed framework. The consultation period for Part I was subsequently extended to February 6, 2026. Reports suggests that the DPIIT committee may release Part II of the Working Paper within the early months of 2026, with a focus on whether and how AI-generated content may qualify for copyright protection and how authorship should be construed in that context⁴¹.

17. RDI Scheme

The operationalisation of the Research, Development and Innovation (“RDI”) Scheme⁴² signals a structural shift in India’s approach to technology funding, moving from grant-based support to a state-led patient-capital framework aimed at de-risking long-term R&D. Anchored by a ₹ 1 trillion (approx $ 12 billion) crore corpus to be administered under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation framework, 2026 is expected to mark the first phase of meaningful capital deployment into high-risk, high-impact technologies through Second-Level Fund Managers such as AIFs and NBFCs. The Scheme is oriented towards mid-to-late stage research, development and commercialisation across identified “sunrise” and “strategic” sectors where India seeks global leadership, such as (i)  energy security, energy transition and climate action, aimed at sustainable and resilient energy systems; (ii) deep technologies, such as quantum computing, advanced robotics and space technologies; (iii) AI and its applications to core Indian needs in agriculture, health, education and other domains; (iv) biotechnology and biomanufacturing, including synthetic biology, pharmaceuticals and medical devices; (v) and the digital economy, including digital agriculture and related digital infrastructure innovations. To qualify, entities must be "Indian owned and controlled" in accordance with applicable scheme guidelines. Critically, all IPR generated via the scheme must be registered in India. While the RDI Scheme seeks to address the persistent “valley of death” in technology financing, its practical impact in 2026 will depend on the pace of disbursements and clarity around ownership, control and downstream commercialisation terms, making cap-table structuring and governance a key legal watch point for participating entities.

18. Semiconductor Industry

In 2026, India's semiconductor ecosystem continues to evolve under the India Semiconductor Mission, balancing its foundational "fab-first" incentives with growing momentum in end-to-end capabilities. Four units, including Kaynes Semicon, CG Power, Micron Technology and Tata Electronics, are set to start commercial manufacturing of semiconductors in India in 2026, are slated to commence commercial production this year⁴³, alongside ten approved projects spanning fabrication, packaging, testing, assembly, and ancillary sectors. While discussions around ISM 2.0 hint at broader support for design, R&D and advanced nodes, fabs remain central to the strategy⁴⁴, with investments like Tata's flagship fab in Dholera, Gujarat, driving a comprehensive value chain rather than a full pivot away from front-end manufacturing.

Our research paper on the Indian Semiconductor Ecosystem can be accessed here.

Parliamentary Signals

19. Standing Committee on IT Identifies Priority Areas for 2025-2026:
The Standing Committee on IT met in October 2025 to discuss subjects for examination in 2026, and identified the following subjects, among others: (1) review of implementation of laws related to media, (2) emergence of OTT platforms and related issues, (3) review of implementation of Part III of IT Rules, 2021, (4) biometric data and technologies, (5) spectrum management and its role in digital growth. While issues (1) – (3) will be taken up by MIB, issue (4) will be taken up by Meity and issue (5) by the Department of Telecommunications. These items may be the priority areas for the Government.

20. Economic Survey and Budget 2026:

The Economic Survey 2025-26⁴⁵, presented ahead of the Union Budget, highlights AI as a major theme, dedicating a chapter to it for the first time to reflect its transformative importance for India’s economy and society. It recommends building AI solutions from the ground up, focusing on sector-specific applications in healthcare, education and manufacturing, rather than pursuing large-scale mega-models. The Survey also emphasizes the need for graduated regulation, evolving data governance and safety frameworks to keep pace with AI deployment. It further suggests leveraging India’s strengths in application-led innovation and domestic data to create practical, locally relevant AI solutions. Accordingly, The Union Budget 2026–27 is expected to focus on accelerating technology adoption and digitalisation with focused support for cloud computing, AI, SaaS solutions and cybersecurity to strengthen efficiency, innovation and competitiveness in the sector.

