Recent Legal Amendments Every CLAT 2026 Aspirant Must Know
Some of the recent legal amendments for CLAT are Income-tax Act, 2025, Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, Carriage of Goods by Sea Act, 2025, Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, National Sports Governance Act, 2025 etc.
In the recent years there have been multiple legal amendments across various domains from sports and governance to criminal justice, maritime laws, corporate regulations, marriage and divorce laws etc. From the perspective of CLAT, these numerous amendments are often tested which require awareness of the legal developments happening in the country. Moreover, gaining an awareness of these developments in the legal front will ensure that your answers are accurate and reflect your analytical perspective. The primary implications behind these massive legal changes was to decolonise the Indian legal system, effective time bound judicial proceedings and justice system, the highly anticipated judicial reforms and modernisation of the judiciary, more technology oriented i.e. focus on LawTech, social justice etc. We can now begin this article.
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Recent Legal Amendments for CLAT
Here are the major recent developments with respect to the legal scenario.
Legislation | Status / Commencement | Key Changes / Provisions |
Income-tax Act, 2025 | Passed by Parliament; will come into force from 1 April 2026. | Replaces the old 1961 Income-tax Act. Aims to simplify and modernise India’s direct tax law. |
Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 | Passed (Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha) but pending presidential assent, etc. | Replaces the old 1958 law. Aligns India’s maritime legal framework with international conventions. Enhancements for safety, environment, seafarer welfare, ship registration etc. |
National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025 | Passed by Parliament on 12 August 2025; awaiting Presidential assent (i.e. not yet law). |
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Carriage of Goods by Sea Act, 2025 | Passed by Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha; pending assent. | Replaces the older 1925 version. Modernises rules for bills of lading; clarifies rights & liabilities of carriers, shippers, consignees; brings in international norms |
Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 | Enforced (assented, etc.) | Repeals old Mussalman Wakf Act, 1923; amends Waqf Act, 1995. Includes gender equality (representation of at least two Muslim women on boards), sectarian inclusivity, transparency, appeals process, auditing of waqf properties. |
National Sports Governance Act, 2025 | Passed in Parliament (Lok Sabha) recently; pending implementation details / notifications. | Introduces statutory framework for governance of national sports bodies. Focus on ethics, grievance resolution, compliance with Olympic/Paralympic Charters, greater accountability in sports administration. |
Indian Ports Bill, 2025 | Passed by Rajya Sabha (mid-August 2025). Status: law passed, replacing colonial-era Indian Ports Act, 1908. The date of commencement to be notified. | Seeks to modernize and regulate port operations.
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Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2025 | Passed by Parliament; President assented. | Enhances regulation of mineral sector. Introduces “mineral exchanges” (electronic trading), allows one-time extension of lease area under certain conditions, increases royalty contributions, renames / expands trust for exploration, etc. |
Jan Vishwas (Amendment) Bill, 2025 | Introduced in Lok Sabha; sent to committee. | Further decriminalisation of many minor, procedural, or technical offences under central laws. Replaces certain offences with warnings or monetary penalties. Also, changes to rules in Motor Vehicles Act, NDMC Act etc., for ease of compliance. |
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How to Remember CLAT Legal Amendments?
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To remember major developments in the legal scenario is in itself a herculean task. Check out these quick tricks to remember the amendments.
- Use Mnemonics and Acronyms - Use codes to remember the amendments or the name of acts / laws. For example, for criminal laws 2023 you can use code like 3N for Nyaya, Nari, Suraksha
- Use Flashcards - To remember the various acts and their respective amendments you can write the name of the act, amendment taken place and the legal provision. Use these flashcards to revise before the exam.
- Do not Forget Mindmaps - With the help of mindmaps try to categorise each law and their amendments to make your revision faster
- Use Keywords - Most useful technique to remember the acts and amendments is to use keywords. With the help of keywords you can remember the major points
- Link with Current Affairs - It is very important to connect the legal amendments with current events and to integrate them in your writing. This will improve your awareness of the topic
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