4 months ago
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The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has initiated suo motu enactment against e-commerce platforms for listing and selling unauthorised walkie-talkies successful usurpation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and telecom laws, issuing last orders against 8 entities and imposing penalties totalling ₹44 lakh.
Notices were issued to 13 e-commerce entities: Chimiya, JioMart, Talk Pro, Meesho, MaskMan Toys, TradeIndia, Antriksh Technologies, Vardaanmart, IndiaMart, Meta Platforms Inc. (Facebook Marketplace), Flipkart, Krishna Mart, and Amazon, pursuing the recognition of implicit 16,970 non-compliant merchandise listings crossed platforms.
The CCPA recovered that platforms were facilitating the merchantability of Personal Mobile Radios (PMRs) operating extracurricular the license-exempt frequence band, without Equipment Type Approval (ETA) certification oregon due disclosure of licensing requirements.
The authorization imposed penalties of ₹10 lakh each connected Meesho, Meta Platforms Inc. (Facebook Marketplace), Flipkart, and Amazon, and Rs ₹lakh each connected Chimiya, JioMart, Talk Pro, and MaskMan Toys for violations of user rights, misleading advertisements, and unfair commercialized practices, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare told PTI.
Meesho, Meta, Chimiya, JioMart, and Talk Pro person paid their penalties. Payment from the remaining platforms is awaited, she added.
Under existing regulations, licence exemption applies lone to PMRs operating strictly successful the 446.0-446.2 MHz band. Rule 5 of the Use of Low Power and Very Low Power Short Range Radio Frequency Devices Rules, 2018, mandates that manufacturers and sellers indispensable get ETA earlier import, sale, oregon cognition of specified devices.
On Flipkart, 65,931 units were sold wherever the frequence scope was either near blank oregon fell extracurricular the exempted range. Another 42,275 units were sold with the close frequence disclosed. Amazon saw 2,602 units sold betwixt January 2023 and May 2025, with 467 merchandise listings lacking due frequence oregon certification details.
Meesho recorded income of 2,209 units by a azygous seller alone, with galore listings failing to disclose ETA certification oregon frequence specifications. JioMart sold 58 units implicit 2 years without wide licensing request disclosures, portion Facebook Marketplace had 710 listings delisted pursuing CCPA intervention.
In the lawsuit of Facebook Marketplace, the CCPA recovered walkie-talkies were listed without disclosure of licensing requirements, frequence specifications, oregon ETA/WPC certification.
Despite post-notice removals, the level facilitated repeated listing of regulated devices without capable preventive safeguards.
The authorization held that platforms indispensable workout owed diligence commensurate with their standard and technological capability, with 710 listings delisted pursuing intervention.
Talk Pro (Iconet Services Pvt Ltd) was recovered listing devices operating crossed UHF 400-1200 MHz portion falsely claiming they were "100 per cent legal" and "license-free."
The level besides made misleading claims astir operational ranges.
Chimiya was offering walkie-talkies operating successful the UHF 400-470 MHz band, extracurricular the permitted spectrum, imported from overseas without mandatory approvals.
Several platforms attempted to invoke intermediary presumption to disclaim work for third-party listings. The CCPA rejected this defence, holding that platforms facilitating listing, hosting, discovery, and promotion of regulated products cannot beryllium treated arsenic passive conduits.
"Intermediary protections are conditional upon the workout of effectual owed diligence and bash not widen to situations wherever platforms licence products to beryllium listed oregon advertised without mandatory statutory disclosures," the authorization stated.
To fortify level accountability, the CCPA has notified guidelines for the Prevention and Regulation of Illegal Listing and Sale of Radio Equipment including Walkie-Talkies connected E-Commerce Platforms, 2025, successful consultation with the Department of Telecommunications and Ministry of Home Affairs.
These mandate verification of frequence compliance, ETA certification anterior to listing, afloat disclosure of licensing requirements, prohibition of misleading advertisements, and deployment of automated monitoring and takedown mechanisms.
The CCPA directed large e-commerce platforms to undertake self-audits to guarantee specified violations done deceptive listings are not prevalent, people audit certificates online, and fortify pre-listing compliance mechanisms to guarantee nary vigor instrumentality requiring statutory support is listed without afloat ineligible compliance.
The CCPA warned that unauthorised vigor connection devices tin origin harmful interference with captious nationalist connection networks, including those utilized by instrumentality enforcement, catastrophe effect authorities, and exigency services.
"Such interference tin disrupt indispensable operations and compromise communications captious to nationalist bid and nationalist security," the authorization said, adding that consumers trust heavy connected online descriptions portion buying and the merchantability of non-compliant devices exposes them to regulatory risks.
Five matters involving Antriksh Technologies, IndiaMart, Tradeindia.com, Vardaanmart, and Krishna Mart stay astatine assorted stages of probe oregon hearing.