The Road Ahead

This is likely to be a high-activity year for India’s technology and media sector, as the Government continues to push a pro-innovation digital agenda while tightening guardrails around misuse and consumer harm. The year will likely see incremental legal and policy changes, backed by stronger enforcement and clearer operational guidance. The watchpoints will be how quickly these frameworks translate into implementable obligations and how regulators apply them in real cases.

Tanishq Gupta, Prerana Reddy, Aaron Kamath and  Vaibhav Parikh
You can direct your queries or comments to the author. 

¹See, https://www.meity.gov.in/static/uploads/2025/11/c56ceae6c383460ca69577428d36828b.pdf (last accessed on January 29, 2026).

²See, https://indianexpress.com/article/business/centre-may-shorten-data-protection-law-compliance-timeline-for-big-tech-10488984/ (last accessed on January 29, 2026).

³See: https://indiaai.gov.in/article/india-takes-the-lead-establishing-the-indiaai-safety-institute-for-responsible-ai-innovation (last accessed on January 19, 2026).

⁴See: https://indiaai.gov.in/article/call-for-partnerships-as-part-of-the-indiaai-safety-institute (last accessed on January 19, 2026).

⁵See: https://www.psa.gov.in/CMS/web/sites/default/files/publication/India%20Al%20Governance%20Guidelines%205%C2%A0Nov%C2%A02025.pdf (last accessed on January 19, 2026).

⁶Press Information Bureau. (2025, December 19). India’s Animation, Gaming and XR Ecosystem Strengthened through WAVES; Platform Positions the Country as a Global Hub of Creativity. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2206741&reg=3&lang=1 (last accessed on January 30, 2026).

⁷Indian Institute of Creative Technologies. (2025, October 7). Netflix partners with IICT & FICCI to build India’s creative tech talent. IICT. https://www.iict.org/connect/articles/netflix-mou ; TOI Tech Desk. (2025, November 18). YouTube expands AI features, partners with IICT and AIIMS for digital education. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/youtube-partners-aiims-and-iict-to-announce-new-ai-based-medical-and-content-creation-tools/articleshow/125390781.cms? (last accessed on January 30, 2026).

⁸Kakodkar, P. (2025, September 17). Maharashtra cabinet okays policy for animation, visual effects, gaming, comics, extended reality. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/maharashtra-cabinet-okays-policy-for-animation-visual-effects-gaming-comics-extended-reality/articleshow/123929804.cms (last accessed on January 30, 2026).

⁹22^nd Report on ‘Review of Mechanism to Curb Fake News’, Standing Committee on IT. Accessible here.

¹⁰14^th Report on Action Taken by the Government on the Observations/Recommendations of the Committee contained in their Fourth Report (Eighteenth Lok Sabha) on ‘Demands for Grants (2024-25)’, Standing Committee on IT. Accessible here.

¹¹See: https://www.moneycontrol.com/budget/budget-session-to-get-ai-roadmap-standing-committee-weighs-regulation-as-meity-cracks-down-on-grok-content-article-13758052.html#google_vignette (last accessed on January 30, 2026).

¹²254^th Report on ‘Cyber Crime – Ramifications, Protection and Prevention’, Standing Committee on HA (as laid on Lok Sabha Table on August 20^th, 2025). Accessible here

¹³Ibid, para 3.15.6

¹⁴Head Digital Works Pvt. Ltd. & Anr. v. Union of India & Ors. (Transfer Petition (C) Nos. 2484–2486 of 2025

¹⁵CASC v. Union of India (W.P.(C) No. 1008/2025).

¹⁶See: https://www.dpiit.gov.in/static/uploads/2025/11/6f138ae714d2c23e48db92430b44fac4.pdf

¹⁷https://www.meity.gov.in/static/uploads/2025/10/9de47fb06522b9e40a61e4731bc7de51.pdf

¹⁸https://www.meity.gov.in/static/uploads/2025/10/99452ba2c2ce83f525c0fd6929a879d7.pdf

¹⁹See: https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/policy/india-mandates-watermarking-of-ai-generated-content-to-combat-cybercrime-and-abuse/126411142 (last accessed on January 19, 2026).

