The CCPA has fined Meesho Rs 10 lakh for allowing the sale of walkie-talkies without essential legal and compliance disclosures. The watchdog said the platform misled consumers and failed to prevent the listing of restricted radio devices.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a fine of ₹10 lakh on Meesho, saying the e-commerce platform misled customers by advertising and selling walkie-talkies without giving mandatory legal information.
According to the authority, Meesho allowed these devices to be sold without clearly telling buyers about important rules, including spectrum permissions, licence requirements, and certification needed under India’s telecom laws.
A Bench of Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra said that Meesho enabled the sale of walkie-talkies on its platform even though consumers were not informed about legal conditions related to the use of such radio communication devices.
Walkie-talkies in India are regulated under the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933, and the Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) Wing under the Union Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is responsible for controlling their usage.
The CCPA explained that the government has issued guidelines on how to obtain a walkie-talkie licence, and these guidelines, released under the 2018 rules, also list devices that do not need a licence.
The 2018 rules say that manufacturers must get an Equipment Type Approval (ETA) certificate from the WPC to make sure their products follow all telecom regulations.
Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, e-commerce platforms must clearly mention these compliance details when selling walkie-talkies.
In Meesho’s case, the authority found that the platform sold walkie-talkies without telling users whether the devices required a wireless operating licence or whether they were legally compliant.
Many product listings did not mention whether the walkie-talkies needed a licence, which could mislead customers into thinking that such devices could be used freely without any legal restrictions. Because of this, the CCPA took suo motu action against Meesho.
The authority stated that Meesho allowed these listings until May 2025 without making the disclosures required under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and the E-commerce Rules, 2020.
During the investigation, officials found that buyers were deprived of important information, which put them at risk of legal trouble and safety concerns.
The order also pointed out that Meesho did not provide ETA or WPC certificates, product IDs, listing links, compliance documents, and seller verification records for all the walkie-talkies that were non-compliant.
Meesho also submitted details for only one seller, even though data showed that more than 2,029 units were sold by different sellers on the platform.
Meesho, in its reply, argued that some sellers had wrongly listed walkie-talkies under the “Kids & Toys” category and that non-compliant items were removed whenever the company received a report.
The company also said that it later introduced better monitoring systems, including human review and automated detection tools.
However, the CCPA rejected this explanation. It said that e-commerce platforms cannot hide behind the excuse of being passive intermediaries when they themselves control seller registration, pricing systems, and listings that earn them revenue.
According to the authority, platforms must act in advance to stop illegal sales instead of waiting for problems to arise.
The order also highlighted that Meesho did not take any action against sellers who used the platform to sell restricted devices. Instead of penalising them, it only removed their listings.
Along with the Rs 10 lakh penalty, the CCPA issued strong directions stating that Meesho must ensure that no walkie-talkies or licensed radio-based devices are listed on its website unless they have all required government approvals.
ALSO READ: Rs 5 Lakh Fine on Drishti IAS: CCPA Exposes Misleading UPSC Selection Claims for 2022
The platform has also been instructed to conduct regular self-audits to detect and prevent misleading or illegal listings in the future. Meesho must publish a certificate of these audits on its website so that consumers are fully aware of its compliance steps.
The order sends a clear message that online marketplaces must take responsibility for the products sold on their platforms and that failure to disclose essential legal information will lead to strict action from consumer protection authorities.
Click Here to Read More On CCPA
