Content
# Indian Law MCP Server
**The India Code alternative for the AI age.**
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Query **846 Indian Acts** -- from the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and Information Technology Act to the Companies Act, Aadhaar Act, and more -- directly from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client.
If you're building legal tech, compliance tools, or doing Indian legal research, this is your verified reference database.
Built by [Ansvar Systems](https://ansvar.eu) -- Stockholm, Sweden
---
## Why This Exists
Indian legal research is scattered across India Code, the Gazette of India, and commercial platforms like SCC Online and Manupatra. Whether you're:
- A **lawyer** validating citations under the IT Act or DPDPA in a brief or contract
- A **compliance officer** checking CERT-In incident reporting obligations or DPDPA consent requirements
- A **legal tech developer** building tools on Indian Central Acts
- A **researcher** tracing legislative history from pre-independence statutes to the 2023 DPDPA
...you shouldn't need dozens of browser tabs and manual PDF cross-referencing. Ask Claude. Get the exact provision. With context.
This MCP server makes Indian law **searchable, cross-referenceable, and AI-readable**.
---
## Quick Start
### Use Remotely (No Install Needed)
> Connect directly to the hosted version -- zero dependencies, nothing to install.
**Endpoint:** `https://mcp.ansvar.eu/law-in/mcp`
| Client | How to Connect |
|--------|---------------|
| **Claude.ai** | Settings > Connectors > Add Integration > paste URL |
| **Claude Code** | `claude mcp add india-law --transport http https://mcp.ansvar.eu/law-in/mcp` |
| **Claude Desktop** | Add to config (see below) |
| **GitHub Copilot** | Add to VS Code settings (see below) |
**Claude Desktop** -- add to `claude_desktop_config.json`:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"india-law": {
"type": "url",
"url": "https://mcp.ansvar.eu/law-in/mcp"
}
}
}
```
**GitHub Copilot** -- add to VS Code `settings.json`:
```json
{
"github.copilot.chat.mcp.servers": {
"india-law": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.ansvar.eu/law-in/mcp"
}
}
}
```
### Use Locally (npm)
```bash
npx @ansvar/india-law-mcp
```
**Claude Desktop** -- add to `claude_desktop_config.json`:
**macOS:** `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
**Windows:** `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"india-law": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@ansvar/india-law-mcp"]
}
}
}
```
**Cursor / VS Code:**
```json
{
"mcp.servers": {
"india-law": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@ansvar/india-law-mcp"]
}
}
}
```
---
## Example Queries
Once connected, just ask naturally:
- *"What does the IT Act say about data protection and intermediary liability?"*
- *"Find provisions about consent under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023"*
- *"Is the Companies Act 2013 still in force?"*
- *"What does the Aadhaar Act say about authentication and data protection?"*
- *"Search for cybersecurity requirements in Indian legislation"*
- *"What are the CERT-In incident reporting obligations?"*
- *"Validate this legal citation"*
- *"Build a legal stance on personal data processing under DPDPA"*
---
## Laws Covered
| Law | Year | Key Topic |
|-----|------|-----------|
| **Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA)** | 2023 | India's comprehensive data protection law |
| **Information Technology Act** | 2000 (amended 2008) | Cybercrime, intermediary liability, electronic records |
| **IT (SPDI) Rules** | 2011 | Sensitive personal data protection for body corporates |
| **IT (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules** | 2021 | Platform obligations, content moderation, grievance redressal |
| **Companies Act** | 2013 | Corporate governance, director duties, compliance |
| **Consumer Protection Act** | 2019 | Consumer rights, e-commerce, unfair trade practices |
| **Aadhaar Act** | 2016 | Biometric identity system, authentication, data protection |
| **Constitution (selected provisions)** | 1950 (amended) | Fundamental rights, Article 21 (right to privacy) |
Additionally includes key subordinate legislation and directions:
- CERT-In Directions (April 2022) — 6-hour mandatory incident reporting
- DPDPA Rules (as notified)
- Network Data Security Management rules
---
## Deployment Tiers
| Tier | Content | Database Size | Platform |
|------|---------|---------------|----------|
| **Free** | All Central Acts + IT Rules + CERT-In directions + EU cross-references | ~100-200 MB | Vercel (bundled) or local |
| **Professional** | + State Acts + Supreme Court landmark judgments + regulatory guidance + full subordinate legislation | ~500 MB-1 GB | Azure Container Apps / Docker / local |
### Deployment Strategy: MEDIUM - Dual Tier, Bundled Free
The free-tier database containing Central Acts and key subordinate legislation is estimated at 100-200 MB, within the Vercel 250 MB bundle limit. The free-tier database is bundled directly with the Vercel deployment. The professional tier with Supreme Court judgments and expanded subordinate legislation requires local Docker or Azure Container Apps deployment.
