WHITE PAPER ON LEGAL FRAMEWORK 
FOR AI-ENABLEMENT IN INDIA

Artificial Intelligence is increasingly embedded across India’s digital public infrastructure, financial services, governance platforms, and consumer-facing technologies. While these developments offer significant opportunities for economic growth and public service delivery, they also raise complex legal and regulatory challenges. Existing legal frameworks often struggle to address questions of accountability, transparency, liability, and data governance in the context of rapidly evolving AI systems.

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This white paper, prepared by the Centre for Advanced Studies in Cyber Law and Artificial Intelligence (CASCA), RGNUL, examines the legal and institutional ambiguities surrounding AI governance in India. The paper develops a principles-based framework built around four foundational pillars of AI governance: accountability and liability, transparency and explainability, privacy and data governance, and innovation enablement.

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Prepared under the research mentorship of Ms. Akshaya Suresh, Partner at JSA Advocates & Solicitors, the study argues that India may benefit from a coordination-based regulatory approach, focusing on harmonisation of existing statutes rather than the immediate introduction of a standalone AI Act.

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To address regulatory fragmentation across sectors, the paper proposes the establishment of a National AI Coordination Mechanism (NAICM) to facilitate inter-regulatory cooperation, develop unified standards, and support consistent governance practices across domains.

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The white paper also advances targeted recommendations for reforms across existing legislation, including the Information Technology Act, Digital Personal Data Protection Act, Consumer Protection Act, and Competition Act, with the objective of building a coherent, innovation-friendly, and rights-respecting AI governance ecosystem in India.