Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026: Government Introduces Improvement Notice Mechanism under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009

On 27 April 2026, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution notified the enforcement of those provisions of the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 relating to the Legal Metrology Act, 2009.

These amended provisions came into force on 1 May 2026.

Key Changes:

1. Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 introduces the Improvement Notice mechanism under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009.

2. The new mechanism provides regulated entities with an opportunity for regulated entities to rectify specified first-time procedural or regulatory non-compliances before penal proceedings are initiated.

3. The reform advances Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) by promoting voluntary compliance, reducing avoidable litigation, and fostering a trust-based regulatory framework.

4. The mechanism applies to manufacturers, importers, packers, dealers, repairers, traders, MSMEs, and other regulated entities governed by the Legal Metrology Act.

5. The mechanism covers specified first-time procedural and regulatory non-compliances relating to registration requirements, documentation and record maintenance, model approval, manufacture, sale and repair of weights and measures, import of weights and measures, transactions involving packaged commodities, and furnishing statutory information and returns.

6. The Department of Consumer Affairs has clarified that the mechanism is limited to specified first-time procedural and regulatory non-compliances and does not dilute consumer protection or weaken enforcement under the Legal Metrology Act.

7. Strict action will continue against fraud, repeated violations, tampering, and other acts adversely affecting consumer interests.

8. The overarching objective is to strengthen trust-based governance while safeguarding consumer interests.

What is Improvement Notice Mechanism?

The Jan Vishwas Act, 2026 introduces a new clause (ea) in Section 2 of the Legal Metrology Act, defining an “improvement notice” as “an improvement notice issued under this Act.” This mechanism enables a Legal Metrology Officer to issue a notice for specified first-time procedural or regulatory non-compliances, allowing the regulated entity a reasonable opportunity to rectify the deficiency before penal proceedings are initiated. If the deficiency is rectified within the prescribed period, penal action and unnecessary litigation may be avoided.

The mechanism aims to foster a more facilitative and compliance-oriented regulatory framework by:

• Encouraging voluntary compliance by providing businesses an opportunity to rectify genuine first-time lapses.

• Promoting timely self-correction instead of immediately resorting to penal proceedings.

• Maintaining regulatory enforcement by ensuring that repeated violations, failure to comply with an Improvement Notice, and deliberate contraventions continue to attract action under the Legal Metrology Act.

• Reducing unnecessary litigation and compliance costs arising from inadvertent procedural and documentation-related lapses.

• Balancing Ease of Doing Business with robust consumer protection through a trust-based and effective regulatory framework.

The Improvement Notice mechanism applies to specified first-time procedural and regulatory non-compliances under the following provisions of the Legal Metrology Act:

• Section 25 — Use of non-standard weights or measures

• Section 27 — Manufacture or sale of non-standard weights or measures

• Section 28 — Transactions in contravention of prescribed standards

• Section 29 — Quoting or publishing non-standard units

• Section 31 — Non-production of documents

• Section 32 — Failure to obtain model approval

• Section 34 — Sale or delivery using non-standard weights or measures

• Section 35 — Rendering services by non-standard weight, measure or number

• Section 36(1) — Sale of non-standard packaged commodities

• Section 38 — Import of weights and measures without registration

• Section 39 — Import of non-standard weights and measures

• Section 41(1) & 41(2) — Furnishing false information or false returns

• Section 45 — Manufacture of weights and measures without registration

• Section 46 — Repair, sale or dealing in weights and measures without registration

• Section 47 — Tampering with Registration Certificate

Read More: Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026: Decriminalization & Penalty Reforms