Distribution and mineralogy of various rock types along the 4200-km-long slow-spreading Central Indian Ridge, between Owen fracture zone in the north and Indian Ocean triple junction in the south, is studied in the light of ridge segmentation, and associated stress regime. To understand such phenomena along an extremely low magmatic budget spreading axis, rock samples from nine sites were examined. Rocks at these sites differ markedly in mineralogical composition and texture, but, surprisingly, not geochemically. Nature of segmentation of the ridge (length and offset) by transform faults appears to have influenced the variable extent of melting of the source rock and depth of magma generation below each ridge segment. We conclude that segmentation plays a significant role in facilitating polybaric fractional crystallization and the resultant mineralogical and textural variations in the erupted rocks