### Capability Detection
Both tiers use the same codebase. At startup, the server detects available SQLite tables and gates tools accordingly:
```
Free tier: core_legislation, eu_references, cert_in_directions
Professional: core_legislation, eu_references, cert_in_directions, supreme_court_judgments, state_acts, subordinate_legislation
```
Tools that require professional capabilities return an upgrade message on the free tier.
---
## Database Size Estimates
| Component | Estimated Size | Notes |
|-----------|---------------|-------|
| Central Acts (Parliament) | ~40-60 MB | ~800 Central Acts, full English text |
| IT Rules and subordinate legislation (key) | ~20-30 MB | SPDI Rules, Intermediary Guidelines, etc. |
| CERT-In directions and advisories | ~5-10 MB | Incident reporting, compliance requirements |
| EU cross-references | ~5-10 MB | DPDPA-GDPR, IT Act-NIS2 mappings |
| FTS5 indexes | ~30-50 MB | Full-text search indexes |
| **Free tier total** | **~100-200 MB** | |
| Supreme Court landmark judgments | ~200-400 MB | Privacy, IT Act interpretations |
| State Acts | ~200-300 MB | Selected State IT and data protection rules |
| **Professional tier total** | **~500 MB-1 GB** | |
---
## Language Support
The primary language is **English (en)**, which is the principal language of Indian legislation. Hindi (hi) translations are available for most Central Acts. All official law text on India Code is available in English, which is legally authoritative alongside Hindi.
---
## Available Tools (13)
### Core Legal Research Tools (8)
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `search_legislation` | FTS5 full-text search across all provisions with BM25 ranking |
| `get_provision` | Retrieve specific provision by statute + chapter/section |
| `check_currency` | Check if statute is in force, amended, or repealed |
| `validate_citation` | Validate citation against database (zero-hallucination check) |
| `build_legal_stance` | Aggregate citations from statutes for a legal topic |
| `format_citation` | Format citations per Indian conventions (full/short/pinpoint) |
| `list_sources` | List all available statutes with metadata |
| `about` | Server info, capabilities, and coverage summary |
### EU/International Law Integration Tools (5)
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `get_eu_basis` | Get EU directives/regulations for Indian statute |
| `get_indian_implementations` | Find Indian laws implementing EU act |
| `search_eu_implementations` | Search EU documents with Indian implementation counts |
| `get_provision_eu_basis` | Get EU law references for specific provision |
| `validate_eu_compliance` | Check implementation status of EU directives |
---
## Why This Works
**Verbatim Source Text (No LLM Processing):**
- All statute text is ingested from official Indian government sources
- Provisions are returned **unchanged** from SQLite FTS5 database rows
- Zero LLM summarization or paraphrasing -- the database contains regulation text, not AI interpretations
**Smart Context Management:**
- Search returns ranked provisions with BM25 scoring (safe for context)
- Provision retrieval gives exact text by statute identifier + chapter/section
- Cross-references help navigate without loading everything at once
**Technical Architecture:**
```
Official Sources --> Parse --> SQLite --> FTS5 snippet() --> MCP response
^ ^
Provision parser Verbatim database query
```
### Traditional Research vs. This MCP
| Traditional Approach | This MCP Server |
|---------------------|-----------------|
| Search official databases by statute number | Search by plain language |
| Navigate multi-chapter statutes manually | Get the exact provision with context |
| Manual cross-referencing between laws | `build_legal_stance` aggregates across sources |
| "Is this statute still in force?" --> check manually | `check_currency` tool --> answer in seconds |
| Find EU basis --> dig through EUR-Lex | `get_eu_basis` --> linked EU directives instantly |
| No API, no integration | MCP protocol --> AI-native |
---
## Data Sources & Freshness
All content is sourced from authoritative Indian legal databases:
- **[India Code](https://www.indiacode.nic.in)** -- Official Indian government legal database
**Verified data only** -- every citation is validated against official sources. Zero LLM-generated content.
---
## Security
This project uses multiple layers of automated security scanning:
| Scanner | What It Does | Schedule |
|---------|-------------|----------|
| **CodeQL** | Static analysis for security vulnerabilities | Weekly + PRs |
| **Semgrep** | SAST scanning (OWASP top 10, secrets, TypeScript) | Every push |
| **Gitleaks** | Secret detection across git history | Every push |
| **Trivy** | CVE scanning on filesystem and npm dependencies | Daily |
| **Socket.dev** | Supply chain attack detection | PRs |
| **Dependabot** | Automated dependency updates | Weekly |
See [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md) for the full policy and vulnerability reporting.
