Fact-check
Are anabolic steroids legal in India?
Last checked 10 October 2026
Anabolic steroids are not freely legal in India as of 10 Oct 2026: they are prescription drugs or unapproved, sale without a licence is an offence under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, and a supplement may not contain steroids; Delhi seized steroid stock on 24 Apr 2026.
- Classification
- Restricted (Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006)
- Decided by
- Drugs and Cosmetics Act; FSSAI (supplement regulations)
- Reference
- Drugs and Cosmetics Act; FSS supplement regulations 2022, regulation 3(5); Najafgarh (Delhi) seizure of 24 Apr 2026
- Latest action
- 24 April 2026
- Last checked
- 10 October 2026
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FSSAI direction operationalising the FSS (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, and Prebiotic and Probiotic Food) Regulations 2022
Scope. A record here does not by itself mean a product or company is unsafe or banned today. Regulatory actions can apply to one batch, one formulation, one period or one state. Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date. How we label records.
Below: Blacklisted's explanationWe organise and explain what the document says. The document above is the authority.
Key facts
- Position
- Prescription drugs or unapproved. Sale without a licence is an offence under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act
- In supplements
- Regulation 3(5): no hormones, steroids, psychotropic or NDPS substances
- Names searched
- Clenbuterol, Dianabol (methandienone), Anavar (oxandrolone), trenbolone, stanozolol
- Sport
- The same agents are prohibited by WADA
- 24 Apr 2026, Najafgarh, Delhi
- Methenolone, trenbolone and stanozolol injections, 300 methandienone tablets and 850 oxandrolone tablets seized, with about 1,500 SARMs capsules
Where the claim comes from
Searches name individual agents such as clenbuterol, Dianabol and Anavar. The position is the same for each: prescription drug or unapproved, with unlicensed sale an offence.
Anabolic steroids are not freely legal in India. They are prescription drugs or unapproved. Selling them without a licence is an offence under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. The same position is taken here for the agents people search for by name: clenbuterol, Dianabol (methandienone), Anavar (oxandrolone), trenbolone and stanozolol. They are also prohibited by WADA.
They cannot be sold as supplements either. FSSAI's health supplement regulations of 2022 say that supplements may not contain hormones, steroids, psychotropic or NDPS substances (regulation 3(5)), and may not include a drug (regulation 3(4)).
The enforcement example is the Delhi seizure of 24 Apr 2026. FSSAI Northern Region and Delhi Police, on a NADA alert, seized methenolone, trenbolone and stanozolol injections, 300 methandienone tablets and 850 oxandrolone tablets in Najafgarh, together with about 1,500 SARMs capsules, as The Tribune reported. Cases were reported under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and the FSS Act. We did not find a separate notice on clenbuterol.
What this means for you
Online listings are not approvals
A product sold without a prescription or licence has no approval behind it, whatever the website says.
A supplement cannot be a steroid
Regulation 3(5) bars steroids and hormones from health supplements. A product sold as a supplement that contains one is outside the regulations.
This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.
Common questions
Is Dianabol banned in India?
Dianabol (methandienone) is a prescription drug or unapproved, and sale without a licence is an offence. In April 2026 Delhi seized 300 methandienone tablets.
Is clenbuterol legal in India?
It is treated on this page with the same position as the other agents named: prescription drug or unapproved, with unlicensed sale an offence. We did not find a separate notice on it.