₹44 lakh fine on 8 e-commerce companies including Amazon-Flipkart: CCPA action on selling illegal walkie-talkies; Called them a threat to national security

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has taken action against selling illegal walkie-talkies on e-commerce platforms. CCPA has imposed a total penalty of Rs 44 lakh on eight companies including Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho and Meta.

Such walkie-talkies were being sold on these platforms which did not have the necessary license or technical approval. This has been done for violation of the Consumer Protection Act 2019 and telecom laws.

The authority investigated and found that more than 16,970 products were listed on these websites, which did not meet the safety standards.

Penalty of Rs 10 lakh each on 4 big companies including Amazon-Meta

Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said that a fine of Rs 10 lakh each has been imposed on Meesho, Meta (Facebook Marketplace), Flipkart and Amazon. Apart from this, a fine of Rs 1 lakh each has been imposed on Chimia, Geomart, Talk Pro and Maskman Toys.

According to the official, Meesho, Meta, Chimia, Jiomart and Talk Pro have deposited the fine amount, while payment of the remaining companies is awaited. The matter came to light when investigation revealed that these platforms were selling Personal Mobile Radio (PMR) without any license information.

Devices were running without approval and on wrong frequency

There are strict rules for using walkie-talkie in India. According to current rules, only those walkie-talkies that operate on a frequency of 446.0 to 446.2 megahertz (MHz) can be used without a license.

CCPA’s investigation revealed that many devices sold on e-commerce platforms were operating at frequencies outside this prescribed limit. Also, these devices did not have ‘Equipment Type Approval’ (ETA) certificate, which is mandatory for any wireless device to be sold in India.

How many errors were found on which platform?

Why are these devices a big threat to security?

CCPA has warned that these unapproved radio devices can be a serious threat to the country’s security. These devices can interfere with the communication networks of police, disaster management and other emergency services. If these devices interfere with sensitive frequencies, it could disrupt critical government operations and compromise national security.

The companies’ ‘middleman’ argument rejected

During the hearing, many companies argued that they are only a ‘middleman’ and are not responsible for the goods sold by third-party sellers. However, the CCPA rejected this argument outright.

The authority said that the platforms which are listing, hosting and promoting the products cannot escape their responsibility. Companies should use their technology to stop listing of illegal goods.

New guidelines issued for e-commerce companies

To fix accountability of e-commerce companies, CCPA has notified new Guidelines-2025 for ‘Prevention of Illegal Listing and Sale of Radio Equipment’. It has been prepared after consultation with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Now it will be necessary for companies to do the following: