The transition to a circular economy (CE) has become pivotal in tackling global resource depletion, pollution, and climate challenges. Nonetheless, assessing circular economy performance is difficult as current evaluation frameworks predominantly focus on material flows, recycling rates, and resource efficiency, offering scant insight into governance efficacy. The influence of regulatory enforcement, institutional capability, and policy execution on circular results is frequently inadequately evaluated. This study fills the void by developing the E-Waste Circularity Assessment Framework (ECAF) to assess circular-economy performance within India's e-waste governance framework. The methodology incorporates five analytical clusters—environmental, economic, social, enforcement and compliance, and institutional and data capacity to assess both circularity outcomes and the governance structures that facilitate them. Indicators were assessed using triangulated data from regulatory reports, the national Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) portal, judicial rulings, and Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) case studies, and compiled into cluster-level and composite circularity scores using a standardized 1–5 scoring system. The findings reveal an ECAF score of 2.72/5, indicating that India's e-waste governance framework is partially established but not fully aligned with circular economy principles. Despite minor advancements in enforcement methods and institutional architecture, substantial deficiencies persist in environmental performance and social inclusion, particularly in hazardous waste management, RoHS monitoring, and the integration of the informal sector. This study introduces a governance-focused circularity evaluation model that enhances the literature on circular economy performance measurement and provides a repeatable instrument for assessing circular governance systems in emerging economies.