The effectiveness of climate governance depends on its underlying institutional arrangements. This paper examines the emergence of climate-related institutions in India, organised around three periods: pre- 2007; 2007–2009 and 2010–mid-2014. Several key themes emerge: Institutionalisation is inadequately geared to India’s co-benefits based approach to climate policy; there is a lack of continuity in institutions; performance of the cross-government coordination function has been inconsistent over time; there are limited mechanisms for knowledge aggregation and strategic thinking; capacity within existing institutions remains low; and there is nominal scope for public input and consultation in climate policy formulation processes. Addressing these shortcomings would enhance the design an implementation of climate policy in India.