Lok Sabha Question No. 2023 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-11
Subject: Violations by e-Commerce Platforms
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Vijayakumar Alias Vijay Vasanth

## Government of India

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

## Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2023 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.02.2026

## VIOLATIONS BY E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS

## 2023. SHRI VIJAYAKUMAR ALIAS VIJAY VASANTH:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether repeated violations in online sales continue despite existing laws and if so, the details of enforcement failures thereof and if not, the reasons for regulatory deterrence has clearly collapsed;
- (b) whether e-commerce platforms knowingly allowed the sale of non-BIS and non-ISI certified products and if so, the details of action taken against the platforms thereof and if not, the reasons for liability being evaded;
- (c) whether marketplace immunity is being misused to shield platforms from accountability and if so, the details of corrective measures thereof and if not, the reasons why platforms are treated differently from offline sellers;
- (d) whether the violations under Consumer Protection and Legal Metrology laws were detected online and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons why transparent reporting is absent; and
- (e) whether mandatory pre-listing verification of safety certifications is not enforced and if so, the details of  constraints  thereof  and  if  not,  the  reasons  why  consumer  safety  is  compromised  for  platform convenience?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI B.L. VERMA)

(a) to (e) : Department of Consumer Affairs is continuously working for protection and empowerment of consumers by enactment of progressive legislations. With a view to modernize the framework governing consumer  protection  in  the  era  of  globalization,  technologies,  e-commerce  markets  etc.,  the  Consumer Protection Act, 2019 was enacted.

To safeguard the interests of consumers from unfair trade practices in e-commerce, the Department of Consumer Affairs has notified the Consumer Protection (E-commerce) Rules, 2020 under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. These rules, inter-alia, outline the responsibilities of e-commerce entities and specify the liabilities of marketplace and inventory e-commerce entities, including provisions for consumer grievance redressal.

Aligned with global best practices, 'Safety Pledge' has been finalized, in consultation with all the stakeholders, which is a voluntary public commitment of e-Commerce platforms to ensure the safety of goods sold  online.  This  initiative  strengthens  consumer  protection  in  the  e-commerce.  Various  e-Commerce companies viz. Tata Digital, Tata 1mg, BigBasket, Tata Cliq, Chroma, Swiggy, Ola, Zomato,  Ajio, JioMart, Netmeds, Meesho etc. have signed the Safety Pledge for ensuring consumer safety.

The National Consumer Helpline (NCH) administered by the Department of Consumer Affairs has emerged as a single point of access to consumers across the country for their grievance redressal at a prelitigation stage. Consumers can register their grievances from all over the country in 17 languages including Hindi, English, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Nepali, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Maithili, Santhali, Bengali, Odia, Assamese and Manipuri through a toll-free number 1915. These grievances can be registered on Integrated Grievance Redressal Mechanism (INGRAM), an omni-channel IT enabled central portal, through various channels- WhatsApp (8800001915), SMS (8800001915), email (nch-ca@gov.in), the NCH app, the web portal (consumerhelpline.gov.in) and the Umang app, as per their convenience.  1,185 companies, who have voluntarily partnered with NCH as part of the 'Convergence' programme directly respond to these grievances according to their redressal process and revert by providing a feedback to the complainant on the portal.

The  National  Consumer  Helpline  (NCH)  has  successfully  facilitated  refund  of  ₹36.80  crores (approx.) to consumers between 25 th April 2025 and 31 st January, 2026, with regard to grievances pertaining to e-commerce sector. During the last three years, the grievances registered on National Consumer Helpline (NCH) in e-commerce sector are as follows :

|   S. No. |   Year |   Registered |
|----------|--------|--------------|
|        1 |   2023 |       446133 |
|        2 |   2024 |       440187 |
|        3 |   2025 |       511196 |

NCH has put in place a mechanism to address all the grievances received on the helpline portal.

Under  the  provisions  of  the  Consumer  Protection  Act,  2019,  the  Central  Consumer  Protection Authority (CCPA) is empowered to intervene for preventing consumer detriment arising from unfair trade practices through issuance of guidelines and class action(s), including   the   enforcement   of recalls, refunds and return of products. It has the mandate to prevent and regulate false or misleading advertisements which are prejudicial to the public interest. As per Section 21(2) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, in case of false or misleading advertisement, the CCPA may impose penalty on manufacturer or endorser up to Rs. 10 lakhs and Rs. 50 lakhs in case of repeated violations.

The CCPA, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 18 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, issued 'Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023' on 30th November, 2023, listing 13 specified dark patterns identified in e-Commerce sector. These dark patterns include false urgency, Basket Sneaking, Confirm shaming, forced action, Subscription trap, Interface Interference, Bait and switch, Drip Pricing, Disguised Advertisements, Nagging, Trick Wording, Saas Billing and Rogue Malwares.

An 'Advisory in terms of Consumer Protection Act, 2019 on Self-Audit by E-Commerce Platforms for  detecting  the  Dark  Patterns  on  their  platforms  to  create  a  fair,  ethical  and  consumer  centric  digital ecosystem' was issued by Central Consumer Protection Authority on 5th June, 2025.  All E-Commerce platforms have been advised to conduct self-audits to identify dark patterns, within three months of the issue of the advisory and give self-declarations that their platform is not indulging in any dark patterns. 28 leading e-commerce platforms have voluntarily submitted their self-declaration letters confirming compliance with the  Guidelines  for  Prevention  and  Regulation  of  Dark  Patterns,  2023  and  their  names  are  enclosed  as Annexure .