---
## Important Disclaimers
### Legal Advice
> **THIS TOOL IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE**
>
> Statute text is sourced from official Indian government publications. However:
> - This is a **research tool**, not a substitute for professional legal counsel
> - **Court case coverage is limited** -- do not rely solely on this for case law research
> - **Verify critical citations** against primary sources for court filings
> - **EU cross-references** are extracted from statute text, not EUR-Lex full text
**Before using professionally, read:** [DISCLAIMER.md](DISCLAIMER.md) | [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md)
### Client Confidentiality
Queries go through the Claude API. For privileged or confidential matters, use on-premise deployment.
---
## Development
### Setup
```bash
git clone https://github.com/Ansvar-Systems/India-law-mcp
cd India-law-mcp
npm install
npm run build
npm test
```
### Running Locally
```bash
npm run dev # Start MCP server
npx @anthropic/mcp-inspector node dist/index.js # Test with MCP Inspector
```
---
## Related Projects: Complete Compliance Suite
This server is part of **Ansvar's Compliance Suite** -- MCP servers that work together for end-to-end compliance coverage:
### [@ansvar/eu-regulations-mcp](https://github.com/Ansvar-Systems/EU_compliance_MCP)
**Query 49 EU regulations directly from Claude** -- GDPR, AI Act, DORA, NIS2, MiFID II, eIDAS, and more. Full regulatory text with article-level search. `npx @ansvar/eu-regulations-mcp`
### [@ansvar/us-regulations-mcp](https://github.com/Ansvar-Systems/US_Compliance_MCP)
**Query US federal and state compliance laws** -- HIPAA, CCPA, SOX, GLBA, FERPA, and more. `npx @ansvar/us-regulations-mcp`
### [@ansvar/security-controls-mcp](https://github.com/Ansvar-Systems/security-controls-mcp)
**Query 261 security frameworks** -- ISO 27001, NIST CSF, SOC 2, CIS Controls, SCF, and more. `npx @ansvar/security-controls-mcp`
### [@ansvar/automotive-cybersecurity-mcp](https://github.com/Ansvar-Systems/Automotive-MCP)
**Query UNECE R155/R156 and ISO 21434** -- Automotive cybersecurity compliance. `npx @ansvar/automotive-cybersecurity-mcp`
**30+ national law MCPs** covering Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, UAE, UK, and more.
---
## Contributing
Contributions welcome! See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for guidelines.
Priority areas:
- Court case law expansion
- EU cross-reference improvements
- Historical statute versions and amendment tracking
- Additional statutory instruments and regulations
---
## Roadmap
- [x] Core statute database with FTS5 search
- [x] EU/international law cross-references
- [x] Vercel Streamable HTTP deployment
- [x] npm package publication
- [ ] Court case law expansion
- [ ] Historical statute versions (amendment tracking)
- [ ] Preparatory works / explanatory memoranda
- [ ] Lower court and tribunal decisions
---
## Citation
If you use this MCP server in academic research:
```bibtex
@software{india_law_mcp_2025,
author = {Ansvar Systems AB},
title = {Indian Law MCP Server: AI-Powered Legal Research Tool},
year = {2025},
url = {https://github.com/Ansvar-Systems/India-law-mcp},
note = {Indian legal database with full-text search and EU cross-references}
}
```
---
## License
Apache License 2.0. See [LICENSE](./LICENSE) for details.
### Data Licenses
- **Statutes & Legislation:** Indian Government (Government Open Data License)
- **EU Metadata:** EUR-Lex (EU public domain)
---
## About Ansvar Systems
We build AI-accelerated compliance and legal research tools for the global market. This MCP server started as our internal reference tool -- turns out everyone building compliance tools has the same research frustrations.
So we're open-sourcing it.
**[ansvar.eu](https://ansvar.eu)** -- Stockholm, Sweden
---
<p align="center">
<sub>Built with care in Stockholm, Sweden</sub>
</p>
