Indian Antarctic Act amendments to take effect from September 30
The amendments to the offences and penalties provisions under the Indian Antarctic Act, 2022, made through the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026, will
The amendments to the offences and penalties provisions under the Indian Antarctic Act, 2022, made through the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026, will come into force from September 30, the Ministry of Earth Sciences said on Wednesday. The Indian Antarctic Act provides a policy and regulatory framework for the country’s activities in Antarctica through a legal mechanism. The ministry announced the date for the amendments through a notification published on Wednesday. Read Full Story One of the changes relates to Section 41 of the Indian Antarctic Act, 2022, which deals with the “penalty for contravention of certain provisions of the Act by person”.
Another amendment has been made to Section 44, which deals with penalties for offences not mentioned in the Act. Earlier, Section 44 said, “Any person who contravenes the provisions of this Act or fails to comply with any provision thereof which it was his duty to comply with, and in respect of which no penalty is specifically provided in this Act, shall be punishable with a fine which may extend to ten lakh rupees.” Now, the sections provide for a process to adjudicate such penalties.
This includes the Centre appointing “an officer not below the rank of Joint Secretary to the Government of India as an adjudicating officer for holding an inquiry and imposing penalties”. The notification said, “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 (8 of 2026), the Central Government hereby appoints the 30th September, 2026 as the date on which the provisions of the said Act, in so far as it relates to serial number 76 and the entries relating thereto in the Schedule to the said Act, relating to the Indian Antarctic Act, 2022 (13 of 2022), shall come into force.” In effect, the amended penalties and adjudication-related provisions under the Indian Antarctic Act will take effect from September 30.
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