Action has already been taken by the CCPA against various entities, including e-commerce platforms, for affecting consumers, as a class, for violation of consumer rights, false and misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices as defined under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. Action has also been taken against the sale of domestic pressure cookers that do not meet compulsory BIS standards on e-commerce platforms. Further,  13,118  listings  of  car  seat  belt  alarm  stopper  clips  have  been  delisted  from  major  e-commerce platforms based on the Orders passed by CCPA to delist all such products which violate consumer rights and are unfair trade practice under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 as the sale or marketing of said product compromises with the life and safety of consumer by stopping alarm beep when not wearing seat belts . Also, CCPA directed sellers of e-commerce platforms to recall 515 toys which were being sold on e-commerce platforms in violation to mandatory standards and Quality Control Order (QCO) notified for toys.

The CCPA has also notified Guidelines for the Prevention and Regulation of Illegal Listing and Sale of Radio Equipment including Walkie Talkies on E-Commerce Platforms, 2025. These guidelines have been notified to curb the unauthorized sale of wireless devices operating beyond the 446.0-446.2 MHz frequency band that may pose risks to consumer safety, mislead consumers regarding their legal position and interfere with critical communication networks, including those used by law enforcement and emergency services. Further,  the  CCPA  action  follows  the  identification  of  over  16,970  non-compliant  walkie-talkie  listings across  platforms  and  also  imposed penalties  of  ₹10  lakh each  on  Meesho,  Flipkart,  Amazon  and  Meta Platforms Inc, and ₹1 lakh each on Chimiya, JioMart, Talk Pro and MaskMan Toys.

Under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016, certain products under QCO are required to carry BIS  certification  and  the  ISI  mark.  Upon  detection  of  any  product  being  sold  without  mandatory  BIS certification, either through consumer complaints or market surveillance, the matter is immediately taken up with  the  concerned  e-commerce  platform  for  delisting  of  the  non-compliant  product.  Further,  physical inspection  of  the  seller  premises  is  conducted  and  search  and  seizure  operations  are  carried  out  by  BIS wherever required. Legal prosecution under the BIS Act, 2016 is initiated against the defaulting seller, in which the concerned e-commerce platform is also included as a party.

In FY 2024-25, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) conducted market surveillance of products sold through e-commerce and quick commerce platforms. A total of 344 samples, falling under mandatory BIS certification as per various Quality Control Orders, were procured. Out of these, 142 samples were found to be without a valid BIS Certification.

Since FY 2024-25, investigations into these violations have led to search and seizure operations at 22 warehouses of E-commerce platforms. These include three search and seizure operations each in the States/UTs  of  Delhi,  Haryana,  Karnataka,  and  Maharashtra;  two  search  and  seizure  operations  each  in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu; and one search and seizure operation each in Gujarat, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Company-wise details of the warehouses where these search and seizure operations were conducted are as follows:

- (i) Amazon - 14 warehouses
- (ii) Instakart - 7 warehouses
- (iii) Blinkit - 1 warehouse

Under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, liability is primarily imposed on the sellers, manufacturer, packer or importer, who is statutorily responsible for declaration of mandatory information viz. net quantity, MRP, manufacturer/importer address, country of origin, etc. Between 2020 and 2026 (as on 30.01.2026), a total of 948 notices were issued by Department of Consumer Affairs, for violations  of  the  Legal  Metrology  (Packaged  Commodities)  Rules,  2011,  relating  to  e-commerce transactions, resulting in recovery of Rs. 1.03 Crore under Section 48 of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009.

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## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (e)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  2023  TO  BE  ANSWERED  ON  11.02.2026  REGARDING VIOLATIONS BY E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS.

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## The platforms that have submitted declarations are:

- (i) Page Industries Private Limited (JOCKEY)
- (ii) WILLIAM PENN Private Limited
- (iii) Axelia Solutions Pvt. Ltd.( "Pharmeasy")
- (iv) Zepto Marketplace Pvt. Ltd.(Zepto)
- (v) Curaden India Private Limited
- (vi) Duroflex Private Limited
- (vii) Flipkart Internet Private Limited
- (viii) Myntra Designs Private Limited
- (ix) Cleartrip Private Limited
- (x) Walmart India Private Limited
- (xi) Makemy Trip (India) Private Limited
- (xii) Big Basket (Innovative Retail Concepts Private Limited)
- (xiii) Tira Beauty (Reliance Retail Limited)
- (xiv) Jio Mart ( Reliance Retail Limited)
- (xv) Reliance Jewels (Reliance Retail Limited)
- (xvi) Ajio (Reliance Retail Limited)
- (xvii) Reliance Digital (Reliance Retail Limited)
- (xviii) Netmeds (Reliance Retail Limited)
- (xix) Hamleys (Reliance Retail Limited)
- (xx) MilBasket (Reliance Retail Limited)
- (xxi) Swiggy Limited
- (xxii) TATA 1 mg
- (xxiii) Zomato (Eternal Limited)
- (xxiv) Blinkit (Blink Commerce Private Limited)
- (xxv) Ixigo (Le Travenues Technology Limited)
- (xxvi) Meesho Ltd.
- (xxvii) CP Wholesale India Private Limited (Lots)
- (xxviii)Clues Network Pvt. Ltd. (Shop Clues)