India Eases Legal Metrology Penalties, Installs Atomic Clocks at Five Labs

The government has decriminalised a set of provisions under the Legal Metrology framework and introduced improvement notices for minor technical violations, Additional Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs Anupam Mishra said, framing the move as an effort to reduce criminal penalties for procedural lapses while keeping safeguards against serious offences intact.

Speaking on the sidelines of a PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry event, Mishra said the principal changes are decriminalisation and the introduction of improvement notices. Offences involving short weights and tampering with standard weights continue to be handled separately, he added.

Under the revised approach, a first-time penalty for many technical and minor violations — previously criminal in nature and accompanied by a fine — will now take the form of an improvement notice. State governments are required to align their enforcement rules with the amended Act. Several states have already framed revised rules, while others are in the process of notifying them, Mishra said.

The earlier licensing requirement for repairers, manufacturers and dealers has been replaced by a registration system, he added.

On measurement and time standards, Mishra said atomic clocks have been installed at five Regional Reference Standards Laboratories — in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Faridabad, Guwahati and Bhubaneswar. The clocks, which provide highly precise reference time by measuring the stable frequency of atoms, will serve as a reference from which other centres and technical facilities can draw time for standardisation and calibration.

Mishra also pointed to the expansion of Government Approved Test Centres, which function as third-party laboratories for verifying notified measuring instruments. Around 50 to 51 such centres have been recognised so far, and fresh applications have been invited for more. The Centre is encouraging state governments to frame rules and set up similar testing facilities.

On consumer protection in the digital economy, Mishra said the Central Consumer Protection Authority notified guidelines in 2023 identifying 13 dark patterns, including practices such as false urgency and subscription traps. E-commerce platforms are required to maintain a consumer grievance redressal mechanism and acknowledge complaints within 48 hours. Consumers who receive no response from a company can approach the National Consumer Helpline on the toll-free number 1915, he said.

Ranjit Mehta, Secretary General of PHDCCI, said decriminalisation should not be read as deregulation and stressed the need to protect both consumers and compliant businesses. He said honest businesses should not be penalised for minor procedural errors and should be given an opportunity to correct them.