Amazon Gets Centeral Notice Over ‘Ayodhya Prasad’ Sweet Sales

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), led by Chief Commissioner Shri Rohit Kumar Singh, has launched an investigation into Amazon Seller Services Pvt. Ltd. over the alleged deceptive trade practices related to the sale of sweets on www.amazon.in under the name ‘Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad.’

The initiation of this action follows a complaint filed by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), accusing Amazon of engaging in deceptive trade practices by selling sweets under the guise of ‘Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad.’

Upon reviewing the representation, it was discovered that various sweets and food products are being marketed for sale on Amazon’s e-commerce platform (www.amazon.in) with the label “Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad.”

Allowing the online sale of food products that make false representations misleads consumers about the true characteristics of the product. This misleading practice can influence consumers to make purchasing decisions they might not have made had the accurate attributes of the product been disclosed.

It is noteworthy that Rule 4(3) of the Consumer Protection (e-commerce) Rules, 2020 prohibits any e-commerce entity from adopting unfair trade practices, whether on its platform or otherwise.

Furthermore, the term ‘Misleading advertisement,’ as defined in Section 2(28) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, refers to any advertisement that falsely describes a product or service, gives a false guarantee, or is likely to mislead consumers about the nature, substance, quantity, or quality of the product or service.

The CCPA has issued a notice to Amazon, seeking a response within 7 days. Failure to provide a satisfactory response may lead to necessary action being taken against Amazon under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.