India Law Survey

Non-Competes in India

Name: Non-Competes in India
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

A side-by-side comparison of how each covered jurisdiction treats employee non-compete agreements. Use country, search, and enforceability filters to narrow the full worldwide table. This is legal research, not legal advice.

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Non-Competes in India — 1 jurisdictions. Open a row for details, or follow a link to the full practice note.
Jurisdiction	Are non-competes enforceable?	Summary	Main law or case	Last reviewed	Details
India	Banned	Post-employment non-competes are void under Section 27 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872 regardless of how reasonable they are, and Indian law offers no reasonableness saving for post-term restraints — leaving only the sale-of-goodwill exception, in-term covenants, confidentiality, non-solicitation, garden leave during the notice period, and cost-based employment bonds.	Indian Contract Act, 1872, § 27	Jun 3, 2026
Main exceptions Sale of business goodwill (Exception 1 to § 27); partnership carve-outs (§§ 11(2), 36(2), 54); in-term exclusive-service covenants When the ban took effect Longstanding — Section 27 has been in force since 1872 Can a court narrow it? No Applies to contractors? Yes Restriction extended during a breach? Not applicable — the post-term covenant is void Maximum length set by law Not applicable — void Must the employer pay to enforce? —