Interpretation of date of notification as date of gazette publication

The legal phrase 'date of this Notification' occurring within a statutory order or notification must strictly be interpreted as the date on which the notification is published in the Official Gazette. It cannot be construed to mean any earlier date of drafting, signing, administrative issuance, or website uploading by executive authorities. The test for the effective commencement of subordinate legislation requires publication in a manner reasonably calculated to bring it to the notice of all affected persons through customary statutory channels. Until official Gazette publication occurs, the notification lacks statutory force and cannot establish a benchmark date for imposing restrictions or altering rights. Reading the date of notification as the date of website uploading rather than Gazette publication violates the statutory mandate. Importers or citizens relying on existing legal frameworks are governed by the law in force up to the exact date of official Gazette publication. Therefore, statutory terms referring to the date of notification continuously point to the date of official publication. (Viraj Impex Pvt. Ltd. v. Union of India & Anr. | 2026 INSC 80)