The Rajasthan High Court has issued a temporary stay order on the Directorate General of Trade Remedies’ (DGTR) recommendation of imposing anti-dumping duties on imports of solar cells and modules.

The High Court issued the stay order following a joint petition filed by the Rajasthan Solar Association and Pratapgarh Solar Developers, opposing the DGTR’s recommendation for imposing anti-dumping duties on imports of solar cells and modules. Anti-dumping duties on solar cells and modules have a public interest impact, as they may raise solar power tariffs for consumers.

The High Court kept any orders passed by the respondents in the case, namely DGTR, Union of India, the Commissioner of Customs (Jodhpur), and the Assistant Commissioner of Customs (Jodhpur), in abeyance until January 5, 2026.

The High Court highlighted that the stay order was passed due to the paucity of time and ensuing vacations for judges.

The petitioner’s and respondents’ submissions will be heard on the next date of hearing.

In an earlier order passed by the High Court on December 15, 2025, it also asked the respondents to share an update on the anti-dumping duties recommended by the DGTR on solar modules/cells.

The High Court said that under Rule 17 of the Customs Tariff (Identification, assessment and Collection of Anti-Dumping Duty on Dumped Articles and for Determination of Injury) Rules, 1995, the duration for completing the investigation and imposing anti-dumping duties is three months, ie, December 29, 2025.

The Court directed that if the central government issues a notification imposing an anti-dumping duty on imports of solar cells and modules, the notification must remain in abeyance until the next hearing date (January 5, 2026). In effect, even if an anti-dumping duty notification is issued, it will not be effective during this interim period, shielding the petitioners from immediate adverse consequences.

In September 2025, DGTR recommended imposing antidumping duties up to 30% on imports of solar cells, whether or not assembled into modules, originating in or exported from China for three years.

The investigation was initiated following petitions filed by solar manufacturers alleging that the dumping of imported solar cells and modules hurt the domestic solar manufacturing sector.

DGTR had initiated the investigation in October 2024.

While welcoming the DGTR’s move to impose anti-dumping duties on imports of solar cells and modules, the solar industry highlighted the gap in domestic cell and module manufacturing capacity, which could lead to short-term supply issues for modules.