²⁰See: https://legal.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/litigation/x-to-appeal-against-karnataka-hc-verdict-dismissing-petition-against-government-takedown-order/124211687 (last accessed on January 19, 2026).

²¹X Corp v. Union of India (Karnataka High Court), WA 1827/2025.

²²See: https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/ib-ministry-suspends-work-on-draft-broadcasting-bill-45857.htm (last accessed on January 19, 2026).

²³See : https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/2025-global-crypto-adoption-index/ (last accessed on January 29, 2026).

²⁴Section 158B(b)

²⁵Section 285BAA

²⁶Section 47A (d), Income Tax Act 1961

²⁷‘Crypto trades: India may mandate 3^rd party reporting rules from April 1’, Hindustan Times. Available at: https://www.hindustantimes.com/business/crypto-trades-india-may-mandate-3rd-party-reporting-rules-from-april-1-101767950079988.html

²⁸See: https://fiuindia.gov.in/pdfs/downloads/VDA08012026.pdf

²⁹See: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2173758&reg=3&lang=2

³⁰‘Crypto regulation in India: CBDT asks stakeholders on regulation, compliance; VDA oversight, tax compliance in focus’

³¹See: https://sansad.in/getFile/bull2mk/2025/14082025.pdf?source=loksabhadocs

³²See: https://sansad.in/ls/committee/departmentally-related-standing-committees/12-Finance-nameH=%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4 (meetings held)

³³‘Tokenisation can do for investments what UPI did for payments,’ says Raghav Chadha’, Economic Times. Available at: https://m.economictimes.com/news/india/tokenisation-can-do-for-investments-what-upi-did-for-payments-says-raghav-chadha/amp_videoshow/126030129.cms (last accessed January 14, 2026)

³⁴‘RBI to launch pilot for certificate of deposit tokenisation’, Times of India. Available at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/banking/finance/banking/rbi-set-to-launch-pilot-for-deposit-tokenisation/articleshow/124354213.cms?from=mdr (last accessed January 30, 2026).

³⁵See: https://ifsca.gov.in/Document/ReportandPublication/ifsca-consultation-paper-on-regulatory-approach-towards-tokenization-of-real-world-assets03032025111644.pdf (last accessed January 30, 2026).

³⁶See: https://tokeny.com/terazo-and-tokeny-join-forces-for-indias-first-regulated-tokenization-project/ (last accessed January 30, 2026).

³⁷‘Indian central bank to launch pilot for certificates of deposit tokenisation, official says’, Reuters. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indian-central-bank-launch-pilot-deposit-tokenisation-official-says-2025-10-07/ (last accessed January 30, 2026).

³⁸See: https://impact.indiaai.gov.in/ (last accessed on January 19, 2026).

³⁹See: https://www.indiasnews.net/news/278805579/prime-minister-greatly-encouraged-them-explained-india-ai-vision-meity-secretary-krishnan-on-pm-modi-roundtable-meet?utm_source=chatgpt.com (last accessed on January 19, 2026).

⁴⁰See: https://www.dpiit.gov.in/static/uploads/2025/12/ff266bbeed10c48e3479c941484f3525.pdf (last accessed on January 19, 2026).

⁴¹See: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/dpiit-panel-may-release-2nd-paper-on-copyrightability-of-ai-generated-content-in-two-months/articleshow/125909365.cms?from=mdr (last accessed on January 19, 2026).

⁴²See: https://rdifund.anrf.gov.in/ (last accessed on January 19, 2026).

⁴³See: https://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2026/Jan/02/4-indian-semiconductor-units-to-begin-commercial-production-from-2026-vaishnaw (last accessed on January 19, 2026).

⁴⁴See: https://manufacturing.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/hi-tech/decoding-the-20-bn-proposal-what-india-semiconductor-mission-2-0-means-for-the-chip-industry/123995662 (last accessed on January 19, 2026).

⁴⁵See, https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/economicsurvey/doc/echapter.pdf (last accessed on January 30, 2026).