The Atomic Energy Act 1962

In one line

An Act whose first working provision is a duty to report a mineral, and whose central idea is that the Central Government may do everything and nobody else may do anything.

In the wording a student can write in an exam: section 3 provides that the Central Government shall have power to produce, develop, use and dispose of atomic energy, either by itself or through any authority or corporation established by it or a Government company, and to carry out research; to manufacture, buy, store, transport and dispose of prescribed and radioactive substances; to declare information "restricted information" and an area a "prohibited area"; to provide for control over radioactive substances and radiation generating plant so as to prevent radiation hazards, secure public safety and ensure the safe disposal of radioactive wastes; and to provide for the production and supply of electricity from atomic energy.

A currency note, as of September 2026. The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Act, 2025 (Act No. 39 of 2025, the SHANTI Act) was enacted in December 2025 but is not yet in force as of September 2026, since it commences only on dates the Central Government notifies (section 1(2)). On commencement its section 91 repeals the Act of 1962, saving the licences, rules and notifications made under it, so this chapter states the law until then. The ownership rule is what changes most. Under section 3(1) a licence to build, own, operate or decommission a nuclear power plant or reactor may be sought not only by a Government department, authority or corporation or a Government company but also by any other company incorporated in India, a joint venture among them, or a person the Central Government permits by notification; section 3(5) keeps enrichment and isotopic separation (unless the Centre notifies otherwise), spent fuel management including reprocessing, and heavy water production exclusively with the Central Government or an institution or factory it wholly owns; and a person who discovers or has reason to believe that uranium or thorium is available must inform the Central Government forthwith (section 5(1)).

Section 1, and the reach of the Act

Section 1 gives the short title, extends the Act to the whole of India, and brings it into force on such date as the Central Government may appoint by notification in the Official Gazette.

The extent clause matters more here than in most statutes. Atomic energy is Entry 6 of List I, so no State legislates on it at all, and the Act therefore runs uniformly with no room for a State variation, a State rule or a State authority. Everything in the chapters that follow is Central, and section 1 is where that begins.