1 hr ago
CCPA Fines Amazon, Flipkart and JioMart Over Unregistered Herbicide
India’s consumer protection regulator found an herbicide being sold online without proper registration.
The product was called Cyclosinone Herbicide.
Amazon, Flipkart and JioMart were told to stop selling and advertising it.
Amazon and Flipkart were each fined ₹10 lakh.
JioMart was fined ₹5 lakh.
The regulator said the product did not list its active ingredients.
It also said the websites should have checked whether the product was legal before listing it.
The companies argued that individual sellers were responsible for following the rules.
The regulator said online marketplaces also have legal duties to protect consumers.
The CCPA fined Amazon and Flipkart ₹10 lakh each and JioMart ₹5 lakh.
The platforms sold and advertised Cyclosinone Herbicide, which was not registered under India’s Insecticides Act.
The product was listed without disclosing its active ingredients or undergoing required safety and quality checks.
The CCPA ordered the platforms to stop selling and advertising the herbicide and conduct self-audits.
Amazon recorded 38,410 orders involving 43,634 units, with sales totaling ₹96,42,572.
- Who
- The Central Consumer Protection Authority fined Amazon, Flipkart and JioMart after a complaint involving the Crop Care Federation of India.
- What
- The CCPA penalised the platforms for selling and advertising the unregistered Cyclosinone Herbicide.
- Where
- The herbicide was sold and advertised on the three e-commerce platforms in India.
- When
- The CCPA issued a separate stop-sale and advertising order on 22 September; compliance reports were due within 15 days.
- Why
- The product was not listed under the Insecticides Act, lacked disclosed active ingredients, and had not undergone required regulatory checks.
CCPA’s Position
Platforms’ Defense
Responsibility for compliance
CCPA’s Position
The CCPA said marketplaces cannot rely only on sellers’ declarations and must independently verify products before listing them.
Platforms’ Defense
The platforms argued that responsibility for legal compliance lies with the individual sellers.
Seller declarations
CCPA’s Position
The regulator said sellers may provide false or incomplete declarations, making reliance on self-declaration inadequate and reflecting weaknesses in onboarding, verification and content moderation.
Platforms’ Defense
The platforms maintained that seller-level responsibility should cover compliance with applicable requirements.
Key facts
- Regulator
- Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)
- Fines
- Amazon: ₹10 lakh; Flipkart: ₹10 lakh; JioMart: ₹5 lakh
- Product
- Cyclosinone Herbicide
- Regulatory issue
- No chemical named “Cyclosinone” was listed in the Schedule to the Insecticides Act, 1968.
- Amazon orders
- 38,410 orders involving 43,634 units
- Amazon sales value
- ₹96,42,572
- Required action
- Stop selling and advertising the product, conduct self-audits, and submit compliance reports within 15 days
Quotes
Central Consumer Protection Authority
India's consumer protection regulator that issued the penalties and orders
“Sellers may submit false or incomplete declarations in order to list their products. Therefore, relying only on self-declaration is inadequate. It reflects gross negligence and deficiencies in the Opposite Party's seller onboarding procedures, product verification and content moderation mechanisms,”
livemint.com
Sources
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