Unlocking India’s Inland Water Transport Potential: Analysis of the National Waterways (Construction of Jetties/Terminals) Regulations, 2025

Insights | January 15, 2026 | Practice Area: ,

Inland water transport (“IWT”) in India holds immense potential as a cost-effective, environmentally friendly alternative for the movement of goods and passengers. With a vast network of approximately 14,500 km of navigable rivers, canals, and backwaters, India’s inland waterways offer a strategic advantage for long-haul transportation. However, IWTs currently constitute a fraction of the overall inter-modal transport mix. In order to create a conducive environment for development of inland water terminals in India, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has recently enactedthe National Waterways (Construction of Jetties/Terminals) Regulations, 2025.This note provides a detailed analysis of these regulations.

MahaRERA order

MahaRERA Issues Key Circular on Execution of Deeds of Cancellation

Legal Updates | January 5, 2026 | Practice Area: , ,

Defaults by allottees in making timely payments continue to pose serious challenges for real estate promoters, often resulting in stalled inventory, disrupted cash flows, and project-level financial stress. While the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 permits cancellation of allotments in accordance with the agreement for sale, the absence of a clear statutory mechanism for giving effect to such cancellation—particularly where allottees refuse to cooperate—has led to prolonged deadlocks. Addressing this long-standing procedural gap, the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (“MahaRERA”) has now issued a significant circular prescribing a standard operating procedure for execution and registration of deeds of cancellation. This note examines the background to the Circular, the judicial developments that prompted it, and its practical implications for promoters, allottees, and registering authorities.

Merchant Shipping Act

Charting a New Course: Legal Implications of Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 on Indian Maritime Governance

Insights | December 11, 2025 | Practice Area: ,

The enactment of the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 (“MSA”) presents a landmark legislative milestone in India’s vision of becoming a global maritime hub. The MSA repeals the erstwhile Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 and introduces a regulatory environment that is aligned with the global maritime industry standards. The MSA is designed for enhancing regulatory efficiency, attracting foreign investment, and increasing Indian tonnage by liberalising key areas such as vessel ownership and registration. This note provides an analysis of the fundamental changes to the maritime sector introduced by the MSA.

clean energy | S&R Associates

Clean Energy: Issue 3 of 2025

Periodic Roundups | December 1, 2025 | Practice Area: , ,

Issue 3 of 2025 of our Roundup Series on Clean Energy covers the six-month period between April and September 2025. This Issue tracks regulatory and other key developments at both Central and State levels in the covered period with respect to solar and wind energy generation, green hydrogen and green ammonia production, tariffs, connectivity, biogas/biofuel, electric vehicles, and nuclear energy, and includes miscellaneous updates (including on hydropower and pumped storage) and key judicial decisions.

IBC Bill, 2025

IBC (Amendment) Bill, 2025: Creditor-Initiated Insolvency Resolution Process

Insights | November 28, 2025 | Practice Area: , ,

One of the innovations proposed in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (the “Bill”) is a new resolution framework that is intended to serve as an alternative to the conventional corporate insolvency resolution process (“CIRP”) under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016. Termed as the creditor-initiated insolvency resolution process (“CIIRP”), this process is designed as a largely out-of-court mechanism, but with the National Company Law Tribunal playing a supervisory role at key stages, including in case of a dispute, for grant of a moratorium and approval of a resolution plan. Another distinguishing feature of the CIIRP is that the corporate debtor continues to remain in control of the business (subject to certain checks and balances), in contrast to the CIRP where control is ceded to the resolution professional. This note analyzes the CIIRP framework as proposed in the Bill. For our analysis of other provisions of the Bill, please refer to our note here.

Indian Ports Act, 2025

Indian Ports Act, 2025: A Paradigm Shift in Port Regulation and Development

Insights | November 27, 2025 | Practice Area: ,

Foreign investment is a key contributor to India’s growth story and India continues to consistently experience growth in inflow of foreign direct investment (“FDI”). The Government of India has announced that the provisional figure of FDI inflow into India for the financial year ended March 31, 2023 was USD 71 billion and according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Report, India remains a favored destination for global investors.
In this note we discuss certain key legal considerations for a foreign investor investing in India.

Draft Guidelines for Greenfield Clusters and Brownfield Shipyards - shipbuilding development scheme

Draft Guidelines for Greenfield Clusters and Brownfield Shipyards

Legal Updates | November 26, 2025 | Practice Area: ,

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways issued draft greenfield shipbuilding cluster development guidelines (“Greenfield Cluster Guidelines”) and draft brownfield shipyard expansion guidelines (“Brownfield Shipyard Guidelines”) on November 06, 2025 which seek to accelerate the pace of shipbuilding in India. This update provides an overview of the Greenfield Cluster Guidelines and the Brownfield Shipyard Guidelines.