1 week ago
Amazon Fined Rs 1 Lakh Over Misleading Prasad Listings
Amazon was fined Rs 1 lakh by India’s consumer regulator.
Some sellers had advertised ordinary sweets as prasad from the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
Prasad means food offered to and blessed by a deity.
The regulator said the sellers did not have proof that the Ram Mandir Trust had authorized the products.
A traders’ group complained about the listings in January 2024.
Amazon removed the listings after receiving a notice from the regulator.
Amazon said it was only an online intermediary and should receive legal protection.
The regulator disagreed, saying Amazon still had duties to check listings and show seller information.
The CCPA also said Amazon’s platform made the misleading products appear more legitimate.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority fined Amazon Seller Services Rs 1 lakh for misleading religious-prasad listings.
Four ordinary sweet products were listed on Amazon.in as “Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad” for Rs 299 to Rs 385.
The CCPA said the listings lacked authorization from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
Amazon removed the listings after receiving a show-cause notice and argued that it was an intermediary protected under information-technology law.
The regulator rejected that defense and cited inadequate seller disclosures and an inaccessible grievance-redressal process.
- Who
- The Central Consumer Protection Authority fined Amazon Seller Services after a complaint by the Confederation of All India Traders.
- What
- Amazon Seller Services was penalized Rs 1 lakh for hosting misleading listings that described ordinary sweets as “Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad.”
- Where
- The products were listed on Amazon.in and were described as prasad from the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
- When
- The complaint was filed on January 19, 2024, and the CCPA order was passed on August 4, 2026.
- Why
- The CCPA said the listings lacked verifiable authorization and violated consumer-protection and e-commerce rules.
CCPA’s position
Amazon’s defense
Responsibility for listings
CCPA’s position
The CCPA said Amazon’s marketplace obligations included seller disclosure and due diligence, regardless of its intermediary status.
Amazon’s defense
Amazon argued that it was merely an intermediary and was entitled to safe-harbor protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act.
Religious-prasad claims
CCPA’s position
The regulator said using “Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad” for ordinary sweets was misleading and could offend consumers’ religious sentiments without Trust authorization.
Amazon’s defense
Amazon removed the listings after receiving the show-cause notice; the article does not report a separate substantive defense from the sellers.
Platform compliance
CCPA’s position
The CCPA found that seller details were not adequately displayed and that grievance redressal required a mandatory login, making access insufficiently clear.
Amazon’s defense
Amazon’s cited position was that contractual arrangements with third-party sellers and its intermediary status supported its legal defense, which the CCPA rejected.
Key facts
- Penalty
- Rs 1,00,000
- Regulator
- Central Consumer Protection Authority
- Products
- Four sweet products
- Listed prices
- Rs 299 to Rs 385
- Gross merchandise sales
- Rs 25,26,309
- Amazon service fee
- Rs 15,165.90
- Authorization required
- Documentary proof from the concerned religious institution
Quotes
Central Consumer Protection Authority
Regulatory authority overseeing consumer protection
“no product falsely claiming to be 'prasad', 'prasadam', 'mahaprasad', 'bhog' or any similar religious offering associated with any religious institution”
NDTV
“The CCPA hereby imposes a penalty of Rs 1,00,000/- on the opposite party (Amazon Seller) for publication of misleading advertisements on its platform”
NDTV
Sources
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