Governance and Legal Matters - Newspaper Summary

 The sources detail significant developments in Governance and Legal Matters in India and globally in October 2025, largely driven by technological challenges (specifically AI and cybersecurity), geopolitical trade instability, and regulatory efforts aimed at enhancing financial market stability and corporate accountability.

Governance and Legal Responses to Technology and AI

The proliferation of advanced technology, particularly AI-generated content (deepfakes), has triggered immediate regulatory responses from the Indian government, demonstrating an evolving governance approach toward digital risks.

• Regulating AI-Generated Content (Deepfakes): The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) proposed draft rules requiring AI content creators and social media platforms to label AI-generated or AI-altered content.
  • Social media companies must post visible AI watermarks and labels across more than 10% of the duration or size of the content.
  • Failure to label AI content could result in platforms losing their safe harbour protection (protection from liability for unlawful user content).
  • The intent is to ensure transparency and trust in online information due to the "explosion of deepfake content".
  • Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that enforcement of orders with social media intermediaries will now be handled by officers at the joint secretary level and above at the central government, and DIG and above in case of take-down reports.
• Alternative, Market-Driven Governance: A more pragmatic approach to policing every byte of online content is suggested: devising a system of provenance certification for authentic content.
  • Those wanting to convey the truth would have an incentive to stand out with authenticity tags (like "Content Credentials"). Content left uncertified would lose relative credibility, leading to a "self-sorting market".
• Legal Precedents for Deepfakes: Existing laws already offer avenues for criminal and civil lawsuits.
  • Recent court actions include the Delhi High Court issuing interim orders in favor of film producer Karan Johar and actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, preventing the misuse of their identity via AI-generated deepfake content.
  • Some experts advocate for considering "more robust and standalone AI laws" with AI-specific criminal provisions, arguing current laws are insufficient deterrence given the "critical scale" of deepfake proliferation.

Legal Clarity on Property and Finance

The Supreme Court and financial regulators introduced key directives that settle ambiguities in property law and enhance oversight in financial schemes.

• Repudiation of Property Sales by Guardians: The Supreme Court settled a long-standing legal ambiguity by ruling that minors, upon reaching majority, do not necessarily need to file a separate lawsuit to repudiate property sale transactions executed by their guardians without court permission.
  • The act of transferring the same property after attaining majority constitutes sufficient implicit repudiation of the earlier voidable transaction. The burden of seeking legal remedy falls on subsequent purchasers, not the minors.
• Judicial Review of Online Gambling: The Supreme Court has requested the Centre’s assistance regarding a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a nationwide ban on online gambling and betting platforms operating under the guise of e-sports and social games.
• Financial Regulatory Oversight (SEBI/RBI):
  • The financial advertisements stipulate that investors dealing with Nippon India Mutual Fund should address grievances to SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India).
  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued directions to banks regarding the implementation of the gold monetization scheme, clarifying that interest and principal payments will be denominated in gold.

Global Economic Governance and Trade Regulation

International and domestic governance bodies are actively responding to geopolitical instability and trade shifts.

• Trade War Vulnerability and Supply Chain Resilience: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal emphasized the need for the Global South to unite against unilateral measures and protectionist barriers, noting a "profound trust deficit" globally.
  • India is sectorally analyzing its supply chain vulnerabilities and is "willing to pay that extra buck to be able to have resilience".
• US Tariffs and Diplomatic Engagement: US President Donald Trump and PM Narendra Modi discussed trade issues, following US tariffs imposed partly due to India's energy ties with Russia. The total US tariff on Indian goods currently stands at 50%.
• EU Response to China's Export Controls: The European Commission is preparing a list of trade measures to gain negotiating leverage against China’s planned export controls on critical raw materials.
• Aviation Lessor Protection (India): A group of global lessors protested draft aviation rules in India that state wages and government taxes owed by a distressed airline "shall have priority and would need to be cleared" by lessors before they can reclaim aircraft. Lessors argue this is impractical and complicates the repossession process, potentially delaying it.

Infrastructure and Sectoral Regulation

Regulatory involvement impacts major infrastructure projects and industrial standards.

• E-Bus Tender Delays: India’s largest e-bus tender under the PM E-Drive scheme is facing delays because participating companies and states raised concerns over high costs and stringent conditions, including a lack of adequate charging infrastructure and limitations on investor exits and ownership changes. The scheme's deadline was pushed from March 2026 to March 2028.
• National Navigation System (NavIC): The government, through the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), introduced comprehensive standards for NavIC receivers to enable wider adoption of India's localized GPS rival. The goal is to reduce dependence on foreign systems and ensure all NavIC-compatible devices meet performance benchmarks.

Political and Anti-Corruption Oversight

The sources touch upon high-level political endorsement, transparency concerns, and legal actions against corporate debt defaults.

• Political Endorsement and Transparency: The chief of the RSS, Mohan Bhagwat, endorsed the performance of the NDA government, though he implicitly censured the government by noting that good policies require follow-through, feedback from the grassroots, and the use of "credible data, both qualitative and quantitative" to measure efficacy.
• Insolvency Proceedings: The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) directed the initiation of insolvency proceedings against Bhilai Jaypee Cement for a default of ₹45 crore, appointing an interim resolution professional and suspending the company's board.
• Infosys Promoter Buyback Decision: Infosys promoters and promoter groups publicly stated their intention not to participate in the company's ₹18,000 crore share buyback, potentially altering their voting rights in the company.