Reconstructing the Right to Repair: Comparative Legal Responses in the Post-Brexit United Kingdom, the European Union and India

Publication Details

Publication Date

10/10/2026

Volume / Issue

Vol 1, Issue 5 (2026)

Article No.

016

Journal

British Journal of Contemporary Research

DOI

https://doi.org/10.67693/BJCR-P56U49AN

Received

08 Sep 2026

Views

26

Downloads

17

Abstract

The right to repair has moved in a few years from a consumer campaign to a legal obligation. The European Union now requires manufacturers of certain products to repair them on request, under a Directive that came into application on 31 July, 2026. The United Kingdom, having left the Union, has not followed, so that the same washing machine sold in Dublin and in Manchester now carries different legal obligations. More curiously, it carries different obligations in Belfast and in Manchester because Northern Ireland remains aligned with European goods law under the Windsor Framework. India has taken a third route, building a Right to Repair Portal and a Repairability Index without enacting any right at all. This article compares the three, argues that India's approach is weaker than it appears because it rests on voluntary participation and self-declaration. It further suggests that the most useful Indian reform lies not in a new statute but in the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the competition jurisprudence that already exists.

License

This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License . Free to read, share, and adapt with attribution.