Section 22 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Section 22 requires every person who plans to manufacture or import a weight or measure to get the model approved first. It lists the items that may be exempt, lets the prescribed authority accept a model approved abroad, and leaves the manner, fee and authority to rules. The section is not amended by either Jan Vishwas Act; its penalty section (32) is amended by the 2026 Act.
Before manufacturing or importing a weight or measure, every person must seek approval of the model, in the prescribed manner, on payment of the prescribed fee and from the prescribed authority. Approval may not be required for a listed set of simple items (cast iron, brass, bullion or carat weights, beam scales, certain retail length measures and capacity measures up to twenty litres for kerosene, milk or potable liquors). A foreign-approved model can be approved without test or after such test as is deemed fit. Failure is an offence under section 32.
The main rule
Section 22 reads: "Every person, before manufacturing or importing any weight or measure shall seek the approval of model of such weight or measure in such manner, on payment of such fee and from such authority as may be prescribed".
Points that matter:
- Timing. The approval is "before" manufacturing or importing. A manufacturer cannot start commercial production and apply later; an importer cannot land the goods first.
- Who. If you are unsure whether your product is caught, a legal consultation can settle the point before you commit to production. The text says "every person", and "person" includes a company, firm, HUF, association and the other bodies listed in section 2(m).
- What is being approved. The model, not each unit. Each unit still needs verification and stamping under section 24 before use.
- What the Act leaves open. The manner, fee and authority are all "as may be prescribed". Section 52(2)(m) lists "the manner, fee and authority for approval of models under section 22" as a Central rule-making matter. The sources we reviewed (the Act, the General Rules and the Packaged Commodities Rules) do not set out the application procedure, so this article does not describe forms, fees or timelines. Our existing guides, model approval for weights and measures and how to apply for model approval, take the practical side, and our note on the Approval of Models Rules 2011 names the rules; check them before relying on any step.
First proviso: items that may not need approval
The first proviso says approval "may not be required in respect of":
| Item | Condition in the text |
|---|---|
| Cast iron, brass, bullion or carat weight | No further qualifier in the text |
| Beam scale | No further qualifier |
| Length measures (not being measuring tapes) | Those "ordinarily used in retail trade for measuring textiles or timber" |
| Capacity measures | Those "not exceeding twenty litre in capacity, which are ordinarily used in retail trade for measuring kerosene, milk or potable liquors" |
Three cautions.
- The word is "may not be required", not "is not required". The proviso is framed permissively, so read it with the rules and any notification that applies it.
- The exclusion is narrow: measuring tapes are excluded from the length-measure exemption, and capacity measures are exempt only up to twenty litres and only for the three listed liquids in retail trade.
- The exemption from model approval is not an exemption from verification. A beam scale used in a transaction still needs to be verified and stamped under section 24, and must still conform to the specifications under the General Rules.
Second proviso: models approved abroad
"Provided further that the prescribed authority may, if he is satisfied that the model of any weight or measure which has been approved in a country outside India conforms to the standards established by or under this Act, approve such model without any test or after such test as he may deem fit."
This matters for importers. A foreign approval is not automatically valid in India, but the prescribed authority may accept it:
- the test is conformity to the standards established by or under the Act, not the foreign standard;
- the authority may approve without any test or after such test as he may deem fit; and
- the discretion is the authority's: the section uses "may".
This works with section 20, which bars importing any non-standard weight or measure, and with section 19, which requires the importer to be registered.
How section 22 fits with neighbouring sections
| Section | Link |
|---|---|
| 7(4) and 52(2)(c) | The specifications a model must meet: physical characteristics, configuration, materials, performance, tolerances, re-verification period and test methods |
| 19 | Registration of the importer |
| 20 | Only conforming weights and measures may be imported |
| 23 | Licence to manufacture, repair or sell (registration certificate after the 2026 Act) |
| 24 | Verification and stamping of each instrument before use |
| 32 | Penalty for failure to submit a model for approval |
Consequence of not getting approval
Section 32 punishes "whoever fails or omits to submit model of any weight or measure for approval". The layered position, in brief:
| Layer | Penalty |
|---|---|
| As enacted in 2010 (not changed by the 2023 Act) | Fine up to Rs 20,000; second or subsequent offence, imprisonment up to one year and also fine |
| 2026 Act (enacted; in force only from the date the Central Government notifies) | Warned with an improvement notice for the first offence; second offence penalty up to Rs 5 lakh; subsequent offences fine not less than Rs 10 lakh but up to Rs 20 lakh |
Our article on section 32 sets out the text. Offences under section 32 are compoundable under section 48, but only by the Director (the Controller's list in section 48(3) omits section 32).
Practical pointers
- Ask which authority is prescribed for your product category and which rules apply before you place a manufacturing or import order.
- Keep the approval paperwork with the product file. Officers who inspect under section 15 may ask for the documents relating to the weights and measures.
- If you rely on the first proviso, record why the product falls in a listed category, for example that a capacity measure is not over twenty litres and is for milk in retail trade.
Example 1. A start-up plans to manufacture digital platform scales. It must seek approval of the model before manufacturing; starting production first would expose it to section 32.
Example 2. An importer wants to bring in a fuel-dispenser model approved in another country. It asks the prescribed authority to approve the model under the second proviso; the authority may approve it without a test or after a test, if satisfied it conforms to the Indian standards.
Need help with model approval?
If you are about to manufacture or import a weighing or measuring instrument, the model approval question should be settled first. Our legal consultation team can map your product against section 22 and its provisos and tell you what to check in the prescribed rules.
Key takeaways
- Seek model approval before manufacturing or importing a weight or measure (section 22).
- The manner, fee and authority are prescribed; they are not in the Act or in our General and Packaged Commodities Rules sources.
- A short list of simple items may not need approval, but the exemption is narrow and is not an exemption from verification.
- A model approved abroad may be approved in India without test or after a test, if it conforms to the Indian standards.
- Failure to submit a model is punishable under section 32, which the 2026 Act would amend once notified.
Read next
- Section 21 of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009: Indian Institute of Legal Metrology
- Section 23 of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009: Licence to manufacture, repair or sell
- Section 32 of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009: Penalty for failure to get model approved
- Model Approval for Weights and Measures
Disclaimer: Based on the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 (Act 1 of 2010) as enacted, read with the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 (in force) and the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 (in force only from the date the Central Government notifies); section 22 is not amended by either Act, while section 32 is amended by the 2026 Act. The model approval rules are not in our source set. State Legal Metrology rules, later amendments and notifications change; verify the current position before acting.