2 weeks ago
CCPA fines Amazon over misleading Ram Mandir prasad listings
Amazon was fined ₹1 lakh by India’s consumer protection authority.
Some sweets were sold online using the name “Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad.”
The authority said this name usually means food blessed at the temple in Ayodhya.
It said the sweets were ordinary commercial products and were not approved by the temple trust.
Many devotees may have bought them believing they were official prasad.
The listings appeared shortly before the temple’s consecration ceremony.
Amazon removed them after receiving a notice from the authority.
Amazon must now check such listings more carefully and show more information about sellers.
The CCPA fined Amazon Seller Services Private Limited ₹1 lakh for allowing sweets to be sold as “Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad.”
The authority said the commercially produced sweets were not authorised, affiliated with or endorsed by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The listings appeared before the January 22, 2024, consecration ceremony and were removed after Amazon received a show-cause notice.
Chandu Trading Company recorded gross merchandise sales of ₹25,26,309 through the disputed listings, while Amazon earned marketplace fees or commissions.
The CCPA ordered Amazon to verify authorisation, improve keyword-based monitoring and provide clearer seller information.
- Who
- The Central Consumer Protection Authority, Amazon Seller Services Private Limited, Chandu Trading Company and the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust were involved.
- What
- The CCPA imposed a ₹1 lakh penalty on Amazon for allowing allegedly misleading listings that marketed ordinary sweets as “Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad.”
- Where
- The sweets were listed on Amazon for delivery across India and were presented as connected with the Shri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
- When
- The listings appeared before January 22, 2024; the CCPA issued its show-cause notice on January 19 and dated its order August 4, with the year not specified.
- Why
- The CCPA said the products used a religiously significant phrase without documentary authorisation and could mislead consumers into believing the sweets were temple-approved prasad.
CCPA’s position
Amazon’s position
Meaning of the product name
CCPA’s position
The CCPA said “Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad” has a specific religious meaning and that using it for ordinary sweets without authorisation was misleading and offensive to religious sentiments.
Amazon’s position
Amazon relied on its status as an intermediary after removing the listings; the articles do not report a detailed substantive response from the company.
Amazon’s responsibility
CCPA’s position
The CCPA said Amazon’s scale, reach, automated monitoring and seller-compliance systems gave the listings legitimacy and meant the platform could not claim ignorance of their sensitivity.
Amazon’s position
Amazon’s reported reliance on intermediary status indicates that it disputed or limited responsibility for the sellers’ listings.
Required safeguards
CCPA’s position
The CCPA ordered Amazon to require documentary proof of religious authorisation, improve keyword-based detection and takedowns, expand checks and prominently display seller details.
Amazon’s position
The articles do not report whether Amazon accepted, challenged or otherwise responded to these specific directions.
Key facts
- Penalty
- ₹1 lakh
- Platform fined
- Amazon Seller Services Private Limited
- Disputed label
- “Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad”
- Seller sales
- ₹25,26,309 in gross merchandise sales
- Show-cause notice
- January 19, three days before the January 22, 2024, consecration ceremony
- Payment deadline
- Within 15 days of the order
- Regulatory basis
- Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and E-Commerce Rules, 2020
Quotes
Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) order
Official statement issued by the CCPA
“"The commercial appropriation of this phrase for ordinary confectionery products, without any authorization from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, constitutes not just a misleading trade practice under the CP Act but an affront to the religious sentiments of crores of consumers."”
livemint.com
“The Authority observes that the phrase ‘Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad’ carries a specific and well-understood meaning for Hindu devotees, where it denotes sacred food offered to and blessed by the deity at the Ram Mandir, Ayodhya.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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