Indian Standard Time to become mandatory for all entities from March 2027

Govt notifies Legal Metrology (IST) Rules, 2026, making IST mandatory for all legal, commercial and administrative activities from March 2027.NEW DELHI: From March next year, all entities in India will be required to use Indian Standard Time (IST) for legal, commercial, digital and administrative activities, with govt on Saturday notifying the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026.The rules, notified under the Legal Metrology Act, will come into force 180 days after their publication in Gazette, making IST mandatory from around March 2027. Violations of the rules will attract penalties under the Act.The notification makes IST the mandatory time reference for all legal, administrative and official documents unless specifically exempted. It also makes IST the standard time refer