The Legal Metrology Act, 2009 (Act No. 1 of 2010) establishes and enforces uniform standards of weights and measures based on the metric system, and regulates trade and commerce in weights, measures, and other goods sold or distributed by weight, measure or number. It repealed the Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1976 and the Standards of Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1985, combining their provisions into a single, simplified enactment covering standard units, appointment of regulatory officers, verification and stamping of weights and measures, and offences and penalties.
CHAPTER I — PRELIMINARY
- Section 1 — Short title, extent and commencement
- Section 2 — Definitions
- Section 3 — Provisions of this Act to override provisions of any other law
CHAPTER II — STANDARD WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
- Section 4 — Units of weights and measures to be based on metric system
- Section 5 — Base unit of weights and measures
- Section 6 — Base unit of numeration
- Section 7 — Standard units of weights and measures
- Section 8 — Standard weights, measures or numeral
- Section 9 — Reference, secondary and working standard
- Section 10 — Use of weight or measure for particular purposes
- Section 11 — Prohibition of quotation, etc., otherwise than in terms of standard units of weight, measure or numeration
- Section 12 — Any custom, usage, etc., contrary to standard weight, measure or numeration to be void
CHAPTER III — APPOINTMENT AND POWERS OF DIRECTOR, CONTROLLER AND LEGAL METROLOGY OFFICERS
- Section 13 — Appointment of Director, legal metrology officers and other employees
- Section 14 — Appointment of Controller, legal metrology officers and other employees
- Section 15 — Power of inspection, seizure, etc.
- Section 16 — Forfeiture
- Section 17 — Manufacturers, etc., to maintain records and registers
- Section 18 — Declarations on pre-packaged commodities
- Section 19 — Registration for importer of weight or measure
- Section 20 — Non-standard weights and measures not to be imported
- Section 21 — Training in Legal Metrology
- Section 22 — Approval of model
- Section 23 — Prohibition on manufacture, repair or sale of weight or measure without registration certificate
CHAPTER IV — VERIFICATION AND STAMPING OF WEIGHT OR MEASURE
CHAPTER V — OFFENCES AND PENALTIES
- Section 25 — Penalty for use of non-standard weight or measure
- Section 26 — Penalty for alteration of weight and measure
- Section 27 — Penalty for manufacture or sale of non-standard weight or measure
- Section 28 — Penalty for making any transaction, deal or contract in contravention of the prescribed standards
- Section 29 — Penalty for quoting or publishing, etc., of non-standard units
- Section 30 — Penalty for transactions in contravention of standard weight or measure
- Section 31 — Penalty for non-production of documents, etc.
- Section 32 — Penalty for failure to get model approved
- Section 33 — Penalty for use of unverified weight or measure
- Section 34 — Penalty for sale or delivery of commodities, etc., by non-standard weight or measure
- Section 35 — Penalty for rendering services by non-standard weight, measure or number
- Section 36 — Penalty for selling etc., of non-standard packages
- Section 37 — Penalty for contravention by Government approved Test Centre
- Section 38 — Penalty for non-registration by importer of weight or measure
- Section 39 — Penalty for import of non-standard weight or measure
- Section 40 — Penalty for obstructing Director, Controller or legal metrology officer
- Section 41 — Penalty for giving false information or false return
- Section 42 — Vexatious search
- Section 43 — Penalty for verification in contravention of Act and rules
- Section 44 — Penalty for counterfeiting of seals, etc.
- Section 45 — Penalty for manufacture of weight and measure without registration
- Section 46 — Penalty for repair, sale, etc., of weight and measure without registration
- Section 47 — Penalty for tampering with registration certificate
- Section 48 — Compounding of offences
- Section 49 — Offences by companies and power of court to publish name, place of business, etc., for companies convicted
- Section 50 — Appeals
- Section 51 — Provisions of Indian Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure not to apply
- Section 52 — Power of the Central Government to make rules
- Section 53 — Power of State Government to make rules
- Section 54 — Delegation of Powers
- Section 55 — Act not to apply in certain cases
- Section 56 — Existing Director, Controller and legal metrology officer not to be affected by the new qualification to be prescribed
- Section 57 — Repeal of the Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1976 and Standards of Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1985
Note: The Legal Metrology Act, 2009 (Act No. 1 of 2010) received assent on 13 January 2010 and came into force on 1 January 2011. It has since been amended by the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 and the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026, which replaced several straight-to-fine penalty provisions with a graded improvement notice and escalating penalty scheme, and updated cross-references to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
